Absolute Zero

This is one of my stories that I've been writing, non-CBG related. I just thought I'd post this in my zone. Tell me what you think! Comments, rotten tomatoes, etc. I'll take anything.

Here's the first chapter. I'll post each chapter in a separate post on the same thread, that way it's easier to read.

Prologue

In the cold of space, one can only imagine what mysteries lay buried beneath the rock of countless centuries. The outer planets have always been a mystery to the human race, which now colonizes proudly almost the entire solar system. Now, the first people ever to land on Pluto, the outermost planet (which was confirmed to be a planet in 2206, only a decade ago) are about to make their descent. As they brave the small planet’s dark halls, they are about to discover something that will change the human race forever. A new enemy is about to be born into existence...

“I repeat, I’ve lost visual!” shouted the astronaut into his communicator.
“Don’t worry,” came the fuzzy reply. “We’ll send another beacon. Downloading now.”
A third voice chuckled into the radio. “Ha, ha, ha! So much for ‘Omni-Glow’. Might as well be ‘Candlelight’. Those things are nuts.”
“It’s okay, Max. At least they work.” Max was an African-American geologist. He was known for his sense of humor, as well as lack of concentration.
“We should have brought those, you know, Laser-Beacon things, the ones that can project the time and stuff...”
“We don’t need to tell what time it is!” shouted the captain. “We just need to see, for goodness’ sake!”
“Pretty hard to see anything on Pluto.”
“Just be glad you’re the first people to step on Pluto and not the last! With our luck, I’m surprised you three haven’t set up a trampoline and started bouncing!”
Michael laughed. “Oh, here it comes.” The beam shot out from his wrist. It lit up the mountain of rock in front of him. He scanned the creepy-looking rock face. It almost looked like a giant wasp’s nest or a sponge.
“Hey, get a load of this!” said Max.
“Where are you?” said Michael.
“I’m at location 32-29-86, in the cave ahead.”
“I’m coming!” said Michael.
“What did you find this time?” said Amy. “A rock shaped like your big skull?”
“Very funny. Actually, I think this is much more intriguing.”
Michael stepped into the dark cave. He looked around. He saw Max standing by a large pillar-shaped rock. “Wow,” said Michael.
“Yeah, I know,” said Max. He held up a small, green rock. “Is it a crystal?”
“I don’t know. Our computers back at OS9 picked up some pretty strange readings. But nothing stranger than gammanite.”
“This almost looks like...quadrosone or something.”
“No, quadrosone has Nitrogen in it. Let’s see...how about we take it back to OS9 for a scan?”
“Brilliant,” said Max.
“Just don’t lose it,” said Michael. “You could be holding a piece of history.”
“Pretty-looking rock you got there,” said Amy as she walked up. “Hey Max, if it’s not important or toxic or anything...”
“I’m going to keep it,” said Max. But he didn’t laugh, like he usually did. He just stared at the crystal. Just a little weird, Michael thought.
“Well, we should head back to the ship,” said Amy.
Michael looked back at the cave as they walked back to the ship. It almost looked like...some sort of shape. Like an Ω or something. Pretty weird.


.............................Likey? Yeah, I remembered "Enter" and "Tab", but it didn't seem to do much...

Chapter I

“Positively marvelous,” said Doctor Davidson as he held it up with tweezers in front of his face. “It’s the most beautiful crystallized deposit I’ve ever seen!”
“You don’t know what it is?” said Michael.
“No. But I can guarantee you it is definitely a new substance.”
“Once we’re done here, should we head back to OS9?” said Amy.
“Yes, I am most anxious to discover what it is. Most curious.”
“It’s a pity that you lost your equipment,” said Michael.
“Oh, nonsense,” said the doctor with a laugh. “That equipment wasn’t very good anyway. In fact, I flushed it out on my own because I wanted better equipment...ahem, don’t tell the captain.”
The two nodded.
“Well, I’ll ask the captain for the launch date, and until then, I guess we just sit around and...”
“Watch TV?” said Michael.
“...Read,” said the doctor.


That night, Michael lay in bed, wondering what the new substance was. If it was toxic, would they just throw it back out? If it was useless, was their search just a waste? And if they didn’t find anything useful on Pluto, would it be useless to move into? They had already transformed Mars to their needs, creating oxygen flow throughout the whole planet and soon would plant grass. But was it enough? A third of the world population had already moved there.
He sighed as he rolled over. It would be difficult to get to sleep. He stopped. He heard something. Was that Max? He got out of bed and walked over to the bathroom door. He heard someone throwing up inside. He sighed. Yes, it was Max. He was never too good with traveling. He’d probably get carsick just by riding a bike. But for some reason, he seemed to handle space travel pretty well. Michael sighed as he went back to his bed. He got under the covers just as the bathroom door opened. Max shut off the bathroom light and walked over to bed. Michael looked up. Max looked miserable. Michael knew he wouldn’t want to talk to him, so he just closed his eyes.
Now it would be even more difficult to get to sleep.


It was morning. Michael got up. It was still dark and everything, but Michael could tell it was morning because the captain was showering and singing the “Seventh Heaven” theme song. Ugh.
Michael walked over to his clean clothes, which hung over the edge of the bed. He got dressed. He went back to bed. He might as well wait because the captain was in there. Michael walked over to Max’s bed. Max was sleeping. Snoring peacefully. His breath probably smelled unspeakably repulsive, referring to the incident the night before.
Michael walked into the kitchen. Amy was eating a bowl of Cheerios. Michael laughed. Amy looked up. “What?”
“Oh, it’s just funny,” said Michael. “You’d think by now those things would be in the museum.”
“The expiration date isn’t for another decade!” said Amy.
“I don’t mean those particular Cheerios, I mean Cheerios in general. Do you know when that company started?”
“Hey, the only thing that counts is that they’re good,” said Amy.
“Whatever,” said Michael. “I prefer these.” He held up a box of McDonald’s cereal.
“Yuck!” said Amy. “I thought cheeseburgers were a lunch thing!”
“Ever since their cereal was invented way back in 2150, I’ve enjoyed it.”
“You lived back then?” laughed Amy. “You’re older than you look, then.”
“No, no!” said Michael. “I meant since I was born!”
“Then say what you mean!” said Amy. She took another bite of Cheerios. Michael sighed and went over to the cabinet for some coffee. Yes, coffee still existed. Even in 2216, the human race still had the urge for caffeine.
“Oh, hey, Max,” said Michael as he poured the powder into the coffee maker. Max looked groggier than ever. He blinked.
“Oh, hey, Michael.” He walked over to his chair and sat down.
Amy jerked her thumb at Max while looking at Michael and raising her eyebrow, indicating she wanted to know what was wrong with him. Michael shrugged. Max didn’t seem to notice.
“Hey, Max, what do you think that crystal is made of?”
At that point, Max violently slammed his fist down on the table. “I don’t want to talk about it!” he yelled. He was breathing heavily. His eyes were bloodshot. Michael looked closely. That was not Max.
They ate in silence. Max shook his head. He just couldn’t eat. Last night had ruined his appetite. “I’m sorry, guys,” he said at last as he dropped his spoon into the bowl. “I’m gonna go lie down.” Amy and Michael still had worried looks on their faces as Max walked out of the room.
“We should see Doctor Davidson,” they said in unison.


“He has seemed a bit strange lately,” said the doctor. “Why, just this morning he toppled over my tray of Pinnacite and said he forgot the whole thing! Then he accused me of doing it!”
“Do you think it’s worth serious consideration, Doctor?” said Amy as she leaned forward. “Max is our good friend, and we would hate to see anything happen to him.”
“We’ll see if the situation grows more serious or dies down. After all, it could just be that some bad past experience that has caught up with him...”
“He does get carsick,” said Michael, “but for some reason he seems to handle ships just fine.”
“There is no gravity in space,” said the doctor. “It shouldn’t affect his innards that much, if he’s used to it. Has he had trouble with landing and taking off?”
“A little,” said Amy. “But Pluto doesn’t have that much gravity since it is so small, and the rest of the time we’ve been with him was out in the stations and in space travel.”
“We’ll just see how it turns out,” said the doctor.


“A century of OS technology, and we’re only to Pluto,” said the president as he slammed his fist down on the table. “I expected far better timing on your part, General.”
“With all due respect, Mr. President, we are this close to reaching the edge of our solar system. I apologize for the tremendous amount of time it took, but you know, it wouldn’t hurt to recognize the enormous amount of technology that this time span has allowed us to develop. We’ve developed Orbit Stations, or OS units, that orbit all 9 planets and the moon. They have hyper transports, which are large rings with a substance called time foil. When we pass through one, it won’t stop the ship until it brakes through another. Before that, even, we had discovered hyper travel, which allowed us to get to the planets and set up the stations in the first place. I mean, look where you are, Mr. President! You wouldn’t be orbiting Neptune if we didn’t discover this technology!”
The president slammed his fist down again. “Curse it all, General! I should be orbiting a purple-and-green-striped planet ten galaxies away from here by now! What you have to offer is what I expected years ago! And what do you think I’ve been doing all these years without anything to do, eh? Have I been reading magazines? Playing virtual reality? You’ve had plenty of things to occupy yourself with, General, and I am severely disappointed in your laziness!”
“With all due respect, sir...”
“And is that your motto? You know, General, why can’t you live up to it for once? Say something that makes me feel good!”
“We have reached Pluto, and a crew of astronauts is testing the substances there...”
“Do you think that makes me feel good, General? To know that a crew of less than a half-dozen kids is out on a chunk of rock digging for pennies? I’ll tell you one thing, that does NOT make me feel any better than to know we’ve been traveling at a turtle’s pace for over a century, AND WE HAVEN’T EVEN REACHED THE END OF OUR OWN SOLAR SYSTEM!”
The president slicked back his hair and sighed, trying to regain his composure. Finally, he stood. “I want huge results by the end of the month, General! And if I need to wait any longer, I’m taking serious action! I may hire a new general! I may retire and call up a new president! I might even call off this whole stupid program! But I am not going to wait over a month!” He turned to the escorts. “What you have witnessed here reaches no one. That includes your mommy, your carpool, whatever!” He slammed his briefcase shut and walked out of the room, along with his escorts.
The general sighed. He got up. “You heard him, men. Get to work.”

Chapter II

“We’re reaching OS9!” said the captain. “Everyone prepare for docking!”
Michael sighed as he buckled up. “It’s about time!” he said. “We’ve been flying for...”
“Fifteen minutes,” said Amy. Michael sighed.
“Whatever. It just feels like a long time, that’s all.”
“You hear me back there?” said the captain.
“Loud and clear,” said Michael. He looked over at Max. “You OK?” he said.
“Yeah,” said Max. “I think I’ll get over it. It just took me a little while to get used to the new gravity, that’s all.”
“Hey, look at that!” said Amy. “I think that’s the president’s ship!”
“Sure enough,” said Max. “I don’t think he’ll ask for our autographs, though.”
Michael laughed. “Yeah, I doubt we’ll even meet him.”
“Actually, I’ve personally arranged for you to get acquainted,” said the captain. The astronauts eyed each other.
“You mean he came here just for us?” said Max. He laughed. “I hope he’s not too disappointed.”
“Hey, watch it,” said Amy.
“Actually, he’s also here for a survey and for the testing of the substance you found.” Michael looked at Max. He didn’t look too well.


They landed at the station. They got out into the airlock and walked into the station. After they got their space suits off, they walked down the hall to the meeting room. The door hissed open. The president sat on a chair. They sat as well.
“Mr. President,” said the General as he stood, “may I present to you Captain Ed Rogers of the Dolphin IX, and the crew. MacCarthy Griffin, who likes to be called Max, is the geologist of the crew. He’s the one that found your crystal. Amanda Rogers, daughter of the captain, who likes to be called Amy, is the navigation engineer. Michael Stone, he’s the hardware expert. He’s good with drilling tunnels and...ahem...blowing up things. And this is Doctor Gregory Davidson, who will analyze the substance.
“Now, Captain Rogers and crew, this is Jacob Stanford, the president of the Universal Expansion Program, UEP. We have met to discuss the planet and its layout, whether or not it is suitable for human life, and so on. Please proceed.”
The general sat down, and the president stood up, spreading a chart on the table. “We already know the basic facts of the planet,” began the president, “such as the diameter, circumference, and substance. But I want to go deeper. I want to know more about the structure of the planet. Is it possible to heat over a period of time? If so, what will happen if it does? Will it pop like popcorn? Will it explode? Will it inflate? More importantly, we need to find out if there are any substances on the planet capable of human consumption such as water and oxygen. We can’t just run to the store for milk here, people. We need to find out if there is a sufficient supply of life-preserving materials.
“Now, as for that new substance you found, I am eager to analyze it. It may be what we’re looking for. Then again, it may be toxic or flammable, but we’re not ruling out the possibility that it could be useful. Starting with the first question I would like to ask any of you who witnessed the finding of the crystal, was there a sufficient supply of it?”
Max looked up. “I didn’t notice much. I just saw something shiny and green, and I picked it up. Then we went back to the ship.”
“You mean you didn’t find any more?” said the president.
“No,” said Max. “I just found a chunk of what-the-heck-is-this on top of a chunk of what-the-heck-is-that.”
“You mean there was another substance?”
“Only Gammanite, which the planet contains a consistent supply of.”
The president scratched his chin. “That is most interesting. So, was this in a cave, you say?”
“Yes, very close to our landing site.”
“How far back did the cave go?”
“Well, we went about 20 meters in, and it went deeper than that, but we didn’t want to risk our safety since we had a valuable piece of ‘history’.”
“Very wise,” said the president. “Well, let’s go to the scanning room.”


The scanning room was red, and hundreds of computers beeped. Two escorts held the crystal in a black canister, and they set it down on the stand. A claw reached out of the computer and hooked up with the port on the box. It turned clockwise. The computer beeped. The General looked at it and cursed. “It says here it’s a computer error.”
Max looked closely. “Let me see if I can change that.”
“It’s all right,” said the president. “Let him try.”
“He’s good with computers,” said Michael.
“Maybe I can get a compound reading,” said Max. He typed in a few commands. He sighed as he tried again and again. “They all say computer error,” said Max. He tried a few more times. They all read that annoying message.
“Maybe we should try a different one,” said the general. They unhooked the box and walked over to a port nearby. Max sighed.
“Maybe it’s broken or something.” He started to get out of the chair...when the claw grabbed him! Michael spun around. The claw was trying to strangle him! Michael punched the claw off. Half of it clung to Max’s chest. Michael pulled it off. Max wasn’t bleeding, so that was good.
“Get some yellow tape over that thing!” said the general. “It’s not safe at all!”
“I think it’s really broken now,” said Max as he stared at the broken computer arm. They helped him over to the next port. “I’m okay,” he said. “Let’s find out what this stuff is.”
“No, I’m more concerned for your safety,” said the president. “Why don’t we call off the scan for today? When it’s safe, we’ll come back.”


Michael sighed as he bit into a Whopper. They were at the “food court”, or so Max said, and they were eating at Burger King. Amy was having a diet salad. Michael laughed. “Don’t you think after visiting Pluto you’d be light as a feather?”
She laughed. “Actually, I’m just eating it because it tastes good.” She stared disgustedly at Max, who was messily enjoying another Whopper. He looked up at her, sauce dripping from his lip.
“What?” he said. “Have I grown another head?”
“Okay, I’m eating!” said Amy. “I don’t want to think of two of you haunting the solar system!”
Max laughed. Michael laughed as well. It seemed that Max was feeling better. Good, back to normal. Michael looked at his watch. “Right now in Denver, it would be 2:00 in the afternoon.”
“Why do you always say things like that?” said Amy.
“You know, Amy,” said Max. “Mike was always a little too down-to-Earth to be a real astronaut.”
Michael sighed irritably. “Actually, I just think of home a lot. I miss good old Earth.”
“Me, too,” said Amy. “But there is one good thing about never being on Earth.”
“What’s that?” said Max through a mouthful of fries.
“I’ll never know what I really weigh!”
At this, Max choked. Pop came out of his nose. “So you are concerned about your weight!” said Michael.
“Well, isn’t every lady?”
“Look at it this way,” said Max after he stopped laughing. “Gals like you look weightless compared to guys like me...”
“Well, thank you!” said Amy. “I just have nightmares about breaking scales in front of people, that’s all, I’m not really concerned about my weight.”
“Here comes Lady Sarcastica, Empress of Untruths!” said Max. “Actually, I think you really could break a scale with that temper of yours.”


“Let’s get out of here, General,” said the president.
“But, Mr. President!” said the General. “We haven’t even scanned the substance yet!”
“I have, General,” said the president. “While that little struggle with the claw was going on, I looked at the other computer. It gave the compounds. That stuff is definitely not safe!”
“But how? Is it toxic or something?”
“Let’s go first,” said the president. “I’ll explain on the way.”

Chapter III

“Up and at ‘em, crew!” The captain shook Michael. “Wake up! Today is the day we find out what that mystery crystal is!”
Michael rubbed his eyes. “I didn’t even get a warning,” he said, jerking his thumb toward the shower.
“I decided I didn’t need to shower this morning,” said the captain. “I want to scan it as soon as possible.”
“Aw, great,” said Max sarcastically. “I can’t wait to choke on your body odor...”


The crew walked down the hall toward the scanning room after they had prepared for the day. The door hissed open. No one was inside, strangely. The red lights were off. The captain radioed for an escort. A scientist walked up to them. “How may I help you?” he said.
“Where is the president?” said the captain. “We are anxious to scan the crystal.”
“Oh, he didn’t tell you about that?” said the scientist. The captain shook his head. “Well, it appears that the president has abruptly left.”
“What?” said the captain. “Why would he leave the day he promised us?”
“Look, I know what you’re thinking, but he must have good reasons. For one, we ourselves scanned it last night.”
“You what?”
“We scientists scanned the substance last night at 11:15 or so. The computer gave us this readout,” said the scientist as he pulled out a sheet and handed it to the captain. “Don’t worry, you have full authorization to read the compound analysis.”
The captain gasped as he looked at the listings of different substances. “This is dangerous stuff!”
“Yes, I know,” said the scientist. “Toxic to the touch.”
Suddenly, Max fainted. Michael caught him before he hit the floor. Max was off in La-La-Land. Michael sighed. “I’d better take him back to the cabin.”
“Good idea,” said the scientist. “He’s probably just shocked.”
“From what?” said Amy.
“I haven’t a clue.”
Back at the cabin, Michael gently lay Max down on the bed. Max suddenly awoke, startled. He grabbed Max by the shirt collar. “Michael, man, you gotta help me!” he said. Michael backed away.
“What is it?” he said.
“Back at the cave, back on Pluto, right before I radioed you, I did a temperature scan. Michael, the cave was sixty degrees Fahrenheit! I did an oxygen scan. Michael, there was oxygen in there!”
Michael’s eyes only got wider. “You mean...it would be safe for a person to...”
“Take off their glove!” said Max. “Michael, I took off my glove! And I picked up that little sucker!”
“What are you talking about, Max?” said Michael.
“Michael, I picked up the crystal...with my bare hands!”
“But that stuff is dangerous...toxic to the touch!”
“It’s much worse than that, Michael,” said Max through tears. “It haunted my dreams, it tormented my mind! In fact, that crystal played tricks on me so much that...”
“You threw up in the middle of the night,” said Michael. “I know, I saw it.”
“But Michael, it’s almost like that crystal is not an it...it’s almost like a he!”


Amy stood out in the hall, listening to the captain and the scientist converse. She sighed. She had probably better check on the other two. She told the captain and walked off. “Now, let’s see. Which cabin were we in?” she said as she walked down the hall. Doors on either side continued forever it seemed like. “Were we in H-32? No, it was A-23...no, it was...” Suddenly, she was lost. She looked around. The white lights lit up the hall like a bliss hotel. But right now, she felt anywhere but safe.


“You’re saying that crystal attacked you...in your dreams?” said Michael.
“Yes,” said Max after he calmed down. “That thing haunted my visions...and I heard a voice!”
“What did it say?”
“It was hard to make it out at first, but it kept repeating over and over! It kept saying, ‘take me back to Omega, take me back to Omega’! That’s what it said!”
“I believe you,” said Michael.
“You do?” said Max.
“Yes. I know you wouldn’t lie to me, and I know I can trust you, Max, because you’re the best friend I ever had. So, you’re saying we should take it somewhere called ‘Omega’?”
“That’s right. Omega could be the cave we got it from, or it could be a distant planet, or...even somewhere on Earth! We don’t even know, but I think we should take it back soon, or it’s gonna get really mad!”
“Maybe we should tell Amy,” said Michael.
“Alright, but don’t tell anyone else, not even the captain,” said Max. “They’ll think I’m crazy!”
“We’ll keep it a secret for now,” said Michael. “But if it gets to the point where it affects others, I’ll have to get it out.”
Max nodded. “They might believe me if they hear two or more people are going through the same thing. But what if it’s just me?”
“Then we’re on our own on solving the riddle.”


Amy looked around. She was at an intersection of two hallways, each going on for eternity it seemed. She finally decided to go in an empty one and radio for help. She walked over to one with a red door. “Good,” she said. “It’s not occupied.” She typed in a hack code she had learned. She walked inside and let the door click shut behind her. She walked over to a communication port. She picked up the radio and dialed the front desk. “Please help me, I’m lost!” she said. “I’m in room E-45! Please hurry!” She waited for a reply. There was none. She sighed as she flopped on the bed. The communicator was probably broken.
She froze. She thought she heard something. She was getting goose bumps. She looked over toward the closet. The door was rattling. She walked over to it. “Hello?” she said. The rattling stopped. “Is anybody in there?” Silence. She sighed and turned around. She lay on the bed again.
That’s when a spiny claw coiled around her leg.

Chapter IV

“What was that?” said Max as he sat up.
“A scream?” said Michael. They got up. “Get your emergency pistol,” said Michael. He pulled out an X-13 Pistol. Max pulled out a similar weapon, only it was a different class. “Let’s hurry!”


Michael and Max ran down the hallway. They stopped in front of room E-45. They heard hissing and screaming inside. “That’s Amy!” said Max. He typed in the hack code quickly. The door slid open. Michael and Max ran inside with their guns pointed straight ahead. A small creature, almost dinosaur-like but with insectoid properties, had backed Amy into a corner and was taunting it with three tongues out of a mouth of menacing incisors. Michael shot off one of its arms. It squealed as it spun around and backed off. Amy was huddled in the corner, shivering. Michael went over to her. She was crying.
“Don’t kill me! I’ll take you, I’ll take you, just don’t kill me!”
“Amy, it’s Michael!”
“Oh, Michael!” She cried and covered her eyes. “It was horrible!”
“First, we’ll get you out of here,” said Max. “Hey, where’d it go?” Michael looked up. The creature and its arm were gone. There was no blood, no signs of anything.


“And you’re sure it was an alien creature?” said the captain as he sat by his daughter, who had calmed herself by now.
“It was like a black reptile, the size of a dog, and we shot off its arm,” said Michael.
“Was there any blood?”
“Yeah, black blood dripped out of it. It was gross,” said Max.
“When I got there, I saw a normal hotel room with my daughter crying and you two holding your emergency pistols. I didn’t see any footprints, any ‘black blood’, or the creature and its arm! Now, from the impressions I get, I would guess that you two assaulted my daughter and made up this whole man-from-the-moon thing. I’m not making any more assumptions until I have evidence that I can squeeze with my hands!” The captain slammed his fist down on the table. “I’m going to find the villain that did this, and I’m going to make sure he pays in full!”


“I just hope Amy’s okay,” said Michael as he lay in bed.
“Yeah, but what about us, man?” said Max. “The cap’n thinks we tried to kill her!”
“I would think that to if I arrived to see my daughter with two men holding X-13’s.”
“But we’re part of the crew!” said Max. “I for one wouldn’t shoot Amy before I shot my foot!”
“And the captain probably knows that,” said Michael, “he’s just angry at something. We were the nearest targets. You know the captain, Max.”
“Well, I felt kinda bad being accused of killing my friend!”
“He’ll get over it,” said Michael. “Hey, this hotel isn’t so bad,” he said, trying to change the subject.
“Yeah, I know,” said Max, looking around. “Look at this! They’ve got a Holographic TV projector, a portable shower...even a little Bible to add to the scenery!”
Michael looked at the Bible on the table. “I wonder what’s in that thing.”
“Oh, you know, don’t do this, don’t do that, look both ways before crossing the Red Sea...Ha, ha, ha!”
“But it might have something useful in it,” said Michael.
“Whatever,” said Max as he rolled over. “I don’t need a bedtime story to get me to sleep.”
“You sure?” said Michael. “Maybe you should watch TV or something to get your mind off...you know.”
“Yeah, okay,” said Max as he picked up the remote. He clicked on the TV. The holographic screen appeared from one projector below the wall. “Hey, the game’s on!” said Max. “Look! It’s OS3 vs. OS6! This is the one they’ve been hootin’ about!”
Michael ignored him and flipped through the dusty book. “Hey, look here, somewhere near the end called Revelation 12. It talks about some dragon chasing a woman. Right here it says, ‘his tail swept out a third of the stars’. Isn’t that something?”
“Weird,” said Max. “Hey, maybe it means Pluto is one of those stars and we’re going to be wiped out. Ha, ha! That book is screwy.”
“Something about that sounds familiar, though. Something about a third of something massive...ah, well. Hey, who’s winning?”
Later that night, sometime around midnight, Max’s fevered dreams swept him off. He struggled in bed. Michael looked up. Should he try to wake Max? Maybe it would be for the best. Then again, Max might attack him or kill him or something. Max? Certainly not. Michael got up.
He walked over to Max. Suddenly and without warning, Max opened his eyes. He looked up at Michael, sweating. He shivered as he sat up. “I don’t think I’ll ever have a good dream again,” he said. “Maybe I’ll get a cup of coffee or something.” He got up and walked into the kitchen. Michael sighed.
Max came back in, holding a cup of espresso. “Maybe if I get enough caffeine, I’ll never get to sleep,” said Max.
“Yeah. Well, we need to do something to pass the time.”
“How about reading me a story from that book of yours?” he asked, taking a sip.
“Sure,” said Michael. “There seems to be a significance of the fraction ‘one-third’ in this thing. Look here in Revelation 8. It says, ‘A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, a third of the grass was burned up, a third of the sea turned into blood, a third of the living creatures in the sea died, a third of the ships were destroyed’...”
“You don’t think that’s actually gonna happen, do you?” said Max, taking another sip.
“There’s a chance,” said Michael. “Here’s more...some rock called ‘Wormwood’ fell into a third of the water and many people died because it was poisonous.”
“That doesn’t sound too fun,” said Max.
“Nope. ‘A third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them turned dark. A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night’.”
Max finally laughed. “Ha, ha! You should make them fourth- graders back home read that thing, teach ‘em about fractions!” Max laughed, almost spilling his coffee. “If a third of them pages was ripped out of the Bible, how many pages would be left? Ha, ha!” Max finally succeeded in spilling his coffee. “Whoa, look at that, kids! Now a third of the carpet is stained! Ha, ha!”
“Oh, great,” said Michael. “Help me clean this up, Max.”
“Ha, ha! And a third of Michael was...not laughing. Michael, how come you aren’t laughing? That book got to ya?”
“Maybe I’m just tired like any regular human being would be at 12:06.”
“Oh, yeah? So you’re saying I’m not a human? Well, maybe a third of me is alien...”
“Max, you should really try hard to get some sleep. We’ve got the big conference coming up...just try to get some shuteye.”


The next morning, Michael woke up. He went to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. He had bags under his eyes. Max had stayed up all night coming up with different things having a third wiped out of something.
Michael sighed as he wet his face. He hoped Max was having a better time than he was. Something in the back of his mind was telling him that something in that book was significant. It just couldn’t push its way to the front.


Amy got up. She shivered. She just had a horrible dream. She remembered that face...those tongues...UGH! She went to the breakfast table to find her dad waiting. “Hey, Captain,” she said as she sat down. Her dad lowered the newspaper and smiled.
“Hey, Amanda. Look at this. OS6 won last night!”
“Is that the station orbiting Jupiter?”
“Yes. And OS3 was the one orbiting Venus. It was quite a game!”
“When was it on?”
“Sometime late last night.”
Amy shook her head. “I just don’t get sports sometimes.”
“What do you mean?” said her dad.
“Well, for one thing, football is still a major sport. Man, they just never give up! If everybody in the whole universe moved to the bottom of the sea, they’d find some way to play there!”
“Well, hey, it’s popular!”
“After all these years, you think footballs would be in museums!”
“In the same ones as Cheerios boxes?” said her dad with a grin.
“Dad!”
“Hey, young lady, that’s Captain to you.”

Chapter V

“Alpha Phoenix, this is Red Cougar. I have successfully entered the cavern.”
“Good work,” came a voice over the radio. “Now, do you see anything?”
“Not much,” said the astronaut as he walked, or rather floated, towards the center of the dim cave. “Looks like there was a landslide here, possibly millions of years ago. There’s crumbled gammanite all over the place. Even a chunk of frozen quadrosone.”
“Are you finding any of the new substance? It should be glowing green.”
The astronaut, code-named Red Cougar, glanced around the cave. “That’s a neg...wait a minute.”
The other crew members, sitting in the communications room of the ship hovering overhead, leaned forward as the captain spoke. “What? What do you see?”
There was no response.
Down in the cavern, the astronaut was in total stupor from the sight before him. He had merely lifted a rock, only to reveal...hard metal. He lifted other rocks as well. “Com...command, I think I may have uncovered...the remains of a wrecked spacecraft.”
“What?” came the voice from the radio. “Impossible. We’re the second ship of living humans to send missions to Pluto. There were no earlier inhabitants.”
“Well, I’m not so sure metal like this is a natural compound,” said the astronaut. “Wait a minute...”
Everyone leaned forward again.
“I’ve found...a hatch.”


The flashes of light were utterly blinding. But every member of the crew had to smile, eyes wide open, as the cameras flashed and the captain held up his new Nobel prize. The first crew to land on Pluto. There were only seven other crews like this, who had first walked the planets. Now they were in the spotlight.
“Feels good, doesn’t it?” said Max. “We’re the ones who actually stepped on the planet, and our captain gets the Nobel prize.”
“Hey, at least we made it into the pictures,” said Michael.
“Can I have your attention please?” said the president. Everyone turned their cameras on him. “Thank you. I would just like to say that this is an astonishing footstep for the human race. It may have taken us more time than was necessary, but it was still worth it. Now, we have walked upon all the planets of our solar system and are beginning to live on them. The trumpet of our triumph is sounding!”
Questions flew out of the bloodthirsty press as the president tried to keep them under control. They finally calmed down and let him finish his speech.
“We are not going to stop at Pluto. Certainly not. Already, our space telescopes have discovered a neighboring solar system. This means that our projects for expansion...have only just begun.”
Now it was question time. The reporters homed in on the president as he descended from the podium. Others were still taking pictures of the crew.
Suddenly, the captain’s phone rang. He held up his finger momentarily, then answered it. “Captain Rogers!” shouted one of the reporters from the crowd. “Does this mean a promotion for a Nokia commercial?”
The captain was tempted to tell the reporter where he could shove his pencil, but instead he concentrated on the phone. “Hello?”
“Captain Rogers,” came a voice.
“Yes? Who is this?”
“This is Harley, from command. I’ve got some news for you.”
The crew stepped out of the room and shut the door. They began their long walk down the hall. “What is it?” he said.
“The other team assigned to Pluto, the Phoenix team...”
“What about them? What has Randall been up to?”
“That’s the thing, sir. The entire crew has gone missing...”
“What? What do you mean?”
“They were assigned for a second mission to the cave area. Their ship returned with a ten-foot hole in the side.”
Captain Rogers had to steady himself against the nearby wall. “That’s impossible.”
“That’s not all, sir,” said Harley. “We found, after processing the remains, that there were...claw marks...on the hull.”
Both remained silent for a long time.
“They were at least...three feet...long.”
The captain took a deep breath. “You stay right there, Harley. We’ll be over in a minute.”
“Roger that, sir.” Rogers closed the phone.
“What in the heck was that all about?” said Michael.
“Yeah, Dad!” said Amy. “Who were you talking to?”
“You look like your grandmother just died!”
The captain chose to ignore Max’s comment. His grandmother had died a long time ago.
“We’re going to command,” he said finally. “The Phoenix team’s ship was found torn to pieces.”
“What?” said Amy.
Just then, a military squad ran down the hallway towards them. “Captain Rogers,” said a voice from the megaphone. “Please stay where you are and remain calm. Put your hands in the air, now!”


Harley ran over to the analysis room. “What did you find?” he asked the science team who was observing the crystal.
“Not much,” said the radiologist. “There’s no radiation. The toxicity levels are the same as before, code red.”
“Anything new?”
“Uh, you might want to have a word with our geologist. She sounds fairly intrigued.”
Harley walked over to the geologist. “What are you finding, Greta?”
“This is positively amazing,” she said. “Look through there. You see that?”
“It’s not solid rock at all,” he said, after taking a look into the microscope. The crystal was surrounded by a durable shield, to prevent the toxins from escaping. “Its cells are expanding and contracting, like a living creature. The outer surface is hard, sure, but...”
“It almost looks like an egg of some kind,” said Greta, peering into the goggles again. “Hard outer shell, with a living thing inside of it. Incredible.”
“You keep analyzing it,” said Harley. “You find anything new, tell me right away.”

The captain of the squad neared Rogers casually. “Sir, we regret to inform you that you must be searched.”
“For...what?” said the captain incredulously.
“Toxins,” he said. “We believe one of your crew is the host of a new and dangerous virus.”
Max nearly doubled over, trying to control his stomach.
The squad leader continued. “This virus is very interesting. It can spread through the air if anyone inhales the breath of the host, causing them to hallucinate frequently of...strange creatures.”
Michael glanced at Max, his contempt burning through the air. He could almost see Max apologizing right there.
“So, you’re saying that one of my crew is the host of this, and we’re all...infected?”
“We don’t know, sir,” said the squad leader. “If you’ll please follow me to containment.”

Michael tried to remain still as the scanners moved up and down past the length of his body. The scans had been going for nearly five minutes, and the scan suit was extremely uncomfortable.
“Almost done,” said the scientist from the other side of the glass. Michael sighed. He knew he was infected already. Probably Amy, too. He just hoped it wasn’t fatal, or they would all die...especially Max. And Doctor Davidson, what about him? The only one really left to worry about was the captain. He had kept his fair distance from Max, just like all the other crew members, but...his daughter. Could the virus be passed on a second time?
“There, all finished,” said the scientist. He looked at the screen. Michael observed the man’s face closely. If it was bad, he wanted to know. Suddenly, the scientist gasped. He covered his mouth, then tried to steady himself against the wall.
“What?” said Michael. “What’s wrong with me?”
The scientist looked at Michael, with more fear than he had ever seen. The scientist screamed and ran out of the room, sounding the alarm and hollering for assistance.
Well, Michael was officially freaked out.

WARNING: This chapter contains some graphic violence. Readers under 13 are discouraged from continuing.

Chapter VI

“Code Red, Code Red,” the female computer voice proclaimed over and over through the sound system in the containment sector. Doctors and scientists swarmed into the viewing rooms.
“What seems to be the problem?” said Doctor Stevens, the overseer of the operation.
“It’s horrendous!” cried a scientist. “They all have the same problem!”
“What problem?” the doctor said calmly.
“See for yourself,” he said as he pointed to the body scan monitor. Doctor Stevens had been through some of the most intense and graphic medical operations in the history of mankind. But never had he seen anything like this.
Inside of Michael’s lungs was a creature.
His passageways were still free, and apparently he felt nothing, but there was a massive arachnid with gaping jaws, crystal-like eggs connected to the walls of the bronchi.
“How are we going to extricate such a thing?” said another doctor.
Stevens turned to his operating team. “Large parasite in the bronchi, eggs have been lain and look ready to hatch. We need to work swiftly. Jack, bring me the artificial respirator. Kristoff, get the surgical equipment ready. And everyone, wear masks. These things pass on through respiration. Open the hatch.”
“There’s more, sir!” cried the scientist. Stevens turned around.
“What is it?”
“The one named MacCarthy, he has a more advanced one in his lungs. We need surgeons for all five patients!”
“Done. Griffith, get your crews down there. We’re wasting time. The patient could already be suffocating.”

The president power-walked down the hall, followed by a pack of news crews eager to get their hands on the story. “Sorry, folks,” said a nearby security guard. “No clearance past this point. The information is classified.”
The president didn’t even have time to hear the reporters groan before the airlock door was shut. “What’s the situation?” he finally asked a nearby doctor.
“All members of the crew are infected with the Pandora virus, including the captain. One of them is at a higher stage in the disease than the rest, he’s being operated on most intensely.”
“So, they’re all infected,” said the president. He cursed under his breath. “They could’ve infected hundreds of people by now! How will we know who’s developed Pandora?”
“The disease is spread through respiration,” explained the doctor. “It’s going to be almost impossible to monitor at this rate. Everyone has come in contact with someone recently, and by now the disease may spread beyond OS-9.”
“We won’t let that happen,” said the president. “Get me the general! I want a COMPLETE lockdown! No one comes in or out of OS-9 until we’ve neutralized this thing!”
“The media has already left...”
“Then blow up their ship! I don’t care, if thirty journalists mean the extinction of the human race, then blast ‘em to smithereens!”
“We will try to intercept their carrier, sir,” said a soldier.
“Meanwhile, I have the biggest emergency in the history of mankind to deal with right now,” said the doctor as he pulled on a face mask and ran off.
The president sighed as the general walked over. Just one more thing to slow their progress.


Such an ugly little creature, thought Stevens as he scanned the viral signs. This was worse than the Alien movies. Apparently, the creatures would make a home in the lungs, lay more eggs, and crawl to a different part of the body. The arachnids were thin enough to pass through even the smallest tubes without fatally disturbing the bodily systems.
The African-American named Max was indeed the worst case so far. One was in his heart, and another in each lung. It was a miracle the poor man was still alive. It would almost do him justice to put a laser hole in his head and let him die. But that wasn’t what doctors were for.
Stevens didn’t know much about these things, but he knew how they could be dealt with for the time being. He activated the pulse injector and targeted the spider in Max’s left lung. He pulled the trigger, and an impulse was sent into Max’s body, shocking the creature and vaporizing it completely.
All without making a hole.
The doctor moved over to the one in the heart. Tricky little devil, it had spread its legs to the pump tubes. Not for much longer. Stevens carefully pulled the trigger, and the arachnid disappeared...but the heart stopped.
Stevens cursed loudly. “Get me the cardiac regulator!” he screamed as he walked into the hatch where Max was. This would not turn out good.
Meanwhile, Amy’s arachnid had been eliminated, but eggs remained in her bronchi. She choked as they slowly expanded. Kristoff moved the pulse injector carefully to one of the larger eggs and zapped it into oblivion. Despite the scar across his face, he had a gentle complexion and cared for the human life. Good quality for a doctor, one must say.
This was one of his greatest challenges yet. Some of the smaller eggs weren’t expanding as rapidly, and Amy’s health was critical at this point. He annihilated a medium-sized one in her lung sac. He had to be extremely precautious, or else he might create a hole in her bodily tissue, which would cause further problems.
He had destroyed all but three, which were extremely small...smaller than the center of the crosshair. He couldn’t take any chances. He would have to let them grow a bit.
The one named Jack worked intensely on Michael, trying to center his crosshair on two spiders in Michael’s stomach. It almost looked like they were...mating. Disgusting. Jack had to hold in his stomach fluids, or he would certainly-
A spider exploded out of Jack’s right ear. He fell over, dead as a doorknob, landing on his pulse injector which made several holes in his brain.
“Breach!” screamed a doctor. A soldier ran over and shot at the spider with his X-40 rifle. It was too fast, too elusive. He almost shot Michael in the leg. The arachnid jumped through the air and disappeared into a ventilation hole in the wall. The soldier released a stream of expletives. One of those things was loose in OS-9, free to contaminate whoever it wanted to.
The doctor was gone, so the soldier was the only one left who could operate on Michael. He had worked with precision weapons before, but he would have to be extremely careful...he didn’t exactly know how these things worked.
Stevens ran over to Max and set the small charge on his chest. An electrical impulse was released, which started his heart again. Stevens picked up the pulse targeter again. Bad news. The shock had scared the final creature (previously located in one of the lungs) to a new area of the body. It had dashed up to the skull, now crawling on the brain. Max was going insane, like an animal with rabies. He screamed out a stream of memories, which the spider was pinpointing with its legs.
Doctor Stevens yelled angrily. The thing kept moving, and if he missed and hit the cerebral matter, Max would surely die instantly.
Doctor Davidson from the ship had been checked, and was clear of infection, so he operated on the captain. “You’re doing good, Captain,” said the doctor as he worked carefully.
“Are there a lot of them?” said the captain as he stared off into space.
“Like I said, you’re doing good,” said Davidson as he tried to ignore the captain’s inquiry. He did not want to answer it.
On the screen, at least ten of them crawled endlessly through the captain’s passageways. Eggs littered his dermis. He was sweating a light green color. There was surely no way he was going to live.
“I’m going to die, aren’t I?” said the captain calmly.
“Not if I can help it,” said Davidson.
“You’re not that good,” said the captain. “I can feel the little imps crawling through me. I’ve got enough spiders in me to birth a whole colony. You’re wasting your time.”
“If I can save one life, I will have accomplished my purpose,” said Davidson. “You call that a waste of time?”
“I’m beyond saving, everybody knows it,” said the captain. “Just let me go.”
“Captain...”
“Greg,” said Ed as he put his hand on his shoulder. “You can’t do it.”
Suddenly, screams erupted from the other compartments. “You idiot!” shouted a doctor as he ran over to the soldier operating on Michael. “You’re not certified to operate that thing!”
“Neither are you!” shouted the soldier. “You’re not a Level 5 surgeon!”
“But you’re endangering his life further!”
“If those things get out of his body, we’ll have three of them to worry about!” shouted the soldier.
Ed looked at Gregory. “Go,” he said. “Work on Michael. I’m done.”
“Captain, no...”
Captain Rogers yanked a knife from the table and plunged it into his own chest. He gurgled, then went limp.
Doctor Davidson was utterly speechless. He found it hard to breathe, and the room became colder. He had known Rogers since the start of both their careers. Now, there he was in front of him, dead by his own means.
He noticed Rogers’ body was erupting with the creatures inside of him trying to escape. Davidson screamed in shock as he ran out of the compartment and sealed the lock securely. He couldn’t look through the glass window as the captain’s body exploded in a pool of blood and organs.
He ran into Michael’s compartment, yanked the pulse injector from the soldier’s hands, and began work on Michael. He couldn’t see through the tears, and he tried wiping them off, but his mask wouldn’t let him. He blinked furiously and destroyed the two spiders, then took out a row of eggs along the lining of his esophagus. He sighed as he backed off. Michael was at equilibrium. Davidson fainted dead away.
Kristoff destroyed two of Amy’s last eggs just before they hatched. The third one burst open, and a tiny spider shot for her spinal cord, but he blasted it to pieces. He backed off and sighed. Amy was clear of infection.
Stevens roared as he pinpointed the spider’s tail. It shrieked as it clutched Max’s brain, but its tail disappeared with the rest of its body. Max fell to rest in a deep coma.
Stevens set down the injector and let out a deep breath. The only thing to worry about now was the one that got loose in the air vents.
He would be working overtime, indefinitely.


At least fifty reporters and journalists flew away from OS-9, all with their reports on the award ceremony for the first people to land on Pluto.
They were also packed with crystal eggs, waiting to hatch.
In the front of the passenger carrier was the pilot, who focused on the stars as he accelerated through space. Just a little further to get to the time foil leading back to Earth.
Suddenly, two security ships pulled around and accelerated toward them, blocking their path. The pilot raised one eyebrow. He let out an irritated sigh. “Great, another delay.”
He slowed the ship to a stop and docked with the two ships. The doors hissed open, and the pilot turned around. “This better be important...”
Menacing claws went through his face and out the back of his skull, sprinkling blood on all the monitors. The claws retracted, and the pilot’s carcass fell over with a thud.
Five creatures, slightly larger than men, opened their jaws and shrieked a battle call. Three tongues lolled out of each mouth, twisting and taunting from their position in mouths studded with bladelike teeth. Multiple pairs of eyes lined each skull, the largest ones the main focus. They crouched in reptilian fashion, spreading their claws, and burst through the door to the passenger compartment.

Wow! I'm completely speechless..

This is an amazing story Wyvern!! The plot is very exciting and compelling.. And the dialogs are natural, interesting and amusing. And some parts really freaked me out, I was twisting and turning on my chair as I read. Truly astonishing! You have an amazing talent! And I don't praise people too much..

Please finish this story or else I won't be able to sleep.. *shivers*

I just wanted to say somthing. Wyvern and I are like wow 2 different writers i write one way he writes a totaly different way and i think its so cool. Anyways good story lets keep up the work!!!

This is one of my stories that I've been writing, non-CBG related. I just thought I'd post this in my zone. Tell me what you think! Comments, rotten tomatoes, etc. I'll take anything.Here's the first chapter. I'll post each chapter in a separate post on the same thread, that way it's easier to read.Prologue In the cold of space, one can only imagine what mysteries lay buried beneath the rock of countless centuries. The outer planets have always been a mystery to the human race, which now colonizes proudly almost the entire solar system. Now, the first people ever to land on Pluto, the outermost planet (which was confirmed to be a planet in 2206, only a decade ago) are about to make their descent. As they brave the small planet’s dark halls, they are about to discover something that will change the human race forever. A new enemy is about to be born into existence... “I repeat, I’ve lost visual!” shouted the astronaut into his communicator. “Don’t worry,” came the fuzzy reply. “We’ll send another beacon. Downloading now.” A third voice chuckled into the radio. “Ha, ha, ha! So much for ‘Omni-Glow’. Might as well be ‘Candlelight’. Those things are nuts.” “It’s okay, Max. At least they work.” Max was an African-American geologist. He was known for his sense of humor, as well as lack of concentration.“We should have brought those, you know, Laser-Beacon things, the ones that can project the time and stuff...” “We don’t need to tell what time it is!” shouted the captain. “We just need to see, for goodness’ sake!” “Pretty hard to see anything on Pluto.” “Just be glad you’re the first people to step on Pluto and not the last! With our luck, I’m surprised you three haven’t set up a trampoline and started bouncing!” Michael laughed. “Oh, here it comes.” The beam shot out from his wrist. It lit up the mountain of rock in front of him. He scanned the creepy-looking rock face. It almost looked like a giant wasp’s nest or a sponge. “Hey, get a load of this!” said Max. “Where are you?” said Michael. “I’m at location 32-29-86, in the cave ahead.” “I’m coming!” said Michael. “What did you find this time?” said Amy. “A rock shaped like your big skull?” “Very funny. Actually, I think this is much more intriguing.”Michael stepped into the dark cave. He looked around. He saw Max standing by a large pillar-shaped rock. “Wow,” said Michael. “Yeah, I know,” said Max. He held up a small, green rock. “Is it a crystal?”“I don’t know. Our computers back at OS9 picked up some pretty strange readings. But nothing stranger than gammanite.” “This almost looks ke...quadrosone or something.” “No, quadrosone has Nitrogen in it. Let’s see...how about we take it back to OS9 for a scan?” “Brilliant,” said Max.“Just don’t lose it,” said Michael. “You could be holding a piece of history.”“Pretty-looking rock you got there,” said Amy as she walked up. “Hey Max, if it’s not important or toxic or anything...” “I’m going to keep it,” said Max. But he didn’t laugh, like he usually did. He just stared at the crystal. Just a little weird, Michael thought. “Well, we should head back to the ship,” said Amy. Michael looked back at the cave as they walked back to the ship. It almost looked like...some sort of shape. Like an Ω or something. Pretty weird.

This is what you get when you don't use ENTER and TAB.

Haha...Tab doesn't do much for this, neither does spacing. I suppose I could separate two lines between each dialogue sequence...but that would make the pages so much longer. Hey, as long as you can read it.

I wrote this a while ago and haven't been continuing...lately I've been inspired though. So I'll probably take this up again soon, when I'm not working on other stuff.

Yeah, you'd better take it up soon and get inspired! It's the command of the eldest! Just kidding, take your time. Once it's finished I really think you should consider publishing it, I know a lot of people who would enjoy reading this..

You should get inspired, this is from some random person.

If you want some incentive, check my youtube post in wallpapers

WARNING: This chapter contains some graphic violence. All readers under 13 are discouraged from continuing.

Chapter VII

The crew members all sat around a table in the conference room. They were all cleared of infection and completely stable. Minus Captain Rogers, that is.
The doctor was quite shaken up by the past events. Amy wasn’t speaking, simply staring at the three feet of air in front of her, mesmerized.
Max was in the other room, lost in a deep coma. Occasionally his body would jerk violently against the straps holding him down, but then he would rest. Michael was doing okay...just trying to cope, as the others were.
And the president sat at the head of the table, two guards at the door behind them, and probably more outside. He had somewhat lost his prestige after the turn of events that happened recently. He was shaking mildly, and his hair was slightly a mess.
But he was the first to speak. “No matter what happens from here on out, we need to make sure these things don’t get loose. Now, I wanna know what started it in the first place.”
“It’s quite obvious,” said Doctor Davidson. “It’s that blasted crystal. Max found it in a cave on the surface of Pluto, on the very first manned expedition there mind you. We didn’t take nearly enough time to secure the safety of the planet.”
The president’s eyes narrowed. “I suppose we didn’t take nearly enough time colonizing the solar system, either!”
“Perhaps it wasn’t meant to be colonized,” said Michael. “We are all human beings. Original inhabitants of planet Earth. If we try and breach the borders that have been set for us, we’re bound to encounter something we weren’t meant to.”
“Like these creatures,” said the president. He slid his hand under his chin. “No expedition is without risk, people. We are taking risk by moving to the outer planets...or any besides Earth for that matter. We are taking risk by even discovering a neighbor solar system. And we are taking risk by setting foot on the coldest and most remote planet we know of.”
“And do you know what you’re risking?” said Amy as she sat up. “Billions of human lives, that’s what! You endanger the safety of the entire human race, just so you can land on a planet!” She stood up, fire in her eyes, and she slammed her fists down on the table. “Well I hope you know you risked my father’s life! And now it’s lost!”
The president looked up at her. “With all due respect, lady...your father climbed that platform. He put on that suit.” Amy kept shaking her head as she slumped back into her chair, and the president continued. “He boarded that ship, and so did every one of you!” He stood up, the angry one now. “I’m not the only one risking things here! It’s not all my fault!”
“You knew what you were doing by sending a ship in the first place,” said Doctor Davidson. “Somebody had to go. We were eager and excited back then. Now we have opened Pandora’s box, so to speak...and now everyone in OS-9 is going to die.”

In the air vent above the room where they were talking, one lone alien arachnid crawled along swiftly. It looked around and chirped. All of a sudden, its green lights turned red. It gasped and tried to crawl along as it slowly died.
It lay still for a few minutes, its lights dim. Then, without warning, the lights turned green again...as it split into two halves. Each half chirped and crawled down opposite directions of the tunnel.

“Mr. President!” shouted a soldier as he burst into the meeting room. “There’s been an accident, sir!”
“What is it?” said the president as he rubbed his eyes groggily.
“The security ships, sir! They boarded the media freighter like you asked!”
“And?”
“See for yourself.” The soldier got out a portable security monitor. The president tried to hold it still.
A ship floated through space, the two security ships docked to its sides. And the windows were drenched in blood.
The president stood up hastily. “Get a crew to go in there. This ends now. We’re not letting those things loose into the rest of the system!”
The soldier saluted and walked off speedily.
Doctor Davidson and the rest of the crew sat up. “We’re going in.”
“What?” said the president incredulously. “Are you crazy? Just now, you were whining to me about being infected! And now you want to risk it again!”
“There’s no risk this time,” said the doctor. “Allow me to explain...”

Michael, Amy, and the good doctor all got their suits on. They were about to join a squad of troopers in infiltrating the ghost freighter. Each of them was armed with a high-powered laser rifle. They were ready, or so they thought, for what lay ahead of them.
The doctor had explained this to the president earlier. “Apparently,” he had said, “there is a cure for Pandora. I found it yesterday when I was testing in the lab. I captured one of the eggs before blasting it, and I studied it in a contained area. I tried just about every mineral there was...then I remembered that Max had spilled some of my pinnacite. This mineral is the exact countermeasure for the life force inside these things.”
And the doctor had continued. “It didn’t affect Max directly because he had only contacted a tiny bit. But with a heavier dose, I discovered quicker effects. And pinnacite otherwise has no effects on the bodily system...it’s like sand to the touch. We would give a truckload of the stuff to the soldiers, but the thing is...we only had enough for three.”
“So you helped yourselves,” said the president. “Very considerate.”
“Listen,” Amy had said. “We came upon it by accident. The whole crew of the Dolphin IX had come into direct contact with the mineral numerous times on the trip. Yesterday’s supply was the last of it, and it is now inactive. If we had any more, we would surely hand it out to people. But there is no more, and us four are the only ones who can face these things without fear of infection.”
After a great deal of further arguing, they were finally allowed to proceed with a squad of soldiers onto the freighter. They were all on a security ship at the moment, heading for the larger one.
“Is there anywhere to dock?” said Michael.
“Yes, there are four ports on these things,” said the Squad Leader. “Only two have been taken up.”
“Then let’s go,” said Doctor Davidson as he set his gun.
The Squad Leader laughed. “Easy there, doc. You’ll get your piece of the action once we’re on board. But I’m not kidding, guys. Try to stay behind the squad at all times. You’re not trained soldiers, just our only shot at surviving through these things. So don’t blow it.”
Michael nodded in agreement. The ship came to dock at a port. But before they could, the door on the ship blew open in a whirlwind of claws and teeth.
“Pull back!” shouted the Squad Leader to the Pilot. “Get around to the other side!”
Their security ship circled around, and they were met with a jaw-dropping sight. About a third of the ship was gone, leaving a giant hole. The creatures were still inside...apparently, they could survive space travel. And frozen bloody corpses of reporters littered the scene.
Amy tried to look away. Michael patted her on the back and held her close. The Squad Leader spit. “All right, let’s go!” he shouted.
The side of the security ship opened, and they jumped out in their space suits. They flew forward on their jet packs and fired lasers at the creatures. Two of them disappeared into the back, but one was stuck. It was pelted with lasers. It screamed and decomposed completely, leaving behind no trace that it was dead.
The soldiers then boarded the ship. Carcasses were everywhere, so they had to be careful and dodge them. The three members of the Dolphin IX Crew stayed behind a ways. “Is there anything of use to us here?” Michael asked the doctor.
“Not that I can see,” said Davidson. “Let’s just hope they don’t kill all of these things so we can take one back and torture it.”
Michael laughed. The doctor was still silent. The squad of troopers continued ahead. Suddenly, from the shadows, one of them jumped and slashed a trooper in three sections before he could fire.
Lasers flew everywhere, but the creature was cunning. It picked up the bodies of numerous reporters and tossed them around, leaving a shield of corpses floating in the cold of space. Now they would have to find it and kill it.
The other one jumped out and dug its claws into one’s chest as he screamed for help. A soldier ran up to the creature with his rifle ready, but the creature sliced down the length of it and cut off the soldier’s head. It threw the other one away. Three more troopers and a Squad Leader to go.
The other creature swam through space towards the three crew members. They were unaware of it. Its eight eyes narrowed, the largest ones homing in on its prey. It licked its teeth with its three tongues and let out an inaudible low growl.
It was almost like the thing was built for aquatic maneuver. It swam gracefully but stealthily around the dead bodies towards the crew members, who were proceeding in deeper. It cleared a path and went towards them.
Then the doctor turned around and shot a stun blast dead in its face. It screamed as it hit the ceiling with the force, then blanked out before it could decompose itself. “Score!” shouted the doctor. “We’ll take this back to the lab. Quickly, though! If it regains consciousness, it will surely self-destruct!”
The soldiers screamed as they flew away from the last one. “Retreat!” shouted Squad Leader. “We have the prize!”
One of the soldiers bumped into a corpse and got tangled in the camera strap. He screamed as the creature ripped off his leg.
The other soldiers were almost to the ship. The creature pursued them with everything it had. Suddenly, the media freighter exploded in a flash of white light. It sent the creature floating off into space with a missing appendage.
The crew got back to the ship, along with two troopers and the Squad Leader. They took off their helmets. “Pilot!” said Squad Leader. “Take us back to OS-9, top speed! We’ll grieve the deaths of our comrades later! Let’s learn about these SOB’s!”

WARNING: This chapter contains intense blood & gore. Readers under 16 are discouraged from continuing.

Chapter VIII

Doctor Davidson readied his tweezers. They had to keep this thing asleep, or it would all be gone within a matter of seconds. An anesthetic was against its mouth, but they knew almost nothing of these things. It could be breathing through its stomach for all they knew.
“Scalpel,” he said methodically. It was time to dig a little deeper. They had charted the surface, and Michael made a sketch. Yes, he happened to be an artist in his spare time.
These creatures were somewhat shaped like humans, only their legs were stiffer and bent back. Their head was the interesting part though. Multiple eyes, like a spider. So they could see in almost every direction at once.
He inserted the knife into its upper chest and slid it gently along the length of the belly. He opened it up and cringed. A whole body of organs lay below, and in the stomach...parts of a trooper, slowly breaking down.
“That’s just GROSS!” said Amy.
The doctor held up a hand for silence. If this thing woke up with its stomach open, there would be hell to pay.
He held up his magnification tool and studied its inner body. “Interesting,” he said. Suddenly, he caught movement in the creature’s leg. Everyone screamed and jumped back a few feet. “Don’t be alarmed,” said the doctor. “It’s just muscles twitching.” He stared at the bump on the leg, fluttering, like something was trying to escape.
There were actually two hearts above the stomach, protected by a large clavicle over the chest. There was only one intestine...not large or small. Just the medium intestine.
Davidson examined further down the line. The bladder was oddly-shaped so that it fit snugly within the pelvis. There were other organs as well. None for reproduction...these things hatched from eggs, which appeared from the virus. And the virus came from the prime egg...but where did that come from?
Speaking of which, the prime egg had been under quarantine for quite some time. Max’s hand was still slightly burned from the gradual acids. And the chamber that their captain remained in...well, the spiders basically took over. That was the main center for activity now...doctors nervously researched them from behind the glass.
They had gotten rid of the captain’s corpse. The last that the Dolphin IX crew had heard of them was that the arachnids were all asleep in one giant huddle in the center. Cute.
A spurt of fluids hit Dr. Davidson in the goggles. He groaned and wiped them off. “I’ll have to be more careful, I suppose. Guh...this is disgusting.”
“You’re a doctor,” said Amy. “Haven’t you studied biology before?”
“Errr, micro-biology I’m afraid. I haven’t seen any amoebas...explode into guts.”
“What do we call these things?” said Michael. “Pandoras?”
“A fitting name, I suppose,” said the doctor. “They are a direct result of the virus. In that case, their scientific name would be Pandoralingus. We might have to attach another long word onto that though.”
Everybody chuckled mildly.
The creature’s eye moved.
It shrieked and jumped up, screaming, ripping the medical cables off of it. It ripped the mask off as everyone screamed and ran for cover. Doctor Davidson was knocked to the floor.
The Pandora suddenly realized that it was open. Some of its guts spilled out onto the medical table, alongside a slew of black blood. Why hadn’t it disappeared yet? Perhaps it wanted to take these people out first.
It shrieked as it jumped down from the table.

In the air vents above, one of the half-spiders shivered as it grew into a young Pandora. The juvenile had experienced an overdose of electricity, accelerating its growth rate. Soon it would be an adult...
But it was dying. Its young body couldn’t keep up with the rapid changes. The electrical cord snapped sparks from where it had bitten into the cable. The young creature cried out for help softly.

Panic consumed the room directly below. Michael saw some X-13’s by the wall. If he could just get over far enough-
The monster roared in his face. Amy screamed, and Michael crawled under the table. The Pandora reached under with its claws and slashed against the metal.
Suddenly, the air vent above them bulged. Another Pandora burst through, this one in a state of madness. It longed for blood...the smell of fresh Pandora blood filled its nostrils. It jumped and sank its teeth into the shoulder of the open one.
The open one screamed and threw the mad one onto the table, slashing at its face. But the mad one was stronger. With a surge of energy, it pushed the other Pandora off its chest and slammed it into the far wall.
All of the humans huddled under a table in the corner of the room. This would not end very well.
The Pandoras swiped at each other and bit, until the mad Pandora pinned the open one down. It plucked the liver from the open organs and bit into it, spurting juice.
The open one screamed and grabbed the face of the mad one. It held it firmly, then yanked on it. There was a crack as the creature actually pulled the other’s face off. It screamed, bare skull bleeding. With a finishing thrust, it slammed its skull into the open body of the other and crushed one of the hearts. Both creatures died in that instant.
Amy covered her mouth as Michael and the doctor helped her up. “Let’s get out of here,” said the doctor. “We have to tell the others that there are more loose.”
“I hope Max is okay,” said Michael as they ran out the door, leaving the two dead bodies behind.
The lights flickered momentarily.

Only one doctor remained, studying the juvenile Pandoras. The others had run away in fear. This lone doctor was Stevens. He watched as the young creatures jumped around and shrieked their calls, some wrestling, some slashing at each other viciously.
He would have to get a chance to study these things in their natural environment...there were no parents here, no barren Pluto landscape. They were in a place foreign to them, and did not behave as normal. But for now, he would have to go with the data he currently had. Which wasn’t much to start with...
He heard screams as people yelled and ran down the hall. He made another mark on his clipboard, then turned to face the people running. “What seems to be the problem?” he said.
“You know that spider that got loose?” said Michael. “The one you said dashed into the air vents? Well, it grew into an adult. And it killed the one we captured, then died.”
Stevens blinked. “Then why is everyone running and yelling? The virus is clearly at equilibrium in open areas. There are no more creatures on the loose. Why the panic?”
Everyone began to settle down. Doctor Davidson spoke up. “We were hoping these creatures would not get loose.”
Stevens picked up an oxygen tank and slammed it into the glass that contained the juveniles. Everyone screamed. The oxygen tank thudded to the ground with a dent in it. Not even a scratch on the glass. “Any further questions?” he said as he picked up his glasses.
Squad Leader raised his hand. “Ummm...how long have you been lifting weights?”
One of the juveniles screamed and scratched against the glass. Everyone drew back in fear, even Stevens. But then he regained his composure and picked up his clipboard. “They clearly won’t be able to escape. They have a better chance digging through the three-foot titanium walls than through this glass.”
“Don’t say that,” said Amy. “Please...I don’t want to think about more creatures on the loose.”
“All right,” said Doctor Davidson. “Well, let’s head back to the lounge. Anybody want to stay with Stevens and study?”
Nobody answered as they all walked off for the lounge. Davidson shrugged. Stevens simply turned back to his work. Davidson sighed and walked off with the others.

Max opened his eyes. He looked around and regained his senses. He was in the medical room. He shivered as he remembered the horrors that had sent him into his coma. He checked himself. Apparently nothing was in him, and nothing was trying to get out. But he was still nervous.
He sat up and walked over to the doorway. Where was everybody? Shouldn’t there be a doctor monitoring his status? Max felt the back of his head...
“Is this cause I’m black?” he said aloud. He sighed and opened the door, then looked down the hallway both ways. “Well, one heck of a greeting ceremony! Thanks for makin’ sure I’m okay, everybody!”
He began walking down the hallway towards the lounge. Nobody was there. Then he began to worry. What if everyone had got on an escape pod and left him here? Surely they wouldn’t. Or maybe they thought he had died...strange.
He walked over to the bio-containment room. Shattered glass was everywhere! He looked at the containers the crew used to be in. One of them was cracked open. Then Max began to worry.
But OS-9 was a big place. There were 10 escape pods, 20 restrooms, hundreds of sleeping rooms, even a food court! If those things were on the loose, they surely didn’t smell him.
He ran down a corridor, scared out of his mind. He didn’t want to scream, for fear of the creatures discovering his presence. But if there were any other humans, he had to find them.
He winded a corner and slammed into a door, then fell over. The lights flickered again. He saw a green glow coming from the window above. He stood up and looked in. There it was, on a pedestal. The crystal that had started it all.
Max opened the door and went in. He would flush this thing right out into space. Maybe then all the aliens would die, and he wouldn’t be having such bad dreams. He reached out his hand to grab it.
It screamed.
“TAKE ME BACK!!!” it roared. He fell backwards in astonishment. Max could feel the thing’s presence grab him by the throat and choke him. It screamed frantically. “TAKE ME BACK, TAKE ME BACK!!!”
Max hollered and ran out the door, then shut it. He ran down the corridor as five of the creatures darted after him. He turned a corner and stopped. There was a massive hole in the hull, leading out into empty space.
The creatures lurched for him. He screamed and jumped out into space, then kept flying and flying for eternity...
“Wake up!” shouted the doctor as he slapped Max’s face.
Max screamed and shot up, pushing the doctor across the room. “Wait a second,” he said as he regained his composure. “That was...just a dream?”
“Well, you were in a coma!” said the doctor as he straightened his glasses. “From the looks of things, you weren't skipping around in candyland though.”
Max sighed. “I need to talk to the rest of my crew. Where are they?”
“They should be in the lounge, with everybody else,” said the doctor. “And this means I can go get a donut. Get dressed, then get down there. Don’t worry, your vitals are fine. Nothing in you.”
“That’s good to know,” said Max as he pulled a shirt over his head.

Amy stood up in the observation room, looking out at the stars. That was the only light that illuminated her. Michael walked up the stairs. He leaned against the railing and stood next to her. “Beautiful, isn’t it?”
Amy sighed. “It’s so beautiful, but so...enigmatic. We still know next to nothing of what’s out there. The president wants to keep on expanding and expanding...but pretty soon, he or one of his successors is going to finally realize that space is limitless.”
“So what do we do?” said Michael. “Sit here and watch the stars? Or go walk on one of them?”
Amy looked at Michael. “That’s part of not knowing,” she said. “It’s so much more beautiful when you don’t know what it is.”
They stood there in silence for a few moments, stargazing sideways. Then Michael slicked back his hair. “Well, I’m hungry. You wanna come down to the lounge? We’re having a dinner.”
Amy smirked. “A celebration dinner, huh?”
“Look, we’re not celebrating the death of your father,” said Michael flatly. “I didn’t mean it like that. We’re all okay! Let’s just try and enjoy that while we can.”
Amy looked at him incredulously. “There are still creatures out there, Michael! They could be crawling through the air vents...one of the spiders might get into my bed sheets...”
Michael walked up to her arm and held her close as she panicked and tried to push him away. “Listen, Amy...”
“Don’t you see?” she said with tears streaming down her face. “We’re not safe at all! We’re all going to die, each and every one of us!”
“Don’t ever say that,” said Michael. “We’ll make it out of this. Just hang on tight...we’ll get through soon enough.”
They stood there and embraced as the radiance of the universe outlined their silhouettes.

LOL how can text be goary?

Haha, that's true. It all depends on the imagery you have in your mind though. When you read, you get a picture. This chapter gives you some...pretty gory pictures, I might say.

Beautiful, great story..