Gabatrix: The Silver Rain

"Yes, I am. I am ready," she replied as her reptilian eyes focused on the cracked door.

"Alright," Carlos said as he began to pump the lever as rapidly and hard as possible. The door started to open up as they could already see through the crack.

So far there was nothing but a piece of floating debris in the air. There was little effort to try to be too quiet. Speed was of the essence and more important than trying to be silent. Much like they had seen up close now, the three could see the blasted doors of the elevator on the other side. It was ominous in its appearance. It was like a monster that bashed its way into a cabin house. The three knew that they were in mortal danger.

They could already hear the sounds of shifting in the distance of their left. The door was opened up enough that one person could go in at a time. Bekra was first to jump through the doors. As her body and tail slipped through, she aimed with her rifle and pointed it down the aft section of the passageway. Even with her near dark vision, her hearing could track it better than most humans.

Getting through the open crack, they could now tell more of the corridor. On the left, she could see empty, destroyed bodies that were still magnetized to the deck due to the magnetic shoes. Disjointed, the dead bodies of former crews remained in place and didn't react to the three getting out. It was disturbing and nerve-racking as Bekra was watching the bodies closely for any sudden movement.

"Come on, come on," Bekra gestured to them. Zalika was next as she jumped through and aimed her M18 and modified laser arm together at the other side. Carlos had to pump the lever a few more times, knowing that his heavier weight might get him stuck in the opening door.

"Go, go," Carlos said. "I will be right behind you. Don't wait on me."

"It's coming! All of it is directly aft," Bekra said. "The Emphra know we are here."

She didn't say anymore as she felt Zalika grab her hand. Carlos was slipping through the door as Zalika had her sights directly stern of the ship. She leaped forward and launcher herself as she activated her boot thrusters. Bekra felt her body be lifted from the ground as they began to fly down the passageway.

Right behind them was Carlos that did the same thing. He left the elevator door open as he leaped and activated his thrusters.

Things were moving fast that the events could be described for every second that was transpiring. Bekra could see the Emphra directly with her eyes, even in the darkness. The sight was terrifying. It was like watching a compartment that was flooding with water. One of the Emphra that was the size of the passageway was moving almost at the same speed as they were. The entity was crawling on the decks and walls like it was nothing. It had found its prey and was determined to get all three of them.

Carlos wasn't going to look back as the Emphra bypassed the open door and proceeded towards them. He didn't bother to look at the creature, but he knew he was closer to it than Zalika and Bekra.

Kole, meanwhile below, could hear it all above. The Emphra, or at least one of them, were closing in on his team. It would be a matter of time before they would start crawling down to go to him. He slipped the pill in his mouth as he kept it underneath his tongue. He tapped a few buttons on his wrist computer as he could see the activity going on.

Zalika was holding onto Bekra tight as they were flying down the passageway at the speed of a running person. She was practically holding onto her breath as pieces of debris were bouncing off her armor and helmet. The Emphra seemed to be moving fast, but the speed that the two made was starting to leave it behind. Bekra was trying to see if there was anything in front of them and there was only floating debris. Chuang had done it. His attempt at distraction not so long ago had diverted the Emphra away from the crossway that led to the hatches.

"We are clear of anything in front of us," Bekra said.

They were flying past a fractured area of one of the closed blast doors. This was the door that Karine's team had closed up as they were nearing the hatchway area. The moment that the two flew past this spot was where Bekra could see that something was wrong. It wasn't until they just went past the lip of the door.

"Watch out!" Bekra yelled.

It was too late for what she saw. One of the small Emphra, possibly a "baby" that might have come off from the possessed husk bodies, had found a hiding spot. Waiting for its prey to pass, the Emphra leaped from the top corner of the lip of the wall. It had missed Zalika and Bekra just barely, but there was another person that it could clearly hit.

"Ah!" Carlos screamed as the Emphra landed directly onto his helmet. Like an ambush predator, the Emphra had some concept in how to go after its prey. It had found one of its victims.

"Get it off! Get it off!" Carlos screamed as the Emphra then reached out to the wall and snagged it. With a tug and pull, the mercury slammed Carlos to the wall as it began to work immediately to dissolve his helmet.

"No, Carlos!" Zalika yelled as she almost blew past the crossway. She spun her legs forward as she stopped her momentum and tried to land, depositing Bekra to the deck for her feet to connect to the floor.

Bekra watched in horror as Carlos didn't have a chance. She extended her hand almost as if she wanted to pull him away even if they were way too far apart. A look of sadness filled her face knowing that he was gone. He struggled and fought to get the silver liquid off of him. His helmet was melting as the Emphra was trying to get to him.

Each second was crucial. Zalika could see the hatch as she turned to look at Carlos. She lifted up the M18 and laser arm to aim at it, but the rest of the massive sludge of mercury of the Emphra that was chasing them had zoomed in and quickly engulfed Carlos. Zalika didn't even have a chance to put the man out of his misery. The Emphra had claimed him fast as it punched through his helmet and into his mouth and lungs.

"Kole, open the doors!" Zalika yelled. "Open the fucking doors now!"

There was a split second as Zalika and Bekra could see that the Emphra had slowed down. Both of them stood in the passageway together side by side. Her head was looking at Zalika. Carlos, that was being consumed by the Emphra, was nothing but a lump of meat with mercury that covered him. The Emphra had slowed down a lot but was still moving towards the two. Perhaps capturing its victim and trying to consume or possess him had caused it to slow its movements.

Bekra activated her armor's helmet collar device as the metal helmet began to grow and develop over her head. She knew that she was going to be thrown into the depths of space as Zalika aimed her M18 and laser arm directly at the Emphra. Bekra replied the same as she aimed her assault rifle at the moving sludge.

Kole, down in the ventral bridge meanwhile, had placed his right hand on the command console as the power cell of his suit had activated. It glowed blue on his back as it diverted power to the quantum computer core. The console began to power up. It was quickly warming back up as he stuck his augmented hand on the console controls.

He could see the vision of the camera as the sentry turret had spotted it. It was the other Emphra that was coming down the elevator shaft. The turret immediately fired two shots into the mercury substance doing nothing to it as the Emphra quickly went over it and melted the device. It was crawling down the shaft slowly as if it was looking for whatever was around.

The Staff Sergeant's armor began to drain power quickly. He could overhear Zalika's command to open the hatches. His left hand was glowing as he was quickly trying to access the main menu systems. There was one problem, though, as each second was ticking. The system was still warming up. He was trying to bypass it, going directly into the other menu systems that led to the ship's systems.

"Trying!" Kole replied to Zalika. He could hear a shift near the elevator shaft. It was coming.

Zalika and Bekra's hearts were pounding. Both stood on the main deck as ready soldiers in some defiant last stand. The final three living marines of the Columbus had death closing in on them.

"Staff Sarge, now!" Zalika yelled.

"Trying.....standby!" Kole replied.

The Emphra was slowly closing upon them. Its prey was not moving, and it knew that it had them. It began to wrap all along the walls and up to the ceiling as if it was getting ready leap upon the two.

"Shoot it!" Bekra screamed as she began to take aim with her rifle. She pulled the trigger as her Y-6 rifle fired a burst of three rounds into the sludge, doing nothing to it.

Zalika was taking quick aim with her laser arm. She only had one shot, and she had to make it count. She looked at the largest concentration of the mercury and lifted the makeshift graser weapon. Linked up to her M18, she had the best shot that she could make as she activated the weapon.

The laser system fired a powerful concentrated burst of high-intensity radiation. The laser beam struck the center of the Empha concentration as it bore into it. The reaction seemed slow at first as the first two seconds went by. The Emphra then began to emit a screeching sound as if metal was rubbing against metal. It was unnatural as it was slowing down.

The third second that went by the Emphra then threw a portion of it as it broke off at Zalika's direction. The creature knew that it was taking damage and was responding to the only way that it could. It tried to reach out to her, but the shot was not a perfect one.

Bekra dropped her rifle as it floated in the air. She could see the mercury substance floating and flying fast towards Zalika's lower body. Immediately, Bekra slammed into Zalika, pushing her out of the way. The portion of the Emphra hit and wrapped around Bekra's leg as Zalika was safely moved free from it.

It happened so quickly as Zalika regained her ground, and her magnetic boots clamped down on the deck. The shot was halted, but the Emphra had slowed down drastically. It wasn't looking so good for it. A part of the mercury had turned into metal flake like dust as it floated into the air. Like clay that had hardened, the material had slowed down drastically and was barely moving. Another burst would perhaps at least with her thinking, kill it, but her laser arm was no longer functioning.

Zalika instead turned her sights to Bekra that was looking at her left leg. The flung portion of the Emphra had latched onto her leg as she was bearing the realization of what had happened.

"It is.....trying to burn through," Bekra struggled to say. "The Emphra is still alive but slowed. It is trying to get into my suit and......"

"No...." Zalika replied as the thoughts went into her head. She didn't want to do it, but she had to do it. The Emphra could not be taken off by conventional means.

Bekra was careful not to touch it, or it would cause it to spread to her hands. "It will penetrate my suit and then try to take over......" she said. "Shoot my leg."

It was as if time slowed down. Her realization of what was going to happen was a critical one. Her dearest friend was going to be devoured by this thing, and then there was the risk of her turning on herself. She looked at the Emphra that was slowly working its way up the leg as there was the hissing sound of armor that was dissolving.

There was only one way but one to stop its advance. Zalika aimed her M18 directly to the upper portion of Bekra's leg just above the knee. The powerful gun could easily do it. Enough rounds can punch through the armor. There was no time to think. If that happened, then Bekra would be dead. Zalika had a perfect shot as the gun was aimed at almost point-blank range.....

Several shots were fired into the leg. Bekra didn't even have time to scream as the powerful 50 caliber rounds ripped into her armor. It took about five shots as the bullets had torn entirely through it. Like a giant knife, the bullets had sawed through the Itrean armor and blown through to the deck behind her. Her leg fell free from its confines as blood began to flow out. Bekra then grabbed her gun and smacked the leg away into the air as the Emphra continued to try to munch through it. Zalika had accomplished her job in saving her friend, but for how long?

Bekra's armor seemed to react as it closed up the leg. Now running on one leg, she turned to see that the near-dead Emphra in the passageway was still alive and closing in.

This had all happened in a matter of fewer than twenty seconds of fighting and action as Kole in the ventral bridge could see the menu screen appear on the command console. The commands and operations of the ship booted up as he accessed it. Zeroing in on the hatchway commands, he worked his way to the area where Zalika and Bekra were located.

He could hear the Emphra get closer and closer as it entered the ventral bridge. It seemed to be heading directly to him.

"One thing that I have always learned," Kole said to everyone, including him. "It is important to be prepared for what is expected out there and carry a dose of Tritium Potassium Cyanide."

He bit down on the pill hard as he swallowed it. He could see the commands appear. Open both hatches? "Yes," Confirm? "Yes."

Kole smiled as he could feel the poison begin to take effect. He looked over to the Emphra as the power core of his suit ran out. The console went offline as his armor went offline. The last thing that he could see was darkness as he closed his eyes. He swore he could hear the Emphra reach next to him, but he wouldn't have to worry about it.

Back on the corridor of the port and starboard hatchways, there was a red light that appeared above both hatches. Zalika knew immediately as she used her one free hand to scoop up Bekra that was standing on one leg. Her severed limb showed that she was in a state of shock and pain.

It happened so quickly and so fast as things went quiet before both the hatches suddenly slid open. The air of the interior of the passageway began to blow out of the two openings.

The moment it happened, Zalika, with Bekra in hand, let the vacuum take her out. She remembered only being exposed to the nothingness of space as they were both flung out within less than a second.

Zalika felt nothing but rushing air as gases were venting out into space. She practically closed her eyes as she felt nothingness around her except the suit that was providing oxygen for her.

Bekra was the same. The suit had closed over her severed leg to protect her from the empty vacuum of space. She lost the grip of her assault rifle as it was flung free from her hand and into space. The red eyes of her helmet could see the Columbus as they were ejected. Debris and dust were being flushed out as well. She cringed from the pain that she felt in her leg as she tried to keep herself awake.

Emptiness, freedom, nothingness.....Both the bodies spun slightly in space as the momentum kept them flying away from the Columbus. They had escaped the monster that was inside it. Zalika could feel a problem though that was happening. Her suit was partially compromised because she didn't have a left glove for the augmented arm to work. The suit's left arm had sealed closed, but she could feel the ice collecting up near the connection between her augmented arm and the real portion of her body. Alarms were going off in her suit, but she was doing what she could not to let go of Bekra.

"Pain.....cold......" Zalika said.

Bekra felt pain in her leg as she reached up to her collar and pressed a button. "Paul....Jones.....shuttle," Bekra said as she tried to open up a channel. "Need immediate pick-up and medical help. Home in on our beacon. Repeat.....need."

"Roger, Centurion Bekra," Captain Faizan of the Paul Jones interrupted. "Shuttle is en route. Hang in there."

Bekra could see nothing but a dark spot where the Columbus was at as they were floating away from it. The darkness of space and lack of little lighting made it hard to see. Nothing else seemed to matter. The vastness of space felt safer than being in it. She could hear nothing but the breathing of herself and Zalika.

Chapter 12: Partial Daylight

It all seemed to be a dream for Zalika. A day had passed as the memories seemed never to escape her. She remembered it all, and they were memories that she never wanted. For her, she remembered everything. Being flushed out into space, being picked up by the shuttle that dropped them off to the Columbus, to begin with, and the aftermath seemed to fill her thoughts.

She remembered one final event yesterday before she passed out in the shuttle. She still had the thoughts run around her. Having to explain that the Emphra had overrun the Columbus was downright shocking to the crew of the Paul Jones. Bekra added her testimony as well. The data and recordings were all submitted to Faizan. The marines and staff were all gone except themselves.

The sacrifices of the many were not forgotten. Faizan ensured that the shuttle was at a safe distance as the UHN battleship opened up its missile tubes and unleashed a small volley of nuclear warheads onto the Columbus. Zalika remembered watching the film footage as the shuttle witnessed the salvo of missiles as it flew from the Paul Jones and towards the ghost ship. The Emphra could not spread and must never spread. The Columbus would receive a proper burial in space.

She remembered the darkness of the Columbus as an enormous flash of light from the nuclear weapons penetrated the hull. A bright blue ball of pure light erupted from the center portion of the ship. It was quiet as the atomic explosion incinerated the vessel from within almost instantly. Everything that the Emphra had taken would be gone. The Columbus was no more as the light slowly began to fade away, and darkness had once again filled the void of space.

Back on Eutera, everything seemed to be a typical day for most of the colony. For Zalika and Bekra, they stood in the hallway that led to the Major's stateroom. The base was quiet and most notably empty. Its halls lacked individuals or most of the personnel to keep it operational. For Zalika, she knew it was just another joke to add to the United Human Navy. Individuals were lost, and there was seemingly little to provide assistance for her.

She was dressed in her marine camouflage uniform as she looked over to Bekra, that was dressed in her same comfortable clothing as before. She had crutches that helped her move around as she lacked a leg to be able to walk correctly.

The hallway was the same as it was the previous day. The place's emptiness was getting to Zalika as she began to ball her hand to a fist. Bekra seemed even less emotional than the day before as she could see Zalika tensing up. Their walk together to the top COC of the military base seemed almost outright daunting and impossible of a task. Especially after the events of the day before.

"Are you alright?" Bekra asked Zalika.

"No....well....yeah.....after all this shit," Zalika said, trying to mask her anger.

"You don't plan on punching him, are you?"

"Oh, I am going to hit him," Zalika responded by clenching her fist. "I made a promise to the marines that I would."

"Please don't," Bekra explained to her as she tilted her crested head to her. "If you do, then it might endanger your career."

"Hmmm.....I don't know. I feel like my fist is going to be magnetized to his face," Zalika said as she seemed to think about it. "No promises."

Bekra seemed a little bit satisfied as she used her four fingers to grip the crutches with ease.

"You know, we do have a wheelchair available if you want it," Zalika told her.