U-10

Roadkill and Psycho injected Sasquatch with morphine and started wrapping his injured arms with field dressings. The muscles and sinews in his forearms were turning a nasty purple where the Cruneval Insecta-human had grabbed him.

They were engrossed with his care when they heard the electronic phyzz of one of the alien weapons.

“Watch out!” Ty yelled, as Wraith fired another shot.

From out of nowhere, Cruneval dived on them like an angry wasp protecting its nest. Koritt threw himself at Ty and Wraith, bowling them over and out of the way just as Cruneval swept over them. Lincoln tried to grab the fluttering wings, but they were like trying to touch a hummingbird. Psycho dove into a roll and managed to fire a couple of random bursts from his iridescent gun before Cruneval darted by him and seized Sasquatch.

Befuddled by the morphine and unable to defend himself with his injured arms, Sasquatch roared his anger as he was lifted, thrashing and kicking, into the air. Despite his size and weight, Cruneval had no trouble handling him.

Psycho was preparing to fire again when Roadkill grabbed the tip of his gun and pushed it aside. “You might hit Sasquatch. It’s too risky.”

“Are you kidding me?” Psycho shouted, ripping the gun out of Roadkill’s hand. “He’s as good as dead if we don’t do something.”

At that moment, Sasquatch screamed. It wasn’t a scream of anger. It was more a sound of disbelief. Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared. As Cruneval cleared the tree tops, he dropped Sasquatch. The fall was at least 30 meters. Sasquatch hit the ground and didn’t move.

“No”, Ty yelled and started running.

Psycho moved to follow him, but Roadkill seized him. Lincoln tackled Ty as he ran past her.

“No,” she yelled. “There’s nothing you can do for him. If you go, Cruneval will attack and do the same thing to you. We’ve got to stay together.”

Ty struggled to shake her off, but she was too strong. As his mind calmed, he stopped fighting and stared at Sasquatch’s body with a sullen, hate-filled look.

Psycho, with a look of frustration, shrugged off Roadkill’s grip, took off his pack and pulled out the remaining ingots of annihilation produced by the U-10.

“These will toast that SOB. Everyone get close to me,” Psycho growled.

“How powerful are they?” Ty asked.

“Enough,” Psycho snarled as he stabbed the green buttons on all three devices.

Roadkill nodded in solemn silence as he recalled the sweeping light curtain exterminating all life in its path.

“The device is not going to work,” Koritt warned. “It’s programmed to ignore my species.”

“Just shut your insect mouth,” Psycho snapped. “If it wasn’t for your species experimenting on us, we wouldn’t even be here. And that thing out there is still part Human!”

“How do they work?” Wraith asked, trying to distract Psycho.

“Don’t cross the lines of light,” Psycho said as he focused again on arranging the light arrows. One line faced the trees, the other two faced to the right and left.

“Make sure none of the arrows are pointed toward Elvis,” Roadkill warned.

“Don’t worry,” Psycho said as he pushed the red buttons on each device. “Just keep that cricket away from me,” he warned, glaring at Koritt.

As before, curtains of white light, ten meters tall, flashed into existence. It was like being in a three-sided box. The light curtains were several hundred meters wide on either side of the ingots and danced and wavered like candle flames. The curtains began moving away from them, gathering speed. The one pointed at the tree line swept through the trees. Looking for a telltale orange flicker, Psycho and Roadkill held their breaths.

Everyone heard the screaming roar before they saw a flicker. Psycho whooped and threw his fists in the air.

“Gotcha!” he shouted and grabbed Roadkill, jumping up and down.

A smile of hope was beginning to creep onto Ty’s face when a new roar, angry and gurgling, sounded from the distance.

“I think you’ve pissed him off,” Lincoln whispered.

***

Cruneval grinned as he thought about dropping Sasquatch.

The muted thump as the man’s body hit the ground was quite satisfying, and he wanted more of that feeling. Somehow, the development of wings had augmented his strength and made him more aggressive. His urge to kill seemed to be growing.

For a moment, a look of puzzlement ghosted across his face as he considered the changes in his thought patterns in the last couple of hours. In the past, he channeled his aggression through his team of investigators. Now he wanted to be part of the action.

Something like a whisper in his mind said, “No one can do a better job than you. No one. Killing Humans is the right thing to do.”

Cruneval’s face cleared and he nodded, “Yes, I am the most qualified to end the U-10 threat. Time for action.”

His wings began thrumming, and he started to rise into the air when he saw a flash of white light filtering through the tree line. It came toward him fast, outlining bushes and tall grass mounds that dotted the meadow where he stood.

Something in his mind screamed danger, and he started to dart upwards. All he had to do was clear the top of the sheet of light barreling at him. He almost made it. Almost.

The curtain struck him and burned. Excruciating pain enveloped him, and he dropped to the ground, screaming in agony. He was being burned alive, and his skin and muscles evaporated in orange-yellow flickers like the burning sparks floating into the air from a campfire. Panic overwhelmed him, and he fell into a fetal position, still screaming at the top of his voice.

Something inside him reacted. It felt like ants were running through his blood vessels. He began itching all over, but the pain of the burns was so great, he dared not move. Cruneval imagined rubber cement oozing from his bones, mixing with his charred flesh and coating him like a wetsuit on a deep sea diver. The pain began easing.

A voice murmured in his mind, urging him to move, to stand up. The pain was gone, and Cruneval opened his eyes. The tall grass and tree line looked normal. Staring at his arms, Cruneval gasped. His skin had been replaced with dark chitin. His arms, legs and chest were all the same. Tapping his arm caused a clicking sound. He didn’t feel the touch but heard the tap. It dawned on him to check his face. Rubbing his chin with his clawed fingers, he felt a hard covering over his lips. His fingers felt rope-like growths sprouting from the corners of his mouth, and fear clutched his heart. Feeling his scalp, his fingers slid over a smooth, hard surface until they bumped into horn-like growths protruding from his forehead.

Pulling the end of one down where he could look at it, he saw a dark and flexible rope-like antenna. As he studied it, he realized he was sensing temperature differences around him. Concentrating on the sensation, he got the impression something was moving in the ground beneath his feet. Bending down, he dug into the soil and found an earthworm. Popping the squirming worm into his mouth and savoring the flavor, Cruneval smiled.

Jumping to his feet, his clothes fell to the ground, ripped to shreds by the metamorphosis that had engulfed him. He was now the full embodiment of Cruneval Insecta, and he roared with both pleasure and despair. Time to take revenge on those who had condemned him to permanent Insecta form and at the same time given him powers reserved only for gods.

***

The only satellite feed with any SEED activity was the one earmarked for the Seeker. Entering the special access codes for contact with the aircraft, Thann breathed a sigh of relief when the link was established.

“Seeker Code scramble ENV hyphen 9642”, a computerized voice said.

“Thann, Kristan. Code random 9642 hyphen ENV,” Thann replied.

There was a click and radio silence for the prescribed five seconds required by the SEED security protocols.

At last, a human voice said, “Security protocols and voice print analysis confirmed. Agent Thann, what is your location?”

“Andrews Base in Washington. Send someone in a chopper to pick up Agent Turner and me. We need to see Director Cruneval ASAP,” Thann replied.

“Not possible,” a new voice said. “This is Jacob, Kristan. Director Cruneval is not available. He is on the ground at SEED Headquarters fighting the aliens.”

“Jacob, I don’t understand,” Thann replied.

The soft tone in her voice got Turner’s attention. Matthews was the Commander of the mercenaries assigned to SEED. Thann always left the impression she was male intolerant but maybe that was only for show.

“What’s going on? Tell me,” Thann asked.

Again, her voice was low and pleading. She became aware of the look on Turner’s face and glared at him.

“I really hate that smug smile of his,” she thought as Turner nodded at her and his grin widened.

“Hard to explain. He’s changed - physically. You have to see it to believe it. Just stay where you are. It’s not safe here,” Matthews said.

Turner couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Reaching past Thann and stabbing the transmit button, he said, “Matthews, I don’t know what your problem is, and I don’t care. As your superior officer, I am commanding you to send a chopper to pick us up.”

Matthew’s reply was stunning.

“No, Sir. We are under attack by hostile aliens. The Seeker has lost part of its invisibility cloak. Our ground force has been eliminated. Even if I could send something to pick you up, there’s no way to get you onboard the Seeker.”

“Jacob, are you all right?” Kristan asked.

“For now, yes. We’ve thrown everything we have at the aliens without success. The only heavy weapon left is the MOAB. It’s being prepped and will be ready for deployment in a few,” Matthews replied.

“Wait a minute,” Turner said. “You said aliens. There’s only one.”

“Wrong,” Matthews replied. “Director Cruneval told everyone Headquarters was overrun by aliens trying to rescue the ones we captured. He was lucky to kill a few of them before managing to escape.”

Turner looked at Thann and raised his eyebrows. Thann knew what he meant.

“Where’s Muriak?” Turner demanded. “He’ll know what happened.”

“Muriak is dead,” Matthews replied. “Killed with the rest of the ground troops.”

“You mean to tell me that Director Cruneval was the only survivor of an attack on the SEED building?” Turner asked.

“Confirmed,” Matthews replied. “And it gets weirder. Cruneval has shrunk by at least forty-five kilograms, has a full head of curly, dark hair, and tells Collins and me he has discovered the Fountain of Youth. He jumped out of the Seeker wearing a Wingsuit to go attack the aliens.”

Turner and Thann were speechless. Their whole world view was changing. They needed time to process.

“Jacob, maintain this link and see if you can get Communications to provide a video-feed as well,” Thann said.

“Confirmed.”

“And Jacob,” Thann added.

“Yes?”

“Take care of yourself.”

Snapping off the voice feed, Thann noticed the look on Turner’s face and demanded, “Wipe than smug look off your face before I do it for you.”

“Is it just me, or does it sound like Cruneval is off the rails?” Turner asked.

Thann nodded.

***

Lincoln started walking toward the tree line. She looked both resigned and determined.

Ty tried to stop her, but she twisted free of his grasp and pushed him away.

“I’m the only one able to deal with him now,” she said. “He’s too powerful and unpredictable for you.”

“We’ve got the U-10,” Ty said. “You don’t have to do anything.”

“And what if it doesn’t work? Once and done is an invitation for disaster. At least my changes are permanent.”

“What if they’re not?” Ty asked.

His question rattled her. Everything else the U-10 produced stopped working. Even the translator tabs had been eliminated by her body’s immune system. At this very moment, all her unique gifts could be fading away.

Pushing aside a sudden feeling of impending doom, Lincoln straightened her back and said, “If they’re not permanent, then neither are Cruneval’s. Maybe fighting him will accelerate his rate of decline, and you can finish him off. All I know is I’m going to face him, alone, and you can’t stop me. Don’t even try.”

Ty’s face turned serious, and he grasped Lincoln and kissed her. Lincoln was surprised, but the kiss was something she’d longed for, and she returned it.

Time melted away until they heard Koritt say, “I knew they were a breeding pair.”

Ty pulled away from Lincoln and stared at Koritt. Roadkill and Psycho were nodding their agreement. Wraith didn’t look happy.

“Your powers of observation never cease to amaze.”

“I know,” Koritt replied. “Years of study combined with meticulous field work are invaluable . . .”

Ty missed the last of whatever Koritt said. He was too involved with kissing Lincoln to care.

***

Lincoln entered the tree line and crept toward the meadow where she’d heard Cruneval’s angry scream.

Ty had relented, and let her go. He couldn’t stop her physically but had almost persuaded her, with a simple display of affection, not to leave him. She could still feel his lips on hers and fought an urge to go back to him.

Her attention snapped into focus as she spotted a dark, winged figure standing in the open, gesturing for her to come closer. It looked like a shorter version of Koritt, only it sported wings that reminded her of a dragonfly.

The transparent wing membranes were stretched across a dark, web-like framework and glistened in the sunlight. Above the goggle-shaped eyes, two antennas sprouted from the thing’s forehead. Mandibles, like long, handlebar mustaches, hung from the corners of a lipless mouth.

As she got closer to Cruneval Insecta, she noticed a musty, mildew-like smell. The odor reminded her of the smell of wet towels molding after days in a clothes hamper.

“To think I used to be like you,” Cruneval Insecta said. His voice was more chirps and whistles than Human, but she understood his words. Speaking like a Human had to be difficult when your tongue was replaced with a siphon-like tube. She almost admired his effort to speak in an intelligent way.

“You don’t look so good,” Lincoln said. “Sort of a cross between a gargoyle and a fruit fly.”

The insult caused the antennas to stiffen, and Lincoln suppressed a smile. Cruneval’s tender ego could be bruised.

“I’d say more superior in every way compared to a Human,” Cruneval replied. “Ten times stronger, ability to fly, bulletproof. . . ”

“Yeah, I just thought of a nickname for you. Ole Whistle-Tongue. Catchy, don’t you think?” Lincoln said.

The insult had its intended effect. The antennas stiffened until they were rigid spikes sticking out of his forehead. A venomous hiss issued from somewhere between the mandibles.

Moving fast, Lincoln reached behind her and pulled two guns from the holsters tied on her back. One was an iridescent alien weapon, the other a Glock 45. Both weapons fired. The bullet hit the center of Cruneval Insecta’s eye goggles and ricocheted. The energy bolt phyzzed into his upper shoulder, leaving a blackened hole that oozed a yellowish, syrupy pus.

Pausing to wipe his eyes, Cruneval leered. The bullet hadn’t even left a mark. He began rolling his wounded shoulder, and the unpleasant goo began flowing back into the burn hole. The exoskeleton reformed, and the injury disappeared.

Throwing the useless Glock aside, Lincoln grasped the alien weapon with both hands and started shooting as fast as she could pull the trigger. Multiple energy bolts struck Cruneval Insecta, each one jarring him and burning holes in his thorax and abdomen. All at once the gun stopped firing, and Lincoln realized she had exhausted its charge. Every hole she burned through him healed. The rate of repair seemed to slow down, and the last injuries left visible scars, but otherwise Cruneval Insecta didn’t act like he suffered any impairment.

He chittered, crouched and jumped at her. Lincoln expected the move, but his speed was astonishing. She hadn’t considered the incremental effect of his wings. Their push accelerated him far beyond the mere power of his legs. She just had time to throw her arms up in defense.

One of his fingers slashed her cheek, and she struggled to protect her face as Cruneval concentrated on her eyes. It dawned on her he was trying to blind her. His singular focus opened new avenues of attack, and she kicked his stomach as hard as she could. Her big toe broke from the impact, but she felt it penetrate his abdomen exoskeleton with a loud crack.

Howling in pain, Cruneval threw her away from him and ran his palm over the puncture. Lincoln was elated she’d been able to hurt him, but her glee turned to horror as the fracture disappeared. The only indication her kick had landed was a discolored indentation where her toe had penetrated his exoskeleton.

Cruneval watched his nanobots repair the injury and felt his pain disappear. Looking at Lincoln, he grinned and strutted toward her, thumping his thorax - daring her to kick him again if she could.

Lincoln looked around for anything she could use as a weapon. Nothing presented itself, and she cursed the efficiency of the groundskeepers. It occurred to her that Cruneval Insecta’s movements were stiff. His exoskeleton, while a formidable defense, hindered his range of motion. Deciding to use her flexibility to full advantage, she leaped and landed on his shoulders. Shoving her legs between his wings and back, she arched backwards. Her legs became a vise clamped to his wings in such a way they could no longer flutter.

Cruneval Insecta tried to grab her, but his arm and shoulder joints wouldn’t flex enough to reach her. Roaring his anger, Cruneval dropped to the ground and began trying to buck her off his back like a rodeo bull. In an effort to hang on, Lincoln grabbed his antennas. At last, Cruneval bucked so hard, he threw Lincoln off his back. Landing with a roll, she realized she was still holding an antenna in each hand. A disgusting brown liquid oozed out of the ends where they tore out of Cruneval’s head. Throwing them aside, she glared at him.

Where the antennas had torn away, brown liquid streamed down the sides of his face. They weren’t healing! Hope swelled in her chest. Maybe his nanobots had reached the end of their effectiveness.

Distracted by her thoughts, Lincoln wasn’t prepared for the swift counterattack. Arms spread wide, Cruneval charged, and bowled her over. Sitting on her chest and pinning her arms with his legs as he had done with Fisheye, he shoved his face so close to her she could feel his breath. His tube-like tongue extended from his mouth and caressed her cheek.

“I’ve got you now,” he hissed.

***

Ty tore his thoughts away from Lincoln.

“Koritt,” Ty said. “I need something, anything that can hurt or cripple that Cruneval thing.”

Fishing through the available cards, Koritt selected one and passed it to Ty.

“What is it?” Ty asked as he shoved the card into the U-10 slot and felt the bag stir.

“The Cutter is an interesting combination of offensive and defensive functionalities. At the very least, it should distract Cruneval.

Reaching into the bag, Ty pulled out six, white silicon wristlets. One of the wristlets had a metallic disc insert with a pinhole next to a button.

“Explain,” Ty demanded as he handed the wristlets to Koritt.

“Put these on,” Koritt said as he handed them out. The one with the pinhole and button he gave to Ty.

“These are motion dampeners. The Cutters home in on any movement or sound they detect. You don’t want to be out in the open without the wristlets for protection. Once activated, the Cutters seek and destroy. Their AI functions ignore plant-based life.”

“How will a few fancy drones hurt him?” Psycho asked. “Your light curtain didn’t so much as tickle the jerk.”

“A Cutter has five propellers, four on top and one larger one below. The propeller blades are made from the hardest substance known to our science.”

“Seems kinda mundane if you ask me,” Psycho said. “Unless they shoot laser beams or something, a blanket could stop them.”

“How do I work it?” Ty asked. “Psycho can find his blankie while you show me.”

“Push the button once. A green light will appear in the pinhole. The Cutters will activate and go through orientation for the seek functions. Wait a moment. Then press the button again. A red light will appear in the pinhole, activating the destroy functions. Push the button a third time to deactivate.”

From beyond the tree line, they heard a gunshot and multiple phyzz blasts from an alien gun followed by a guttural roar.

“I think Frost bit off more than she can chew,” Wraith murmured.

With a worried look, Ty pushed the button.

The U-10 swelled and for the first time, a pulsing light glowed within it. With a sound like a cough, it gaped open, and a swarm of buzzing drones flew out of it. They ranged in size from a pie plate down to a silver dollar. There were at least fifty of them, but their number was hard to determine because they flew in random patterns, crisscrossing and weaving like a murmuration of starlings. Each Cutter had two bulb-shaped, camera eyes that rotated as if searching for something. The hundreds of whirring propellers generated an ear-splitting hum.

Wraith crouched and glanced at her wristlet. It was emitting a soft, white glow.

Roadkill gasped, and Psycho said, “Damn!”

The Cutters stopped their gyrations and dove at them. They outlined their bodies, a hands-width away, and hovered.

“Don’t speak!” Koritt hissed. “Stay still.”

Several of the Cutters dove toward the sound of Koritt’s voice. Putting his finger to his lips like an angry librarian, Koritt shook his head. Psycho and Roadkill, eyes wide, nodded and didn’t utter another sound.

Another roar rumbled from beyond the tree line, and Ty pushed the button a second time. Like a living organism, the swarm of Cutters rose into the sky and darted toward the sound.

“What about Lincoln. She doesn’t have a wrist protector,” Ty whispered.

“Too late,” Koritt replied.

***

Frost squirmed, trying her best to struggle free of Cruneval’s grasp.

Her nanobots had given her strength that would put the world’s strongest man to shame, but Cruneval was full Insecta now. He overpowered her. She felt his abdomen glide down her stomach and realized he was preparing to sting her.

A grin widened across his dark lips and his mandibles curled toward her like prehensile snakes. Lincoln panicked and screamed. She fought in desperation as blind, claustrophobic fear overwhelmed her rational brain. Despite her newfound strength, she was helpless. Cruneval roared with laughter and clubbed her senseless.

“No one is here to save you. My stinger won’t be cut off this time,” he growled.

Something whizzed by his face and one of his mandibles fell off. Startled by the unexpected interruption, Cruneval looked up.

A black, swirling cloud engulfed him. Swinging his arms about, he tried to hit the swarming things, but they dodged his movements and bit at him like a school of attacking piranhas. His vision grew cloudy as the lens covering his eyes were scratched, and he discovered his body wasn’t invulnerable. Pain knifed through him and became intense. His thorax turned into a sheet of yellowish pus that dribbled from hundreds of slices in his exoskeleton.

He tried to lash out at the flying discs, but his left arm had been reduced to a stub. The rest of it had been chipped away by the relentless swarm. As he watched in horror, his right arm fell off. He tried to fly away from the discs, but when he flapped his wings, they collapsed in a shower of glistening shards.

Jumping off Lincoln’s body, Cruneval stumbled across the meadow. The Cutters followed him, nicking chunks out of his legs. Unable to maintain his balance and weak from loss of fluids, Cruneval fell into an inert heap. No longer sensing movement, the Cutters resumed their starling-like murmuration.

***

Ty activated his comm and said, “Hashtag, open the ramp. We’re coming aboard.”

Without waiting on the others, Ty dashed toward Elvis.

“Is it safe to move?” Psycho asked as Wraith trotted past him. He hadn’t so much as twitched since Ty sent the Cutters flying toward the tree line.

When no one answered him, he realized Roadkill and Koritt had already followed Wraith. Glancing about for any signs of a Cutter, Psycho grimaced and sprinted after them. The ramp was beginning to close when he scrambled onto it.

Ty was yelling as he ran toward the flight deck. “Elvis, lift off. Get us over the trees now. Locate Lincoln.”

Glancing at his wristlet, Ty saw the blinking red light and made a decision. Stabbing the button for the third time, he deactivated the Cutters. All the wristlets stopped glowing, and he threw his aside.

***

Hashtag was studying the main view screen when Ty ran into the cockpit.

Turning to acknowledge him, Hashtag said, “Looks like the Cutters took care of Cruneval. We’ll know for sure in a moment.”

“Any sign of Lincoln?”

“Once Cruneval knocked her down, I lost her in the tall grass,” Hashtag replied.

Elvis cleared the tree line and Ty pointed, “There she is. Land close to her, Elvis.”

“I would suggest you hurry,” Elvis said. “Cruneval’s nanobots are making repairs to the injuries inflicted by the Cutters.”

Glancing at Cruneval Insecta, Ty saw legs and arms beginning to reform. Squirming and pulsing, the limbs looked more like earthworms than exoskeleton.

“Crap, he’s still alive,” Ty growled as he ran toward the cargo bay.

***

Bursting into the cargo bay, Ty said, “Wraith, you, Roadkill and Psycho grab some alien guns. You’re going to have to keep Cruneval off me while I get Lincoln.”

“You mean he survived the Cutters?” Koritt asked.

“Looks like,” Ty said as he pounded the activator to open the ramp.

“Stay close to Elvis,” he warned as he scampered down the ramp. “Keep Cruneval away from me and nowhere near the ship. The moment I get Lincoln onboard, take off.”

Running to Lincoln, Ty tried to find any sign she was still alive. Putting his ear against her chest, he heard a faint heartbeat. Gathering her in his arms, he stood and looked toward Cruneval.

Just then, multiple shots were fired from the alien weapons. Turf and dirt clods flew into the air where the shots landed. A cold shiver ran down Ty’s spine as he saw the destruction headed his way.

His worst fears were confirmed by Wraith’s shout, “RUN!”