Ben Hammott: Ice Rift

“I couldn’t let you stay on Earth, not with all those vulnerable unsuspecting humans for you to feed on, could I? What gave you away was your smell. I have a very sensitive nose. You don’t smell like the others.”

“Smell is something I’m unable to copy.” Mimic studied Haax. “You’re quite a clever little chap.”

Haax grinned. “My lack of modesty prevents me from arguing with you.”

“So, Haax, what’s your plan? You know I could kill you in a blink of an eye.”

“A fact I’m totally aware of. I’m also aware you don’t know how to pilot this ship.”

The Mimic glanced at the controls. “I could learn.”

Haax shook his head. “I dare say you could, but that won’t do you any good. While you were disrobing, I set the controls to only accept my commands. If, for any reason—including the one where you kill me in a no doubt excruciatingly painful manner that’s most enjoyable to you and feast on my small but tasty carcass—the computer fails to detect my life signs, or I fail to type in a code at regular intervals, it will navigate to the nearest sun and not stop until it’s destroyed. Kill me and you kill yourself.”

Mimic pondered what she’d just heard for a few moments and then smiled. “I say again, clever.”

“It will probably come as no surprise, but it’s not something I’ll ever tire of hearing.”

“Due to this devious clever trait of yours, I assume you have a purpose, other than saving the human race, for my presence aboard this ship.”

“I do, but it depends a lot on you.”

Mimic raised Lucy’s well-trimmed eyebrows.

“Unlike you, I have visited many planets and met many species. I can tell you, for beings like us and your exceptional form-changing talent, there are a lot of opportunities out there for us to exploit and profit from.”

“Illegal opportunities,” said Mimic.

“Best kind,” said Haax. “I know you probably come from a vicious world where only the strongest and most cunning survive, but for us to work together, you must stop this murderous habit of yours. It won’t do you any good. Look at me. I’m captain of my own spaceship.”

“Stolen spaceship,” Mimic reminded.

“Salvaged is the term I prefer. Anyway, my meaning is that I didn’t murder anyone to get it. You go around killing, slashing and feasting on raw flesh all the time, and you’re not going to last long. It also gets you nothing.”

“Except a full belly.”

“But you can get that without killing. You wouldn’t believe all the delicious food available out there. None of it will squirm and try to bite or claw you when you’re eating it. You’ll love it.”

“I’m not sure it’s me, but I’m willing to give it a try.”

Haax beamed. “That’s great. You won’t regret it.”

“For your sake, I’d better not.”

“It’s always doom and gloom with you. You really should lighten up and try to have some fun.”

“It will be hard, but I will try.”

“But first things, first—let’s change your appearance to something more suitable, and I don’t mean some ferocious monster with claws and huge gnashing teeth. Do something less aggressive and easy on my eyes.”

Mimic looked at Haax for a few moments before changing form into a sexy female of the same species as Haax. “How’s this?”

Haax eyed the sexy female appreciatively. “Wow! Great choice. It’s as if you read my mind.”

“Not a particularly difficult thing to do,” said Mimic.

Haax stared at her small breasts. “However, there are a couple of improvements I would make.”

Mimic sighed. Her breasts expanded. “Is that better?”

Haax smiled. “Better? They’re perfect.” He pressed buttons and turned dials on the control panel. “You ready to hear my plan?”

“I’m all ears.”

Haax glanced at Mimic and burst out laughing.

She had grown huge ears.

“That is soooooo funny.” He wiped the tears from his eyes. “I admit I had my doubts, but now, I think we’re going to get on just fine.”

As her ears shrunk to their normal size, Haax reached out a hand and laid it on Mimic’s leg.

She slapped it. “They’ll be none of that!”

Haax grinned. “You say that now, but you wait until you get to know me.”

“Waiting is something I’m particularly good at.”

Haax laughed and glanced back at Lucifer curled on a chair asleep. “We will see. No female can resist Haax’s charms for long.”

Haax pulled a lever. The small spacecraft accelerated to an amazing speed and in an instant, was gone.

LUCY AWOKE TO PITCH blackness.

She scrambled about for her torch, found it, switched it on and shut her eyes to block out the stark light blinding her. She placed a hand over the beam to dull it and opened her eyes to let them slowly adjust. Her eyes followed the light she directed around the room. She was in one of the crew’s cabins, but had no memory of how she got here.

Pain shot through her skull when she climbed to her feet. She tenderly felt the lump on her head. A glance at her fingers revealed them absent of blood. The torch beam settled on the door as she wondered how long she’d been unconscious. She shivered. Her cold weather clothes were gone. She wondered who would’ve done such a thing.

When she approached the door, she staggered to the side. It felt like the floor had moved. The memory of a similar sensation appeared in her thoughts. She had been aboard a cruise ship at the time. She reached the door and pressed the button and was surprised when it failed to slide open. She pressed it repeatedly, but still the door remained closed.

Panic started to make itself known.

She pounded a fist on the door. It sounded loud within the confines of the cabin and she hoped it was the same outside. She wondered where the others were. Certain they would be worried and frantically searching for her, she banged on the door again and shouted, “Is anyone there? I’m locked in and can’t get out!”

Moments passed without any sign she’d been heard.

She knocked harder and shouted louder. “Help me! Please help me someone!”

No one came.

She began to cry.

A noise outside in the corridor gave her hope. She placed an ear against the door. “Is someone there?”

The Hunter followed the sound.

It paused outside the room the noise had emanated from. It pressed the button, but the door didn’t open. It stared at the door when something spoke from inside.

It scraped its claws down the door.

A metallic squeal filled the room. Lucy backed away from the door.

Something outside screeched.

Lucy shook with terror and screamed.

Jane and Jack exited the main hut and glanced at the blue sky. The blizzard had lasted three more days before it subsided. Jane had contacted NASA to add to the information Scott had already told them. Already finding it hard to believe a monster existed, NASA at first found the discovery of an entombed spaceship just as hard to comprehend. It was the team’s photographs and video footage that had finally convinced them it was real.

NASA had wasted no time in making preparations for a salvage attempt. Because the ship was so large, they knew they’d be unable to save it, but in the limited time available they were set upon salvaging as much of its technology as possible before it slipped into the ocean. NASA, the Navy and the Army had joined forces to this end. A taskforce was already on its way.

Jane and Jack walked to the edge of the Ice Rift Base Camp and glanced at the helicopters speeding out to sea, part of the Navy SEAL recognizance team Scott had persuaded NASA to send, and who would now try and board the ship through the tunnel Haax had used to escape from the ship.