Apocalypse Rising (Book Two)

The Satan Pit

"Open fire!" Jefferson ordered, and he and the guard remaining started shooting at the Ood.

"We're stabilizing!" Zach reported over the intercom. "We've got orbit."

Rose ran back to the comms as soon as she could. "Caly?" she called. "Caly, can you hear me? Caly, Ida, are you there?"

"Open Door 25."

Jefferson and the guard turned as one, and Danny yelped and raised his hands high. "It's me!" he told them. "But they're coming!"

"Close Door 25."

"It's the Ood," Danny continued. "They've gone mad."

"How many of them?" Jefferson asked.

"All of them! All fifty!"

"Danny, out of the way." Jefferson tried to get past, but Danny shook his head, not budging. "Out of the way!"

"But they're armed!" Danny protested, even as Jefferson got past. "It's the interface device. I don't know how, but they're using it as a weapon - "

"Open Door 25."

The Ood right in front stuck its globe into the female guard's head, and she screamed, getting electrocuted. Rose's eyes widened as Jefferson quickly started shooting before Danny shut the door. "Seal Door 24," he ordered, looking around. "Seal Door 23."

"Jefferson, what's happening there?" Zach asked.

"I've got very little ammunition, sir. How about you?"

"All I've got is a bolt gun. With, er . . . all of one bolt. I could take out a grand total of one Ood. Fat lot of good that is."

"Given the emergency, I recommend Strategy Nine."

"Strategy Nine agreed. Right, we need to get everyone together. Rose? What about Ida and the Apocalypse? Any word?"

"I can't get a reply," Rose replied worriedly. "Just nothing. I keep trying, but it's - "

"Nope!" the Apocalypse's voice called through static. "Sorry. I'm fine! Still here!"

Rose narrowed her eyes. "You could've said, you stupid - !"

***

The Apocalypse jerked her head as a wave of feedback came through the comms. "Whoa!" she exclaimed. "Careful! Language!"

"I don't care!" Rose shouted.

"Anyway, it's both of us. Me and Ida! But the seal opened up." She peered down it. "It's gone. All we've got left is this chasm."

"How deep is it?" Zach asked.

"Can't tell. It looks like it goes down forever."

"'The Pit is open,'" Rose quoted. "That's what the voice said.

"But there's nothing?" Zach asked. "I mean, there's nothing coming out?"

"No, no," the Apocalypse answered, shaking her head, knowing the others couldn't see her. "No sign of the Beast."

"It said Satan," Rose said worriedly.

"Come on, Rose, keep it together."

"Is there no such thing?" The Apocalypse hesitated, biting her lip. "Caly? Caly, tell me there's no such thing!"

"Ida?" Zach asked. "I recommend that you withdraw immediately."

"But we've come all this way!" Ida protested.

"OK. That was an order. Withdraw. With that thing opened, the whole planet's shifted. One more inch, and we fall into the black hole. So this thing stops right now."