Ben Hammott - Siberia

“Killing it gets my vote.”

When the elevator halted they stepped out onto Level 1 and headed for the primary workshop.

“What do you mean it’s changed?” uttered Stanislav in disbelief.

After informing Vadim and Pechka about Alexei’s death, Luka had appraised Stanislav of the situation, and they had all crowded into the security office to work out what they should do about the creature.

“I don’t know how to put it more clearly,” stated Luka, staring at the CCTV screens and lingering on the view from the camera in the animal room. Thankfully, Alexei’s corpse wasn’t in shot. “The creature that chased Svetlana, and later me, bore no resemblance to the small blob that attacked Waldemar. It’s bigger, faster and as vicious as a rabid wolf. Trust me, there’s no way you’ll be able to scoop it up into a bucket, though I’d like to see you try.”

Stanislav glared at Luka before speaking to Svetlana. “Is this true?”

Svetlana nodded. “Unfortunately. I don’t know how it does it, but it has the ability to change its form and mimic things—me, for instance. I tell you, it’s damn creepy looking at yourself replicated by that monster.”

Stanislav shook his head. “I can’t understand how it has grown so rapidly. One minute it’s a relatively harmless blob, then it’s a ferocious murderous beast running amok on a killing spree.”

“I imagine eating Luka’s animals had something to do with its growth rate,” offered Krisztina.

“It also ate Alexei—well, part of him,” added Luka grimly. He found it hard to suppress the mental image of the poor man’s gruesome corpse.

“From what you’ve described of its eating habits, it most likely absorbs its victims into its mass rather than eating and digesting them like an animal would,” said Pechka. “So perhaps the more it eats, the bigger it grows.”

“And now it’s eaten all of Luka’s pets, we are the only food remaining on the menu,” stated Vadim ominously.

“Which doesn’t bode well for our survival,” added Svetlana. “It can open doors. It followed me from the storeroom.”

Luka sighed. “It just keeps getting better and better.”

“Although it didn’t follow us up in the elevator, so maybe it hasn’t worked out how to use buttons.”

“Yet?” added Luka. “But the way our luck’s going, it soon will. We should leave and call the army in to deal with it or blow up the facility with that nuclear bomb sitting below us.”

“We’ll be doing no such thing,” stated Stanislav, glaring at Luka. “What we will do is capture this unique creature and then study it. We have all been presented with a fantastic once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We will be the first scientists to examine an extraterrestrial species, and if we do it correctly, fame and fortune will follow.”

“That might apply to you lot but not me. I’m basically a janitor and now my animals have been eaten, my job is done,” argued Luka. “I’m leaving, and I strongly advise the rest of you to leave with me. If Kommandant Stanislav wants to risk his life capturing the vicious alien, let him.”

Stanislav smirked. “That’s not strictly true, Luka. Your monkey is still on the loose, and there’s also a cow down below you are responsible for.”

It was Luka’s turn to glare at his superior. “It’s a chimp, not a monkey.”

Stanislav shrugged. “Whatever it is, it’s one of the reasons why you will remain here with the rest of us.”

“There’s a nuclear bomb in the facility?” asked Krisztina.

“It was a fail-safe if anything went wrong below when they were experimenting with certain dangerous substances here in the past,” explained Stanislav.

“Biological weapons?” questioned Svetlana.

“We need not concern ourselves with what went on here in the past. It’s the present and the future that we should focus on,” admonished Stanislav. “We need to put our heads together and come up with a plan to capture this thing that doesn’t involve any more of us being killed.”

“Good luck with that,” moaned Luka.

“Is this bomb safe?” asked Pechka.

Stanislav sighed. “Look, Comrades, don’t get sidetracked. Forget about the bomb. It’s probably been rendered inactive so it’s of no concern anyway, but this creature that might be hunting us as we speak is .” He gazed around at his subordinates. “Does anyone have any suggestions?”

“Obviously the scooping it into a container plan is off the table, but what about using the CO 2extinguishers?” Vadim looked at Svetlana. “You said you sprayed it with CO 2. How effective was it?”

“It definitely didn’t like it and recoiled when I sprayed it, but it was occupied with killing Alexei at the time, not rushing towards me. How effective it will be against it while it’s attacking is anyone’s guess.”

“We should use fire,” stated Luka. “Rig up some flamethrowers and incinerate it before more of us are killed.”

“No flamethrowers will be used, Luka, by you or anyone else,” stated Stanislav firmly.

“Maybe we could lure it down to Level 4 and trap it in one of the containment rooms,” suggested Krisztina.

“Now there is an idea that might work,” said Stanislav.

“What sort of lure would we use, though?” asked Svetlana.

“Ourselves,” stated Vadim. “It chased Svetlana, so it will probably chase any of us.”

“I’m not volunteering,” stated Luka adamantly.

“We could use the cow,” suggested Pechka. “Put it in the lower elevator, and when the thing enters, bring it down.”

“I like it,” said Krisztina. “We could leave the doors open leading to a containment room and hopefully it will make its way inside.”

“Better still,” added Vadim, gazing at Level 4 on the blueprint of the facility attached to the wall, “someone waits in one of the containment rooms”—he tapped Containment Room 6 on the blueprint—“this one seems ideal, it’s in view of the elevator and has two ways in and out. If we manage to lure it down, and it takes the bait, when it enters the person baiting the room can escape through the other door. Someone in the adjoining control room then remotely shuts both doors, sealing it inside.”

Stanislav was impressed. “Okay, everyone, that’s the plan. Krisztina, Svetlana and Vadim will join me in the lower labs to set everything up. Luka and Pechka, you’ll fetch the cow and put it in the elevator.”

“What about Waldemar?” asked Krisztina.

“I gave him a sedative that will last for a couple of hours, so he should be okay,” answered Pechka.

“That’s not what I meant,” corrected Krisztina. “That thing is on the loose and can open doors. Will he be safe in the infirmary?”

“I see your point,” said Pechka. “I’ll lock the door, and then it can’t get to him.”

“Now we all know what we’re doing, let’s move,” ordered Stanislav, impatient to get the alien captured and his career heading in the right direction.

After Vadim shot a nervous glance along the corridor to check it was clear, the group filed from the room.

After EV1L had devoured Alexei’s remains, it oozed from the bones, formed into a ball of smooth reflective Black and pondered its predicament. With no idea where it was on the human’s planet, it thought finding a way above ground to get the lie of the land was essential. Though still not at peak strength, the humans nearby would rectify that. It could then think about reproducing before venturing farther across the planet it planned to colonize with the help of its brood.

EV1L morphed into an upright two-legged creature that would enable it to move through the facility in a manner similar to the humans it hunted. Slim and almost seven feet tall, its humanoid illusion sported claws for attack and defense and emphasized senses to track its prey. Its features held a hint of Svetlana’s intermixed with an alien creature drawn from its extensive repertoire. Long smooth braids sprouted from the back of its head and wavered snakelike as it headed for the exit. On reaching the door, its claw turned the handle and EV1L exited the room.