Long Fall by Chris J. Randolph

Author:Chris J. Randolph
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Oktopod Digital Press
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 28

Space Commando

"This is the personal log of Crewman Larry Hopkins, assigned to the Interplanetary Shuttle Beagle, Legacy Fleet. If you're listening to this recording, then I'm already dead."

Larry jogged down a long corridor lit by flashing red bulbs. Unlike the Eireki ships, this outpost wasn't really biological at all, and its interior seemed as slipshod and barebones as a dockside warehouse. It reminded Larry of where he spent most of his childhood, and consequently, he couldn't stand the place.

He stopped short of an intersection and gave each side-tunnel a tactical peek. Both sides were as clear as his intestines after a curry lunch.

He moved on. "While on mission to repair an automated defense outpost, the machinery here detected an enemy vessel and opened fired, but some of its malfunctioning system blew out in the process. This left my team and I stranded inside the facility, and being the only one with the requisite skills, I took it upon myself to cross the base and release us from this latest predicament."

He thought about his teammates with a sneer. They both deserved to rot in Hell, but the Legacy Fleet was badly in need of heroes. Detailing the crap-show idiot circus that went on aboard the Beagle wouldn't help anyone.

"I've encountered the intruder twice now, and narrowly avoided detection both times thanks to some clever application of emergency protocols. I tapped into the backbone network and have occasionally been able to track the invader's movements by the surges it causes in the power grid."

He turned a corner and arrived at a non-operational lift. Following Fleet Protocol 286.C, he removed the access panel, keyed in the maintenance code, and engaged emergency power-up procedure. One green light turned on, then another, and a third.

"Bingo," Larry said. He could hear the distant lift grind into motion far above him, and he triggered doors all over the floor to mask the sound. Then he settled in for what would be an interminably long five-minute wait.

"This thing that's in here with us... I don't know what it is. I barely saw it both times, and all I caught were glimpses and impressions. A single red-eye set off to the side. A hand with fingers like daggers. Footsteps as loud as a garbage truck."

He took a deep breath and tried not to shudder. Then he said, "But whatever the heck it is, it moves like a man."

He checked his phone's display and found four minutes left on the countdown. This dead-end would be a particularly gruesome place to die, backed into the corner with no escape, no choice but to watch his murderer approach. And what did he have to defend himself with? Nothing but a winning smile.

He thought he'd only lost himself in daydream for an instant, but the lift's noisy arrival snapped him out of it. The doors slid open and Larry Hopkins eagerly stepped inside.

The metal coffin's doors closed, and he looked over the keypad. The nearest external access hatch was on the upper

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.