THE FALL OF ROSENROT STATION

LAST LIGHT

There are here.

Even scanned the passage ahead with his carbine, buttplate pressed into the naked muscle of his shoulder. Then he angled his weapon up to cover the spires and ceiling-scraping towers of the rotunda.

There was a crash behind them. Even spun about and caught a glimpse of some metal silvered thing, panel, or lid, falling out of the rotunda. It crashed edge on into the side of one of the spires then crashed into the corridor and rolled a short distance before falling over.

Even angled the needlegun up and leaned into the box-shaped scope. His fingers found a dial on the side. When he turned it the peaks and towers of the rotunda moved towards him. He increased the magnification from 1.5 default to the maximum of 3.5. He left it there for a moment while he explored the shadows that lay in the valleys between the spires and stacks. After a bit he turned the magnification back and lowered the carbine.

Anything.

Even shook his head. Nothing positive. He said. What I wouldn't give for heatvision on this thing.

What. Said Nico. Are they waiting for.

The best time to attack. Even said. I would say that - he gestured at the lid that lay in the passageway - that was to test how swiftly we react.

You make them sound intelligent.

They are. Predators are, mostly.

I mean intelligent. Intelligent as us.

No. Said Even. More intelligent than us. A predator is generally smarter than its prey. You have vivisected these, morphs these, precursors.

Precursor type A. They are the most common of the precursors.

Your saw their brain size. It's complexity.

It does not follow they have general intelligence like us. Their intelligence may be specialised.

Did you test them for intelligence.

Nico shook his head.

They fell silent then, each man within his own thoughts. After a bit Even signalled for them to continue.

Keep moving. Even said eventually.

Can they climb well.

Even glanced back at Nico.

Very well. Even said finally. Watch your back.

Nico shivered. He glanced over his shoulder. When he turned back the others had gotten a few meters ahead of him and he hurried to catch up.

They went on for some minutes before Even again called a halt.

I can hear something he said.

The sound came again. It was an alien vocalisation of clicks that rose and fell in both frequency and amplitude. The frequency increased until the sound was a sharp whine then became inaudible.

Theyre up in the godamned stacks.

Hush. We have to keep moving.

They saw the first one as they were coming out of the rotunda. A black eyeless morph loped out into the passage. It turned and lowered the dome of its head and began to click.

Even lifted his carbine and took aim. The creature moved aside just as he fired a burst from the carbine.

Something thumped the floor behind him. Even spun around in time to see three morphs picking themselves off the floor.

Even gunned one morph down immediately. A burst of needles stitched up its side, pulling it apart. The other charged and leaped for Nico. That man got off a single shot from his gun which slipped harmlessly away overhead. The morph was on Nico in an instant. It knocked him down and sat on his chest, holding I'm down in its claws. Nico had his arm against its throat holding away the Jaws full of dagger teeth. Even tried to line up a shot when a are of hot wet pain burst through his back. Claws scraped bone  and he screamed and flung himself about.