“Caution!” Xexis warned with a single finger flicked to his protegee. The slippery sound of Kiefgr slowing to a stop were the last sounds as the ship went on lock down.
There was something in the ship. It took hold of Fqa. Possessed him of mind and body. Xexis pulled out his data pad and shoved it at Kiefgr. “Pull up the surveillance holograms.”
The younger hunter nodded vigorously, slapping fingers against the screen fast.
“They escaped through the vents,” Grooug growled, jabbing a finger up into the air toward a nearby vent.
“Have Rexna lock down all exits, all sensors on high alert. I want all personnel counted for and scanned for injuries. I want to know what happened to Fqa.”
His heart sank as he climbed to his feet. The wound upon the corpse was identical to a wound made by Fqa’s species. Their teeth lined up perfectly, his jaw strength would have ripped through his victim with no resistance. The stars showed mercy to them, and they wouldn’t have felt a thing. Dead before their head hit the ground.
Xexis stared at the tank. Shattered and jagged like Fqa exploded out of it. Blood, a slurry of colors and thickness, smeared across the floor. He had no idea if others were hurt.
This was not the Fqa he knew. Fqa was a gentle, soft-spoken individual. A parent, a loving partner, kind, and devastated by the sudden illness. Fqa didn’t even hesitate to agree to be taken away. A true fighter and survivor.
“Kannatch?” Kiefgr’s soft whine filled the air around him. Xexis glanced over at him with curiosity, finding his trainee holding up the data pad. Kiefgr whimpered, “It looks like Fqa died before he attacked.”
Xexis watched, devastated, and horrified, as Fqa choked on the liquid within the video. Clawing at his own neck, kicking, and thrashing within the tank. The technicians rushed to drain it, to get him out. Fqa lay against the glass, lifeless for a moment. They performed resuscitation on him, pounding rubber hammers into his chest and pushing bubbling liquid up into his gills. Then, in slow motion, Fqa opened his eyes and lunged. Killing the closest technician happened in quick succession as he bolted for the vents.
Xexis ripped his gaze from the screen down to the corpse at his feet.
The stars held no mercy for Fqa, and there would be no kindness for whatever possessed his body.
“Find it,” he ordered.
“Kannatch!”
He whirled toward the stairs, seeing Rexna at the bridge seconds before he heard screams. A familiar scream that sank his heart into his stomach. Panic was a new emotion to Xexis as he roared, charging up the steps. “Aphrodite!”
Chapter Nineteen:
ReevarsteppedbesideAphrodite,watching the door in horror. They both stood silently, unable to move until her data pad chirped. Aphrodite lurched, nearly dropping the slippery thing. Her hands trembled as she signed into it once more. The screen cleared and she was back to the station neutral screen. Except, when she tried to engage the drone, it buzzed and flashed a dull orange at her.
Drone not detected.
Aphrodite furrowed her brow and glanced up at the bobbing octopus beside her head. “Uh, Buddy, why aren’t you connected?”
The drone twirled in a quick circle before chirping metallically. His camera lens shuttered before it continued to bob up and down beside her.Maybe a question for a different time.She returned her attention to the data pad. Ready for it to glow red with alerts or scream at her, she waited. Even Reevar moved away from her to pull his flight suit on his flesh and collect all the armor pieces for everyone. He was carrying arms full when the data pad finally connected.
A green light flashed on her screen, and she was greeted with an incoming call.From Winrow Smith, the scouting mission general.Her heart raced. Without thinking, she accepted the video feed.As Winrow Smith came on screen, the sounds of screams filled the hall. Reevar jumped in front of her.
He jutted an arm out in front of her, the pieces of armor clattering to the ground. The doors to the baths hissed open seconds before a body passed through it. One of the researchers she hadn’t met toppled to the ground with a large blueish green alien attached to their throat. An open maw like an angler fish with an antenna eyeball, four arms and two legs, hunched over the corpse and took a large bite from the Vroz’s body. The angler fish stood, webbed arms and fingers spread as it gulped down its prey. Crunching bones and slurping blood before it focused its attention on Aphrodite and Reevar.
“Technician Kerso!” Smith’s bark filled her ears. Her focus, however, was solely on the beast approaching.
“Zhat muq brotesqu,”she breathed. Reevar blocked her from the view of the bloody person. As he intercepted, the angler fish tossed its head back and let out a spine shattering howl. It was loud, wet, and bounced off the walls around her.
“Fqa!” Reevar barked but it did nothing. Fqa lunged across the floor and Aphrodite bolted. She’d seenthis horror movie,too.
“Sorry Smith! I’ll have to call you back!” she screamed seconds before hanging up the call. Disconnecting the data pad from the human station, she darted around the baths to put space between her and the creature. Reevar launched, pinning the attacker to the ground. Aphrodite saw her drone hovering over them. “Buddy, where’s his weak spot!”
Buddy, his new name, flipped on his orange beam of light and scanned the two wrestling beings. Her data pad booted up without her command. She would have to talk to Buddy about his sentience later. For the moment, she was relieved to see adifferent screen on her pad. Not her station’s screen, but a neutral command window.
Weakness: Breathes through skin. No breathers detected. Semi-Aquatic.
Aphrodite smirked. Leaping over the tangled duo, she raced for Xexis’ compartment. Her heart racing in her chest, she rummaged around. It took her fingers a long time to comprehend. Finally, she wrapped her fingers around the jar of soap. Ripping the lid off, she rushed at Reevar.
“Move!” She screeched.
