Inseminoid (2 page)

Ricky was glad to be away from Nancy. She’d become like a puppy dog, always yapping at his heels. If he’d been asked why he’d become a space archaeologist, sex would have come first on the list, adventure second and scientific motivation a lowly third. But then no one asked.

Crossing the planet’s surface from the living complex to their intended survey location, the two men struck a surreal image. Their silver suits glistened against the purple haze that drifted in for that short period of time each day when one sun was setting and the other rising on opposite horizons. They walked slowly through what had been dubbed the Valley of the Shadows because the two suns cast two distinct shadows on every object.

They’d been on the planet for only a week and a day but the expedition already had all the markings of a blow-out. Nothing had turned up to justify the continuation of the project, but that was nothing new. Those earlier expeditionary task-forces—fifty and a hundred-and-fifty years before them—came away with the same lack of results. It was the former expedition that constructed the primitive living quarters, a spider-like complex with a maze of corridors and a multitude of laboratories, workrooms and storage facilities. For some long-forgotten reason it had been thought that this planet might provide the key to those questions that continually dogged scientific explanation about the origins of life.

Although the complex had been built to hold two hundred explorers, much of it had fallen into disrepair and was sealed off. A technical crew from Nova had come down briefly before the archaeologists arrived to modernise a section of the complex for their occupation. New electronics and an updated communication system were installed as well as purified atmosphere control units.

Dean and Ricky had already checked out Quadrant-Two a few days earlier and found nothing. Now, they were on their way to Quadrant-Four. In the centre of the quadrant was a hill, unremarkable in any way, indeed very similar to many others they’d already checked. But they had to start somewhere and that seemed as good a place as any. Both men carried sonic sensors, small electronic units that registered the thickness of rock and other solid materials. It was with the sonic sensor that they’d be able to determine whether a particular hillside or ground-cover might be concealing a hollowed-out area.

“We’d better split up,” Dean said. “No reason to duplicate our work. Why don’t you begin checking the other side of the hill?”

Ricky nodded his helmeted head and moved around the mound, out of view of Dean and the complex in the distance.

Ten minutes went by, then Dean called to Ricky through his personal communicator. “I may have something here. Sensor indicates a depth of only a foot and a half. Give me a hand.”

Ricky rejoined Dean. “What do you think it means?”

“Probably not a whole lot. A small gap in the rock formation is most likely.” Dean removed something from his supply pack. “Let’s see what these little charges can do for us. It sure beats slugging it out with a pick and shovel.”

Dean positioned a half-dozen small red discs the size of coat buttons on the edge of a protruding rock, and he and Ricky retreated fifty yards. When they were well clear of flying debris Dean electronically set off the charge. The atmosphere was such that sound didn’t travel. Ricky found it strange to see the light and the smoke of the blast but to hear nothing.

When the dust had settled, they saw that the entire side of the hill had crumbled, revealing a dark cavern. Ricky shot Dean a glance but Dean was intrigued by the gaping hole and didn’t even notice Ricky’s questioning expression.

“We may just have stumbled on something,” Dean mumbled. He was talking as much to himself as he was to his young colleague.

They walked to the entrance and stopped just outside it.

“It’s dark in there,” Ricky commented.

Dean smiled. “I guess no one told them we were coming and to leave the lights on.” He increased the beams attached to the sides of his helmet and shone the high-intensity lantern inside the cavern. Ricky followed his example and they were ready to enter.

They drenched the stone walls of the cavern with the artificial light but it was still dark. Then, Dean saw something. Ricky noticed his surprise. “What is it?”

“Don’t know. Stay where you are and keep the light on the wall.”

Dean moved to the wall and let his gloved hand brush away thousands of years of dust. It was an engraving.

He raised his hand and motioned for Ricky to join him. Dean couldn’t believe it—not until he touched it. Indeed, it
was
real. A broad grin formed on his face. “Ricky, my friend. This is what a scientist waits for. Just as we were on the verge of giving up—a great discovery! Do you realise this is the first sign of civilisation ever discovered on this planet? This means there must be more—that we and the others before us have been looking in the wrong places. This should teach you to have patience.”

“What do we do now? Should we inform Holly?”

“Not yet. There’s plenty of time.”

Dean bent to one knee and studied the hieroglyphics.

“What do they mean?” Ricky asked.

Dean shook his head. “No idea. That’s why Mitch is aboard. If he can’t tell us what they mean, then no one can. He’s the best there is.”

Ricky’s sonic sensor was becoming heavy in his hand, so he rested it on the ground against the wall just beneath the hieroglyphics. Suddenly the digital read-out was flashing.

“Hey, Dean, look at this. The machine must be broken.”

But Dean didn’t think so. Those things never went down. If the sensor indicated the wall had a thickness of only six inches, then goddamn it, it did! “Get me the laser. We’ll burn through it.”

“You think something’s behind the rock?”

“Only one way to find out, isn’t there?”

“But why the laser?” Ricky asked. He was showing his inexperience.

“Because if we blasted, the whole place would come down on us. Anyway, this rock is thin enough to cut through.”

“Makes sense.”

They took their small, hand-held utility lasers from holsters attached to their belts and moved to within a foot of the wall. They activated the instruments and the rock started to melt away. The lasers cut through the stone as though it was butter.

Suddenly an explosion hit!

A hail of stone showered down on them. Dean was caught by the full force of the blast and his body was hurled fifteen feet, but he was still breathing. Then one of the rocks tumbling down came to rest only inches from his head. Had it been an ordinary rock, it would have been just one of many and not worthy of special note. But it was very different from the others. Under its rough black exterior were beautiful crystals—crystals that radiated a force so strong that their power passed ghost-like through Dean’s protective helmet without breaking the material. Immediately the left side of his head—the side closest to the crystals—began to melt. The fleshy part of his ear was the first thing to be affected. The mixture of skin, blood and hair became one and dripped down the side of his helmet, sizzling as it went. Then his cheek and his left eyeball began to melt.

The rocks were still falling and a large, heavy boulder crashed down on Dean’s head, crushing his skull. If the crew later thought that the boulder had been responsible for Dean’s condition, they were very wrong. For that boulder only served to camouflage the true cause of his sorry state. Miraculously, Ricky was knocked clear. He was thrown backwards and lay unconscious half inside and half out of the cavern.

Sharon was behind the console in the control room. It was her responsibility to keep tabs on all activity. “We’ve got a disturbance in the vicinity of Quadrant-Four,” she announced.

Holly came over to her. “What kind of disturbance?”

“Tremor of some sort. Registered three-point-six.”

Holly thought for a second, then it struck her. “Quadrant-Four? Isn’t that where Dean and Ricky are working? Try to get them on the communicator.”

Sharon opened the system, turned a dial to their frequency and spoke into the microphone. “Dean, Ricky. Are you all right? What happened? Please report on the tremor.”

But there was nothing in the way of response from the men. Only static filled the airwaves.

“Try again,” Holly commanded.

Sharon did try again, but there was no answer.

“Gotta get it checked out right away,” Holly said. “Get Mark and Gary down to Quadrant-Four. And tell Karl to stand by. We may have an emergency on our hands.”

“Right,” Sharon acknowledged the order. She craved excitement. She needed the high it produced. That’s why she’d come along. Sharon didn’t care about danger to herself or to others, if it livened things up.

Mark was the sub-commander. He and Gary were briefed and didn’t waste any time suiting up. They moved as fast as they could through the airlock into the atmosphere and across the planet’s surface to Quadrant-Four.

Mark saw Ricky sprawled on the ground and rushed to his side.

“Is he still alive?” Gary asked.

“I think so, but I don’t see Dean.”

“Must be buried inside,” Gary said.

Mark shook his head. “What the hell were they doing, blasting in a confined space! I can’t believe that someone with as much mileage as Dean would try that.”

Then Mark ripped his communicator from his belt and brought up the control room. “Code-One Emergency! This is Mark.”

“Go ahead, Mark.” Holly was behind the console.

“Rick is hurt and Dean is missing. We’re bringing Ricky in. I would advise getting a rescue team out here as soon as you can to begin the search for Dean. I’m afraid the doc’ll have his hands full today.”

“We’ll be ready for Ricky when you arrive,” Holly promised.

Mark and Gary slung Ricky’s arms around their shoulders and dragged his limp body to the complex. By the time they’d got through the airlock, Karl and his assistant, Sandy were waiting with the stretcher.

With the alarm blaring, Karl worked as fast as he could to secure Ricky to the stretcher. Then he and Sandy pushed the rolling bed through the corridors to the infirmary. By the time they’d made it to the medical unit Ricky was just starting to return to the land of the living.

“Let’s get his suit off,” Karl said.

Sandy unzipped the one-piece garment and helped the doctor slip it off. Just then Holly charged through the portal.

“How is he?” she asked. Sincere concern was apparent in her voice. “How’s Ricky?”

The sound of his name seemed to affect him. Ricky tried to open his eyes and sit up but he was in pain. Karl placed his hand firmly on the injured man’s shoulder. “Take it easy. You’ve had a shock. How do you feel?”

“Like shit.”

Holly saw he was able to communicate and came the few steps to where he lay. “Ricky, this is Holly. Do you feel up to some questions?”

Ricky took a deep breath. His mouth was so dry he wondered if a herd of camels had crossed through it. “Water. Please. I need something to drink.”

Sandy brought him a glass of the liquid and he gulped it down. “Okay, what do you want to know?”

“What exactly happened out there?”

Ricky shrugged. “I wish I knew. One minute it was so peaceful. The next—boom!”

“Just like that? You didn’t set off a charge?” Holly asked. That had been her theory as well as Mark’s.

Ricky shook his head. “Oh, that hurts. No charge inside the cave. Dean said it was too dangerous.”

Holly moved even closer so Ricky wouldn’t have to strain to speak. “Tell me what happened, from the beginning.”

Rick related the events, leaving nothing out. When he was finished he asked the question he’d avoided till then. “How’s Dean? Is he all right?”

Holly looked him straight in the eye. “He’s still out there. We’ve got a crew trying to dig him out but I don’t hold out much hope. That’s why it’s imperative that you tell me everything. We can’t make the same mistake again, and with what you found out there we must return.”

“I’ve just told you everything.”

Karl felt it was time to interrupt the conversation. “I think Ricky should relax now. I want to do tests on him and put him under the scanner just to make sure nothing’s broken or ruptured inside.”

“When can I get back to work, Doc?”

“If nothing turns up, tomorrow morning as usual. Just take it easy today.”

A high-pitched signal came from Holly’s personal communicator. She brought it close to her lips. “Commander McKay here, go ahead.”

It was Kate, calling from the site of the explosion. “We’ve located Dean. We’re digging him out now.”

“Is he still alive?”

“Just barely. He’s in pretty bad shape though.”

Karl took over the communicator. “How long do you figure it’ll be before you make it back with him?”

“Ten minutes at the most,” Kate reported.

Karl handed the communicator back to Holly. He had preparations to complete before Dean was brought in.

“Ricky, we’ll do the tests later. Do you feel up to moving under your own power? Or would you prefer it if you were wheeled to your cabin?”

“I can make it myself, Doc. I’m okay. You take care of Dean. That’s the important thing right now. Don’t worry about me.”

Karl smiled briefly. “Good man.” Then he turned his attention to the life-support machinery and the medical lasers.

“What can I do?” Sandy asked.

Karl looked around the room. “Get the stretcher down to the airlock. I’ve got to stay here. Can I count on you to get him here quickly?”

“Of course.”

Sandy was waiting when Dean was brought through the airlock. You didn’t have to be a medical expert to see that Dean
was
in bad shape. His suit was in shreds and his skull was crushed. He was laid on the stretcher and wheeled carefully to the infirmary. She held the oxygen mask tightly over his mouth. It looked as if he could use all the help he could get right then.

Holly trailed right behind them. “Doesn’t look good,” she said to Kate, who’d just brought him in.

Kate shook her head. “He’s lost a lot of blood and that head wound is downright ugly.”

When Karl heard them approach he spun around. “Oh my God!” He knew at that moment there was very little he could do for Dean. He had been warned to expect the worst and one look at the bloodied man confirmed his fears. Even so, he was duty-bound to try to work a miracle. Karl kept the oxygen flowing while the appropriate tubes and wires of the life-support machine were attached to Dean. The doctor checked and rechecked his computer readings.