Moon Rocks, page 12
Major Atwood stepped up and said, “I have orders to clear this area.”
“Orders?” Emmett said, staring at Atwood’s crisp blue uniform. “Well, that’s fine, Captain, but like Ray just mentioned, we’ve got two men down there counting on us.”
“Major,” Atwood said, leveling his gaze at Emmett. “It’s ‘Major.’ And you are?”
“Emmett Clayton.”
Atwood gave a nod, stepped past Emmett, and moved to where the charges had been placed, studying one of the sticks of dynamite. He shone his light directly on it, seeing how it was poking out from beneath a pile of rocks. Atwood glanced from the dynamite to Emmett and asked, “Are you qualified to handle explosives, Mr. Clayton?”
Emmett was quiet. “Qualified?” he said after a long silence. “Well, I don’t got a degree in it, if that’s what you mean. But I’ve spent the better part of my life blasting salt out of this ground.”
Slade moved up, inserting himself between the major and Emmett. “Mr. Clayton owns and operates the Clayton Salt Mine, Major.” Slade motioned in the direction of the mine. “In fact, his property butts right up to this cavern.”
Chapter 33
“I wonder if that thing already ate?” Lucas said as he and Nick entered the Fortress of the Blue Giants, both of them coming to an abrupt halt just past the entrance.
The air was still freighted with silt and dust from the crumbling walls and toppled columns. The thick atmosphere diffused the beams of their flashlights and helmet lamps, making the pitch black seem even more menacing than it already was.
The chamber was still and quiet, and there was no sign of the creature.
Nick jabbed his flashlight at the dark, motioning to the place where they’d left the DoE worker. “Well, there’s only one way to find out.”
“Right,” Lucas said with zero conviction in his voice.
Nick took the lead, and with the beam of his flashlight ticking back and forth like a train’s headlight crawling through a low fog, they started into the chamber toward the slide—the place where they’d found the worker’s body—all the while keeping their eyes peeled for any sign of the creature.
Ten feet…twenty feet… Nick suddenly froze when his boot landed on a smooth object. A moment after that, the object collapsed to the floor with a loud crunching sound.
What the hell?
Nick yanked his foot back and lowered the beam of his flashlight, and there, lying on the chamber floor, shattered like a china vase, was the oil worker’s skull, the parietal bone dotted with puncture wounds. The perforations had been made by a set of razor- sharp teeth.
“Jesus Christ,” Nick shouted, reeling from the chilling sight.
The visibility was so poor that Lucas wasn’t able to see what Nick was talking about until he was practically on top of the crushed skull.
Lucas stared down in silence. “Lord,” he whispered after a short pause. “Picked clean.”
Nick took a deep breath, then exhaled, the slow, controlled stream of escaping air calming his nerves.
“Mystery solved,” Nick said. “Dinner has been served.”
Lucas nodded and began to laugh. “Reminds me of something that happened a long time ago.”
“Yeah? What’s that?”
“Years ago, working on L.A.’s Metro—the underground—me and six other sandhogs were digging a drainage tunnel off the main cut, and we got a surprise. It was wet and dark, and we were about fifty feet off the main line, when we hit a column of bricks—red bricks. Looked like someone had taken a chimney and buried it a hundred and fifty feet underground. Well, we kept digging, busting down the bricks, and pretty soon, we realized it wasn’t a chimney. It was an old well that had been lined with bricks. And sitting on the bottom next to a bucket was a human skull, the hatchet used to kill the victim still lodged in the bone.”
“Jesus,” Nick murmured. It struck him how surreal it felt to be listening to one of Lucas’s old war stories while they were in a cave, five hundred feet below the surface, with an alien creature stalking them.
“We figured the guy was murdered somewhere else and then the body was chopped up and scattered around town. One of the guys on my crew—a Korean fellow, I think—was so freaked out by the sight of the skull, he never set foot in a tunnel again.”
“I feel the guy’s pain,” Nick said. “And thank you for that uplifting little story.”
Lucas laughed. “I thought that might cheer you up.”
Nick took a breath and immediately began to cough, the hazy air clogging his lungs. Another breath, and then he remembered something. He reached down, groped at his side, clamped his hand around the oxygen mask that was clipped to his belt. Christ, why hadn’t he thought of that sooner? Both of them were carrying oxygen.
Nick removed the mask from his belt, holding it up so Lucas could see it. The mask had rubber sides and a full facemask, just like the kind firemen used when entering smoke-filled structures.
“Why the hell are we breathing this crap when we have these?”
“Right,” Lucas said, already reaching for his mask.
They opened the valves on the oxygen bottles slung on their backs and adjusted the straps of their facemasks. Both men removed their helmets, slipped the masks over their faces, and took a breath. Their faceplates immediately fogged, the humidity in the cave causing condensation to form on the inside of the lenses.
Crap!
* * * *
Back in the Ballroom chamber, Slade hovered over the trap, a skeptical look on his face as he stared down at the dynamite covered by stacks of rocks. ‘Half-assed’ is the word he was thinking as he let his eyes trace along the bundle of fuses that ran across the floor.
“What if it doesn’t work?” Slade turned from the trap and approached the others. “What if the floor doesn’t collapse? What if the creature isn’t trapped? What if it doesn’t stop that thing?’
Emmett illuminated Slade with the beam of his flashlight. “Then I guess it’s assholes and elbows up to the top.”
Slade shook his head. “That’s your plan? Run?” He stepped up to Emmett. “No offense, Mr. Clayton, but it looks like your track and field days are long behind you.”
“Don’t worry about me.”
“Fine. But what about the rest of us? There should be some sort of a backup, a Plan B.”
“Well, there’s always this.”
All heads swiveled to face Ray, who was standing next to a pile of gear holding up a couple of blocks of C-4.
“Whoa.” Emmett held up his hands. “Now, hold on there, son. No one said anything about plastic explosives. That C-4 is much more powerful than the charges I used to set the trap. It’s too risky. Not worth the chance.”
Atwood moved up to Slade, leaned in close, and said in a low voice, “We need to talk. Now.”
Atwood motioned for Slade to follow him. After they had moved a short distance away from the others he continued, “Colonel Kemp’s instructions were clear. We wait for him and his team to arrive.”
“I get it. I understand,” Slade said. “But when the colonel arrives and discovers that the Strategic Petroleum Reserve is located next door, all bets are off.”
“That doesn’t change anything; that doesn’t change my orders.”
Slade didn’t speak. He stared at Atwood, thinking about what he could say to change the major’s mind, to make him understand, to make him see what an amazing opportunity this was. They didn’t have to destroy the creature.
“We can do better than New Mexico. We can do better than what happened at Rainier Mesa. We don’t have to repeat that. There’s a good chance we could trap this thing.”
Before the major had a chance to respond, Slade switched to his most persuasive and charming voice, adding, “Listen, Major, I understand you have orders, but what if Bubba’s half-baked trap doesn’t work?” He hooked a thumb in Emmett’s direction. “What if the creature escapes before the colonel gets here?”
“That can’t happen, not if—”
“It can happen,” Slade shot back, cutting him off. “That’s what I’m trying to tell you. Listen to me. Ray’s onto something. What if we were to take the C-4 and place the charges just outside this chamber in the tunnel that leads to the surface? That way, if the first trap fails, we can seal the exit and trap the creature down here.”
Atwood shook his head. But Slade could see that he had the major thinking.
“Hell, maybe we can even capture this thing. Think about it, Major. You’ll be famous. You’ll be a part of history. And your career…the sky’s the limit. This is the opportunity of a lifetime.”
Atwood didn’t speak. “No, I have my orders,” he said after a long pause. “When those men return, whether the trap works or not, I’m getting everyone out of this cavern.”
Slade blew out a frustrated breath and in a defiant tone said, “Until Colonel Kemp arrives, I’m in charge. This is NASA business. And whatever that thing is, it’s NASA property.”
* * * *
Once their masks were cleared and working properly, Nick and Lucas moved farther into the chamber. The effectiveness of the helmet lamps and flashlight beams were halved by the thick atmosphere.
As they moved through the darkness, every few seconds a rock would break loose from the ceiling or cave wall and drop to the floor with a sharp crack, echoing through the chamber like small arms fire.
Nick drew in a lungful of fresh oxygen and said, “I don’t think this is the sort of thing you roust.”
“Right.” Lucas’s helmet bobbed up and down as he nodded in agreement. “Maybe the thing skedaddled. Maybe it moved to a lower chamber.”
“Maybe we should whistle, see if that gets its attention. How’s your whistling?”
Lucas tapped his faceplate. “Through this—not so good.”
Nick was about to suggest they try clapping, when a burst of static erupted from the radio clipped to his belt.
Both of them jumped, startled by the sound. Then a second static crash filled the chamber followed by the sound of someone keying the mike on the other end, and then Ray’s voice boomed out of the radio.
“Nick. Hey, Nick. It’s Ray. Any sign of the creature?”
Suddenly, the chamber was filled with the sound of footsteps. Horrible, pounding footsteps. They echoed through the darkness, making it impossible for Nick and Lucas to pinpoint its source.
“Oh shit!” Lucas shouted.
A moment after that, the creature shot out of the pitch black. It was right on top of them.
“Jesus,” Nick yelled, falling back, the creature’s scaly plates caught in the beam of his helmet lamp.
Lucas fought to level the shotgun. He fired. The grotesque face of the creature was illuminated by the muzzle flash, its lizard mouth flaring in the blast.
The shot went wild, striking the ceiling directly above them.
The creature lunged forward. Viscous saliva streamed from the corners of its mouth as a powerful clawed hand shot out, reaching for Nick.
A cascade of rocks, salt, and dirt rained down from where Lucas’s shot had hit.
There was a loud groaning sound, and the roof of the cave above the creature collapsed, burying the alien beneath a mound of debris, giving Nick and Lucas the chance they needed to scrabble free and run for the exit.
Behind them, the creature rose up, freeing itself from the rubble. It spun around and lunged after them, moving through the blackness at a terrible speed.
Chapter 34
In the tunnel just outside the Ballroom chamber, Slade held a flashlight for Emmett as he inserted the last of the detonators in two blocks of demolition-grade C-4.
After he was sure the charges were correctly wired, Emmett snugged them into a canvas bag and then wedged the explosives into a crack in the tunnel wall.
Then he reached into a pack slung on his shoulder and removed a remote detonation device. He checked to see that it was charged and working, flipped open a cover exposing a trigger button, and flipped the protective cover guard back over the button. As he went to return the remote to his pack, Slade reached out and grabbed it from Emmett’s hand.
“What the hell are you doing?” Emmett said, caught off-guard by Slade’s grab for the remote.
Ignoring Emmett, Slade studied the remote, turning it over in his hand, opening and closing the guard that covered the trigger.
“It’s my call on the C-4,” he said. “I decide if and when we set off the charges.”
“Okay, take it easy,” Emmett said, his eyes glued to the remote. “Be very careful with that.”
“Ya think?” Slade scoffed, then dropped the remote into his jacket pocket.
“Yes, I do.” Emmett pointed to the explosives. “And do me a favor—before you send up that C-4, make damn sure we’re all the hell out of here.”
Slade patted the pocket containing the remote. “I’m not stupid, Mr. Clayton.”
A few feet away inside the chamber, Ray almost jumped out of his skin when the radio on his side buzzed and popped, then exploded with Nick’s shouting voice.
“Set the trap! Set the trap!” Right after that, the sound of pounding footsteps echoed from out of the speaker.
Then Nick was yelling again, “It’s coming…the creature is coming!”
Ray ripped the radio off his belt, keyed the mike, and said, “Roger that. Roger that.”
Emmett bolted into the chamber with Slade in tow and shouted, “Everyone—back to the crank box!”
Slade broke away from Emmett and was the first to arrive behind the safety of the rock wall, letting his eyes fall on the crank box. Slade wanted to capture this thing, not destroy it.
A moment later, he was joined by Kylie, Ray, Major Atwood, and Emmett. Emmett was the last to arrive and stopped short of the rock wall, remaining just outside the blind.
“I’m staying out here.” He pointed to a bolder. “I’ll be behind that rock. That will give me a visual on the trap. Ray—when I yell, you crank the handle on the detonation box, just like I showed you.”
Ray dropped to the crank box, flashed a thumbs-up, and said, “I’m on it.”
“Okay, here we go.” Emmett moved to the boulder and lowered himself behind it, leaving his head exposed so he had a clear view of the trap which was lit by flashlights pointing at the exit.
The chamber fell silent. There was a long, anxious moment. Then, there was a sound of pounding footsteps, and Nick and Lucas shot into the Ballroom, oxygen masks yanked around their necks. With fierce expressions cemented on their faces, they sprinted across the trap like it was a bed of hot coals.
Right behind them, hot on their heels, the creature rushed into the chamber. It entered the edge of the trap and stopped. It lowered its head in a defensive position and then scanned the room, letting its eyes adjust to the light.
The first thing that went through Emmett’s mind as he stared at the creature standing in the cave’s opening was, The thing is fucking huge. And then he thought, And fucking scary!
The creature started to advance. Emmett snapped out of it and yelled, “Now!” just as Nick and Lucas dove to the ground.
The creature continued forward, and as it crossed the center of the trap, Ray turned the handle on the detonation box, cranking it around with such force that his wrist made a loud popping sound.
A split second later, the dynamite exploded. The chamber was filled with a concussive boom. A fountain of debris shot up from the cave floor. Rocks and chunks of salt crisscrossed through the air and hammered the chamber walls like mortar rounds.
Nick and Lucas rolled to a sitting position and saw through the smoke and dust that the creature was still there.
The trap hadn’t worked.
The floor beneath the alien’s feet hadn’t collapsed; it had only fractured into web of narrow cracks.
Momentarily staggered, the creature rose from the floor shedding rocks and debris. It regained its footing and immediately scanned the chamber, its crimson eyes locating and calculating the distance to its prey.
Emmett swore to himself and emerged from behind the boulder, all the while keeping his eyes locked on the creature. Just as he was about to yell to Nick and Lucas to get back with the others, a ghostly figure appeared out of the swirling dust.
Slade.
He stood in the middle of the chamber, staring at the creature, mesmerized by the sight of it, the remote detonator held in his hand.
He flipped open the cover exposing the trigger, raised the remote, and his thumb settled on the button.
Emmett shouted, “No!” at the top of his lungs.
But Slade’s finger was already pressing down, and a second later, the C-4 went up.
Twenty feet outside the Ballroom chamber, there was a massive explosion in the passage leading to the surface. The entire cavern shook. Three hundred feet of tunnel collapsed. A shockwave rolled through the entrance and swept through the Ballroom chamber. It was like a bomb had been dropped on them.
Kylie, Ray, and Major Atwood were thrown to the floor, their ears ringing like church bells. They all scuttled backward as the wall they had taken cover behind began to crumble.
Emmett had been knocked off his feet and tossed ten feet through the air, and was now lying facedown beneath a slide of rocks.
A short distance from Emmett, Slade rose to his knees and blinked, washing the dust from his eyes.
Farther in the chamber, Nick and Lucas coughed, trying to clear the dust from their lungs and were exchanging confused looks.
Then something caught their attention. The creature. It began to move. It took a step toward them. It was about to come for them.
Shit.
Nick spotted a stick of dynamite that had rolled free of Lucas’s pack. He scrambled over, grabbed it, turned to Lucas, and said, “You distract it with the shotgun.” He held up the dynamite. “And I’ll hit it with this.”
Lucas gave a nod and pumped four shells into the chamber of the shotgun. He reached into a pocket, held up a butane lighter, motioned to Nick, and lit the fuse.
