Alien Mine Ch. 17

Yaneta pressed the button again, and the flame leaped out. She used it like a garden hose, moving the fire around until the creature had been completely burned. "Good, now it's time to go," Leslie said as a crowd had started to gather and someone called the police. Yaneta wanted to throw up, but Leslie dragged her from the building, out the back, and into the night.

"One down, one to go," Leslie said, her voice eager, ready for another kill. Yaneta shivered, still wanting to gag at the stench that seemed to follow her.

Going home afterward and performing for Dmitri was the hardest thing she had ever done. The second creature was worse, the family dead, mostly eaten, the man serving as the host almost dead, used up by the parasite. It had sickened her as nothing had before. Then afterward, Leslie had explained calmly about the parasite and how it would search for someone like her with a symbiont. She had hoped that all of it was a lie somehow; now, she knew better. It should have made her feel worse, but there was no more fear left in her tonight, only a horror of what she had seen.

Afterward, Leslie took her to a clothes store and insisted she buy a schoolgirl uniform that was much too small for her. "It will give Dmitri a thrill, and remember you promised him something special tonight," she had said as if they had not just killed two men and alien monsters.

Yaneta was too shaken; I can't, please, not tonight," she had begged and pleaded in vain. "Those things, and the people, I just want to be sick." Yaneta looked up at Leslie, hoping for a reprieve, sympathy, or something. But, instead, she saw eyes that looked dead, and her clit ring began to tingle painfully.

"No," we can't have Dmitri suspicious right now, you will do it, Yaneta, and you will do it well. It can happen with a lot of pain or none; it's your choice."

She had done it, performed like a schoolgirl whore just Like Leslie had demanded. Afterward, her phone buzzed, letting her know she had a message. She hated the sound, knowing who it was from, but she didn't dare ignore it. So she picked it up and looked at the message. it. "Good Girl," was all it said. Yaneta put it down with relief, but sleep would not come.

Boroda smiled with satisfaction as he reviewed the latest results from the drug testing over breakfast. The FSB reported a 100% success rate; not one of the test subjects had held out more than a week. The drug was addictive within two days, and the subjects broke quickly as they went into excruciating withdrawal. In addition, it was much more potent than heroin or any other narcotics, a wonder of modern chemistry.

They were well into their next production run, and several new targets were lined up. Boroda felt a little guilty that there was no cure, and no one had survived coming off the drug; it was a death sentence without daily doses. However, they were enemies of the State, he told himself. To be honest, he found the scientific challenge of creating such a devastating drug exhilarating, something no one else had done before. It was unfortunate he couldn't publish the results, brag to his peers, and let them know what he had been able to do.

He left promptly, as usual, at 6:00 pm, leaving the isolated facility south of Nizhny Novgorod that was well away from population centers. It was a pain as he had to drive back and forth almost 60 kilometers every day, but he was happy with his work, and Dmitri would reward him. He sang to himself as he drove, thinking about what he would do with the money sure to come his way. Perhaps a vacation somewhere warm, southern Egypt was popular with Russians, and the resorts on the Red Sea were also popular.

About halfway home, he came across another car partially blocking the road and a woman standing there waving him down. Slowing, he opened the window to see what was the matter. The woman said something as she raised her hand, and Boroda slumped unconscious. Another woman came out of the trees and quickly pushed him out of the way, getting behind the wheel. Both cars moved off about a kilometer until they came to a dirt road; the vehicles turned onto it and disappeared shortly after.

Yerik was the FSB Officer in charge of security at the secure biotech facility. Dmitri pharmaceuticals designed and operated the Laboratory, but it was primarily an FSB operation. Security was a concern considering the kind of research and development that took place here, all under FSB direction, and he was conscientious about his job.

Owing to the critical nature of this facility, Yerik was in the office every morning at 0700, checking the buildings and ensuring that everyone was where they were supposed to be. All present and accounted for was what he liked; he didn't like people who showed up late, got drunk, or just overslept and had to be chased down and accounted for. That had only happened a couple of times, but penalties were severe, rarely a problem.

But Yerik was not happy this morning because the director himself was not there, which was very unusual. Boroda was always prompt, but it was 8:00 am, and still no sign of him. Yerik knew everyone's schedules, and he had reported his absence to the regional headquarters; they would send a car to look for Boroda.

The security office was set back from the main building where his men could monitor the cameras; the entire lab was under surveillance, as were the outside grounds. They had been cleared of all trees and brush and were surrounded by a four-meter high electrified wire fence and an inner fence equipped with cameras, motion sensors and topped with razor wire. Dogs patrolled the area between the two. Security was tight; everyone had to be accounted for and searched on the way in and out. No cell phones were allowed in the building, and absolutely nothing came out.

Yeriks' first indication that today would be different was when a perimeter alarm sounded promptly at 8:00 am. This in itself was not unusual, but before he could respond, there were more alarms reporting perimeter breaches.

"Multiple breaches in the perimeter," one of his men cried out.

Yerik scanned the security cameras, unable to believe what he was seeing. It looked like they were under attack by several tigers; they tore through the security fences like paper. Yerik hesitated a few seconds, mesmerized by what he was seeing. He stared as one of the animals ripped a hole in the first fence with a quick swipe of his claws. It sprang for the second fence, but one of the guard dogs attacked. The tiger seemed to casually swipe a paw at the dog, which fell back to the ground completely eviscerated. Then, it barreled through the next fence a second later and was headed for the Laboratory.

"Secure the building," Yerik shouted, and automatic steel doors dropped down, sealing off the Laboratory entrances. Yerik was startled at how fast the animals had moved, ripping through the fence and then making straight for the building. His security teams and dogs deployed, trying to intercept them but to no avail.

Yerik hit the alarm that would alert FSB headquarters and bring additional security running. "Call headquarters, let them know what happened," he told another as he watched in disbelief. "The perimeter fence is down in multiple areas," one of his men announced, "but what are those things?"

The security deployed quickly, unaware of what they faced. Yerik watched as two men and a dog took one of the tigers under fire. His men were first surprised, then terrified as the bullets had no effect on the animal, which then slowly turned toward the two helpless guards, stalking them. Eyes wide, they threw down their weapons and turned to run, but the tiger then moved with incredible speed. Yerik cried out as he saw the tiger tear them both to pieces, then it killed the dog before turning back toward the Laboratory.

Yerik watched in horror as the scene was repeated. Finally realizing their weapons had no effect, his men tried to retreat into the security building. Yerik shouted commands as he saw another animal overtake three men running. It barely slowed down as huge clawed paws reached out and tore the men in half. Blood spurted across the ground while a third man slipped as he tried to run, but he was also soon ripped apart as two other animals sprinted past. Yerik was frozen in terror as the same thing was happening at different places within the perimeter. Dogs and men were all dead in seconds, he felt his breakfast coming up at the sight of the torn bodies, but his nausea quickly turned to fear as he saw no one was left alive.

He tried contacting headquarters, but his frantic calls went unanswered. "Go help them," he shouted to the three men remaining with him, but they just stared at him, unwilling to face those things. Yerik watched helplessly as the animals finished killing whatever men were left and turned toward the building. He hoped the Laboratory was safe; the reinforced steel doors designed to withstand explosives would surely stop them. Instead, Yerik could only watch in dread as this terror that had been unleashed on them ripped through the steel barriers as if tissue with their claws, then smashed through the heavy glass doors and disappeared inside. "No," he shouted, "that's impossible" as one by one, the doors were being ripped open,

"Where is the support," he shouted frantically, watching in horror as the things were loose inside the Laboratory. He could see the people and hear their screams as the technicians and scientists ran in panic. Yerik wanted to throw up, seeing the bodies eviscerated as the tigers slashed their way through anything human. Closed doors and weapons were no defense against these things, and the screams of the dying rang in his ears. Yerik turned his head and vomited as he saw them ripping apart a woman and the man who tried to defend her.

His men inside fired, but they were slaughtered, each one chased down and killed brutally. Yerik grabbed his rifle in a panic and fled from his office, overwhelmed, just seeking to escape, followed by his three remaining men. He ran as if possessed, terrified. Looking back over his shoulder, he could see one of the things was coming quickly after him, much faster than he could run. He turned and squeezed the trigger on his rifle, vainly trying to hit whatever it was.

Yerik could see his bullets hitting it, but it was of no use, and he screamed in agony as his legs were ripped off and blood gushed out. He lived just long enough to see the last of his men killed viciously. Seconds later, the laboratory building exploded, leaving nothing but a crater in the ground. The security building, now empty, was not touched, but everything on the computers was erased except the recordings of the last 10 minutes.

Stefen, a major in the FSB, was at the regional FSB headquarters in a meeting where they poured over the latest results from the enhanced drug and interrogation program. It was going well, and people at the highest reaches of the government were pleased. With this weapon, political opponents could be silenced, and under the threat of drug withdrawal, they became very public supporters of the regime, likewise for troublesome journalists. In addition, there were plans to suborn foreign government officials; the drugs would be much more effective than old-fashioned blackmail or bribery.

Stephen had seen what this drug could do to a man or woman. Even the strongest quickly gave in. The pain of withdrawal seemed to be more severe than any of their torture techniques. It left no physical effects once it was given again. Initially, a few held out until they died, but Stephen had come up with a solution. A man who might hold out until it killed him would crumble when they used the drug on his wife or children. Indeed, just the threat of it solved most of the problems.

They had twenty-three prisoners under control now, all located in cells below his office. Some would be returned to everyday life but dependent on the drug, others would be executed after he was sure they had learned everything they needed to know. Nevertheless, Stephen felt a sense of satisfaction as he read over the reports, his men had done an excellent job, and he knew his report would be well received in Moscow.

He frowned as his phone went off, a text from HQ requesting he call immediately. Excusing himself, he stood up and left the room, walking down the hall into another wing where he had an office and a secure phone. As he reached for his door, he was thrown from his feet, and his ears registered an explosion. Getting up, he ran outside and stopped, stunned; the other wing of the building was gone! The entire wing, all the people, his work, and the prisoners they were holding. All of it was just gone!

Everything was in chaos, men pouring out, a few survivors screaming for help, while others wondered if they were under attack. Stephen forgot the message and everything else as he helped with survivors and searched for the people who worked for him, but they were all gone.

"We missed one," said Kiania.

"I know," Leslie responded, "Amancia will take care of it later."

Stephen had missed the news of the laboratory explosion, but when he returned to his office to rest and see what had survived, he found a woman waiting for him. "What are you doing here," he asked, not recognizing her, "get out and go help with the rescue," he ordered sharply. Stephan moved to sit in his chair, but the woman didn't move. "Get out," he snarled and started to push her out of the way but stopped when he looked at her eyes.

"I am here to clean up loose ends," she said in an ice-cold voice, "and you are a loose end."

"What do you mean," he stammered in a wary voice, looking around to see if she was alone.

"The drug trials, the dissidents, the torture, time to pay the piper."

"Pay the piper," he said, "what the hell does that mean."

"I guess that doesn't translate well," she said in a voice like arctic ice, "it means time for you to die," and he felt something hit him in the stomach, once, twice, then a third time. There was no noise, just bullet holes in him.

Stephen looked down at the blood running out with confusion, then slid to the ground. "What are you doing," he mumbled.

"Just exterminating the rats," she said, "now I will sit here and watch you die, then cut off your head with this knife," the woman added calmly.

"Cut off my head," he gasped as blood ran out of his body, and everything began to fade.

"Yes, Kiania wanted me to cut you up slowly, but this will have to do; as for your head, that will be sent back to your superiors."

Stephan couldn't answer, he felt darkness closing in, and the last thing he saw was the woman getting up out of his chair with the knife.

Vladik was a General in the FSB, not an old man but not as young as he used to be. Still, he was working out every morning just as he had always done. This morning was different, though; now, there was a man he did not recognize standing at the door of the room he used as a gym. He was holding a gun, just standing there patiently watching him. He had been there for the past thirty minutes, not moving or talking, just gesturing with the weapon threateningly whenever Vladik had moved. Now, something had changed though, for the man gestured with his head toward the TV. The screen came on without anyone touching it, reporting an explosion at an FSB facility in central Russia.

"Your men, comrade," the man stated flatly.

Vladik stared in shock; he recognized the building and could see the destruction, one wing totally gone, the rest of the building damaged.

"Your drug program is over," the man said calmly. "The lab facilities everything. We are part of the Russian government, and we will not tolerate this kind of evil."

Vladik just looked at him in complete surprise, trying to stay calm; no one was supposed to know about this new drug program, and what did he mean he was part of the Russian government? That couldn't be true. Then, gathering his thoughts, he said, "I have no idea what you are talking about," in an even voice that hid his turmoil.

"Yes, you do, but I did not come here to discuss it but to give you a warning. We have killed everyone involved, everyone," the man emphasized. Any attempt to reproduce this evil will result in your immediate death. I am not here to threaten but to warn."

Then Vladik screamed as his knee exploded, and he fell to the ground, rolling in agony. He grabbed at his knee, the blood quickly covering his hands as he withered on the floor.

Rhys waited until the General recovered sufficiently to hear what he said. "You will no doubt get a new knee, but you will remember this every time you stand up from your chair. The next time I come, it will be to kill you, your wife, family, cousins, uncles, everyone, even your dog," the man said with anger. Then he turned and quietly walked away, leaving Vladik screaming in pain every time he tried to even crawl out to get help. His wife found him thirty minutes later, called back to the house from her early errands.

***

Yaneta was scared; no, she was terrified. Nelya was missing, and Nikita was going crazy, threatening to kill her, but she didn't know anything. She briefly thought of trying to tell him about Rhys, Leslie, and the spaceship but quickly discarded the idea; Nikita wouldn't believe her, and Leslie would punish her. Nikita reached out and grabbed her by the hair; "you stupid bitch, I have had enough of this," he said, slapping her hard across the face, once, twice, and then a third time which knocked her backward.

"I don't know where she is, I swear," Yaneta screamed through tears and rage. The slaps had hurt, but not as bad as she had expected.

Nikita just looked at her, his anger cold and deadly. Then, reaching in his pocket, he pulled out one of the drug ampoules. Yaneta recognized it immediately and tried to run in terror, but Nikita knocked her to the ground, falling on top of her. Hold still, you little whore; you will learn to be obedient one way or another. Yaneta streamed in horror, lashing out at Nikita, her claws raking his face, going for his eyes.

Cursing, Nikita slammed a fist into her stomach, hearing her gasp and collapse underneath him; then, holding her by the hair, he brought the ampoule with the needle to her neck. "Hold still bitch," he said, placing it against her neck.

Just as he pressed the plunger to inject the drug, he was jerked up and thrown across the room. Nikita grunted with anger and sprang up, ready to kill whoever had dared to lay a hand on him, only to stop in his tracks as he assessed the threat. Three women stood there, two holding weapons, the other a wicked-looking knife.

"Who are you," he hissed, "get out of my house, Anton, get in here he shouted."

"Your guards are dead," the one with the knife said with a funny smile.

"Who are you? What do you want," Nikita said, growing concerned at what he saw. One of the women was attending to Yaneta, talking to her as if they were friends. Who were they? Nikita wasn't scared of women; he was a big man, but two of them had weapons of some sort, and one had a strange-looking knife.

"Is she okay," the one with the knife asked, looking at Yaneta.

"She is just shaken up a little; the symbiont must be further along than we thought. It's already making changes to her body," replied one of the others

"Good," the woman with the knife said, walking up to Nikita.

Nikita lunged for her, attempting to take the knife and use her as a shield. Instead, the woman shrugged off his attack and knocked him to the ground. Then Nikita screamed in anguish when Kiania used her foot to calmly break both his legs.

"You fucking bitch," he snarled, grabbing for his legs, "I will kill you for this."

"I don't think so," the woman said calmly, "I have dealt with scum like you before, and I have been looking forward to today. Hold him," she said to the other two.