Dark Haven - Chapter 9

[crunn]

Chapter 1 (Fate of the Armadeaus)
Chapter 2 (Portents)
Chapter 3 (Passing of a Fantasy)
Chapter 4 (Fissures in the Dark)
Chapter 5 (Reminiscence)
Chapter 6 (Things that go Bump...)
Chapter 7 (The Rocky Road)
Chapter 8 (Escape Plan)


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DARK HAVEN

Chapter 9 (Becoming)


'I'm in the air lock, about to open the door into the docking bay.
I can't see anything through the small window, the lights must be off.
The oxygen indicator on the door shows green, so I won't need my helmet.'

'As the door slides open I take a breath. The air is a little cold in here. The chilled air makes me shudder. Creepy. I get a bad feeling about going in.
The stench is the only thing I can sense. Quite overpowering. Far worse than ever before.
I can see nothing in the darkness and there is no sound.
My wrist readout confirms that the air is breathable and not toxic. But the oxygen content is very low, I may need to put my helmet on if I start to feel light-headed, I might just put it on anyway to get out of the smell. No, I need to keep the oxygen for emergencies only. Besides I should be in the ship in a minute or so.'

'All the power seems to be off, no lights no lit panels, no hum of anything powered. Darkness. Silence.
I turn my EVA suit light on. The beam pierces out into the darkness but is not powerful enough to reach the opposite side of the docking bay.'

'I swing the beam around the bay, up and down to get my bearings and sense of the size of the room, occasionally it catches something metallic and glints. My riffle in line with the light.
From what little I can tell in the darkness, though a very large room, it is small for a docking bay.
If the readout in C&C was correct, seven berths. That's including the station owned ships. I imagine the two freighters and the Bayamon belong to this station.
I'd have expected a pirate station to have at least one or two Orinocos, perhaps it did before the black ships showed up.
That would leave two berths for customers and visitors. That sounds about right for a small station. I wonder why the pirates have such a small station and why it's all the way out here.'

'The docking bay is circular, much like the C&C deck but bigger.
Bay1 ahead of me and the numbers increasing clockwise. So Bay2 will be a little distance round to my left and Bay7 the same distance to the right. I'm looking for Bay3.'

...

'The first dock should be right ahead of me, the first freighter should be in it.
I start to walk forward, the beam hitting the ground a couple of meters ahead, gun tracing the light.
In the light I see the painted outline of the first berth. Then the landing strut of the freighter.
I move the beam up the strut and across the nose of the TS. I walk around the nose and start down the side to my left, tracing it with the light. I see now that it is a Teladi Vulture. The hatch coming up on my right.'

'Perhaps I should just get in this now and get out.'

'A Vulture is not the fastest of ships, if the black ships are still there they would have no trouble catching it.
No, the Bayamon is my best chance of escape, assuming even that is fast enough.
It should be only two berths along, I'll keep going.'

...

'I'm nearing the tail end of the Vulture.
My head is throbbing again, this thin air isn't helping. I'm tempted to put my helmet on, no, I should be in the ship soon, I'm fine.
I'm feeling a little weak in the arms and legs and breathing is getting more difficult.
Not far to go.'

'There are crates stacked up along the side of the TS. Unmarked, could be anything. There are more crates periodically along the dock as far as the light can reach.
I've passed the back end of the Vulture.
Now entering the grid square of the second berth, my unsteady hand moving the light to find the second freighter, gun now at my side.
No sign of it yet, I keep walking, slower less controlled.'

'A few steps further I see the unmistakable front end of an Argon Lifter. The familiarity of a 'friendly' ship and my weariness tempt me to take this ship.
I'm almost decided to get in as I pass the hatch, but silent movement ahead distracts me.
I raise the light a little to try to catch the movement, trembling slightly I bring the riffle up level.'

'Nothing.'

...

'I'm now nearing the end of the Lifter.
I shine my light up at the engines as I pass.
Something very odd stops me in my tracks, the engines, no, the whole back end of the Lifter is black and shiny.
It looks like the skin of the black ships and the outer hull of this station.
Just the back end of the Lifter, the front is normal.'

'With the light I follow the edge of the blackness around the Lifter. Just past the engines it seems to spill off the TS onto the floor.
It looks as if someone draped a huge sheet of black silk over the back of the Lifter and onto the floor behind.
No, not silk, rubber, no not that either it's more shiny, it seems somewhat fluidic, more like oil.
I'm sure this is the same substance the hulls of the black ships are made of, the shape changing stuff. It has partly enveloped the Lifter.'

'I'm taking a closer look at the area of black that reaches down to the floor near me.
I bend down and shine the light directly on it. It seems to ripple slightly under the light.
Then it takes shape. I stand up quickly and jump back, back against a crate. The black forms a long spear-like shape and extends, jutting towards me.
I raise the riffle and prepare to fire when it stops and just holds there in the air at eye level. The sharp point rounds off, maybe four centimetre diameter, and starts to sway a little, drawing nearer and nearer, almost touching me.'

'Is it looking at me?'

'Is it reading my mind again?'

...

'Frozen to the spot.
Unable to move or fire the weapon if I needed to.'

'Time passes.
Maybe a minute, maybe longer.
Then the black spear recedes back into the sheet of black.'

...

'Another minute or two pass before I find the nerve to move again.'

...

'I'm cold, shaking, breathing more difficult than ever, legs seem a little numb, fingers tingling.
I should put the helmet on, but the Bayamon should be just ahead. I'll be ok, just keep moving.'

'I'm now entering the third docking berth.
Careful not to stand on the black.
The Black extends into this area. It seems to be covering most of the floor.
It bulges in places, perhaps things underneath, or inside it.'

'The Bayamon is nowhere to be seen yet.
I'm nearing the middle of this edge, I should be able to see it by now.
I shine the light into the center of the berth. There is a large bulge there, but nowhere near big enough to be the ship.
I see the Black has texture further from its edges, it is not smooth, grainy, more like actual skin, lines as if there may be veins beneath the surface.
Around the bulges there are what appear to be vines or tendrils wrapped around. Tightly encasing whatever lies below.
This skin is ever moving, rippling, perhaps growing.'

'I should probably run back and take one of the transports and get out now.
But I will continue to the end of this bay to make sure the Bayamon is not here, then I will leave.
The migraine is ever worsening.'

...

'I'm nearing the end of the third bay. Nothing.
The Black is thicker and much more bulbous at this end. It seem to be growing up the wall, pulsating.'

'Just then a rush of air passes my face. I side-step away, turn the light toward the motion and gasp at the sight.
One of the spear-like tendrils originating from somewhere above has shot down and stopped near me. Again, just hanging there, seeming to watch me, then another, stabbing down towards me, and another.'

...

'There are five now. Spaced around me.
They are enlarging, veins or tendons stretching, showing from beneath the black surface.
The surface rippling, dividing.
The tendrils embed themselves in the ground around me. Smaller vines branch off and start to fill the gaps. A moist fleshy noise, a little like tearing, accompanies the dividing process and sends yet another cold chill through me. The smell seems to double with each division. I fear I may loose consciousness.
I try to push my way between them but to my surprise the seemingly soft pliable surface of the black skin is as solid as steel. Even through my suit I can feel the movement beneath its surface.'

'Almost entirely encased in the black fleshy mass I raise the riffle as much as room will allow, and fire off one shot.'

'I hear a scream in my mind. Deafening.'

'Have I hurt it?
It recedes a little where I shot it.
I fire again and again around the area, trying to open a way out.
Its screams making it hard to think, hard to do anything.'

...

'I'm out.
The riffle empty.
The tremors shaking the station have started up again. I wonder if this is as before or if my angering the black has triggered it this time.'

'No time, must run.'

'I'm heading back towards the transport ships.
I could take the Lifter, it's nearer, but the black, solid as steel, I might not break free.
No, on to the Vulture.'

...

'I'm almost back to the Lifter, hard to stay on my feet, the shaking of the station, and my trembling. I dropped the rifle, now holding the pistol.
I hear the fleshy noises all around, tendrils whipping at my heals, nearer, nearer.
One strikes at me, cutting through my suit and my leg, it feels like it has formed many blade-like protrusions, probably what happened to the people in C&C. I feel the thick warm blood run down my leg from the numerous tiny wounds. It whips at me again, more slashing wounds, and more, one grabs me, I crash to the ground, my light smashing, head colliding with some unseen object, I raise the pistol, but don't know where to aim in the blackness, down towards my leg, but I can't pull the trigger, I feel the pistol slip from my trembling hand just as I feel consciousness begin to slip from me.'
The Black wraps itself tightly around my leg, quickly slithering further and further up, I feel the veins in my leg popping under the pressure, digging in with its blades, tearing into my flesh, sucking the life from me, I can sense its thoughts, I'm becoming one with it and it with me, I know what it knows, everything, everything.'

'The quaking of the station worsens further, something cracks, loud sparking, and I feel the docking bay decompressing.
I'm being drawn upwards to where ever the breech is, the black vine still holding me, but it seems to be loosing its grasp, I'm slipping from it, I'm free, flying up, and out, it's the force-field around the launch-bay doors that has gone down. I don't know how but I seem to be wearing my helmet now. Blood droplets from my wounds flying out with me, crystallising. And blood from my head welling slightly in the helmet.'

'I'm outside now, drifting away, drifting...
I can't feel my body now.
And the stars are dimming, a darkness is falling over me, I see nothing now, nothing...'

[KiwiNZ]

Heck, that was detailed

Excellent read, Crunn. That certainly makes one shiver. Kind of interesting aspect, a life form that assimilates organic matter just as much as non-organic matter. Very disturbing, too, as it leaves nowhere to hide.

Looking forward to what will be next.

[Moss]

A strange encounter indeed, and very well described. Even before that stalk popped up to take a look at him I was thinking get away from it fool I would definitly have headed for the Vulture after that

I am puzzled by his little journey into space tho, did he blackout because of loss of blood or because of the damage done to the suit leg? I dunno if these suits are self sealing, (for small punctures at least!) I guess i'll find out later if he's dead or just unconscious.

Very good read crunn.

[Al]

Good stuff. Nice to see something completely different from the other X stories.

Al

[Mercenary]

Excellent Crunn...

Though I do feel this is the end of our investogative Captain, without his helmet on I give him a zero on the probability of staying alive in the vacuum of space...

[Stormsong]

Cheers,
Jade Elf

[crunn]

I do feel this is the end of our investogative Captain, without his helmet on I give him a zero on the probability of staying alive in the vacuum of space...

Take a quick re-read of the second last paragraph.

"I don't know how but I seem to be wearing my helmet now. "

Cheers

[crunn]

Thanks everyone

And a mod too

I did sort of wonder if the mods take the time (or have the time) to read through every chapter of everyone’s stories. There do seem to be a lot of stories about these days.


Thanks again everyone.
I'm writing chapter10 as we speak, hopefully finish in a few days.

[Mercenary]

Oops missed that bit..

I do feel this is the end of our investogative Captain, without his helmet on I give him a zero on the probability of staying alive in the vacuum of space...

Take a quick re-read of the second last paragraph.

"I don't know how but I seem to be wearing my helmet now. "

Cheers

[Deleted User]

That black sticky stuff allways causes problems