Could it be her? Could the AI be real? And what of the ship, the Storm Spike? Was it real too? Was all of it real?
He felt a strange floaty sensation. He realized he was in shock and yet… yet this felt right, too. As if he had been waiting for this.
“Gehenna?!” he called again.
“Jace, what is it?” Sami asked, casting her voice low, which he was grateful for.
“Ah… stay there! Don’t come near!” he hissed as he grimaced, realizing he had shouted the AI’s name.
Sami’s dark brown eyes were wide with fear. George was practically surgically attached to her leg. He held up a hand to keep them back though he guessed that George more than his request kept Sami back.
“No! No! What are you doing?! We come in peace!” Someone screamed.
Then there was a wet, sucking sound.
His head whipped back around. One of the Khul--one of the Omull, he corrected himself--had sent one of its tentacles through the unwashed Naruto-runner’s mouth. It was down his throat. Jace could see the man’s throat pulsing as the Omull pumped something inside of him.
...assimilate… the staticky voice said.
The other three Omul were advancing upon the other Naruto-runners. Their eyes were wide and they were backing away. One of the men tripped and fell backwards, landing painfully on his ass. The Omull was on top of him in an instant. Two tentacles streaked into his mouth. He choked. His eyes rolled back in his head as the Omull pumped something inside of him. Maybe many things.
No! I have to save them! Jace yelled internally.
He pulled back into the shop, looking for a weapon. Walter had some axes, hammers and other stuff that could be useful.
… won’t work against them… the voice crackled in his mind. There were pops of pain, but he ignored them, focusing on her voice.
“But I have to do something!” Jace cried
“Jace?!” Sami’s hand had fisted in George’s hair. She had no idea who he was talking to. George was struggling against his sister’s grip. But he was pale.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry.” Jace shut the door behind him. “There are…”
Aliens outside!
“You need to stay here. Actually, you should hide in the back,” he said as he moved over to the handyman’s aisle. He found two axes. He grabbed one for himself and another for Sami.
“What? What are you talking about? What’s outside--oh, my God!” Sami screamed and put a hand over her mouth.
Jace swung around to the front of the shop. In the window there was the Cetix. It truly looked like a centipede, but the size of a tiger and twice as long. It was looking in the window. It had heard him, seen him.
… weapons… coming… weapons… Jace…
It slithered towards the plate glass window. Jace stepped backwards. Could it see him? Yes, it must be able to. Even with the reflection and the tint, he had a feeling it didn’t see like they did, but perhaps by heat. He tightened his hands on both of the axe handles.
“Sami, take George and go out the back,” Jace said, not turning to look at her.
“Are you crazy?” Sami asked and from the sound of her voice, he realized she was behind him. He turned and saw she was right there. George was crouched by the back door. “You think you can take that thing out on your own? You could hardly stand a moment ago!”
“Yeah, my head… it’s…” Jace realized it was better. A lot better. His head still hurt, but it wasn’t overwhelming.
Sami grabbed one of the axes from his hands. She hefted it expertly. “We should go for its head. Its body looks pretty well protected.”
“Uhm, yeah.” Jace glanced back. The Cetix was practically pressed against the glass. Had he locked the front door? No, he hadn’t. Would it matter? He somehow doubted that. “You seem… pretty cool about this.”
“About the monster?”
“It’s an alien. It’s a Khul. A type known as a Cetix,” he found himself telling her automatically.
