Camping Ch. 5

 

Joon sprinted to the operations center. All he could think of was Maia. If they locked the complex down he might get separated from her. The thought of her vulnerable to those Sasquatch things terrified him. As he entered the room he could hear the Gate humming, louder than ever. It was open, the alarm had said. And sure enough- it was. He was momentarily stunned by whay he was seeing- he could see an alien landscape, a red desert and two moons in the sky. 

Maia was looking at him from over at her station, miming the words "what's happening?" He shrugged, gestured to the Gate, and then approached her. He could hear gunfire now inside the complex, and the techs were all scurrying to and fro, securing their equipment. He saw the security chief- Burkeson- and detoured over to him, signaling Maia to sit tight. 

"Stella is talking lockdown," he began without preamble. "It sounds like whatever these things are they're inside now. She wants all this secured." 

"Yes, I know that," Burkeson clipped back. "I have my hands full at the moment, but if it's lockdown she wants..." He gestured to hold on as he was simultaneously speaking into his earpiece. 

Joon turned back towards Maia, and that's when he saw it. A dark form- a Sasquatch- loping into the room, appearing from one of the side tunnels. How the fuck did it get here so fast? It was over by the specimen tanks. The scientist didn't even see it coming before he was hoisted up and hurled into one of the tanks. There was a crashing sound as glass sprayed everywhere, and greenish fluid poured all over the floor. Along with the partially formed thing that was in the tank.  

The place erupted, with soldiers opening fire, Burkeson issuing commands, and technicians running everywhere. There were screams and dark shapes now appearing from other tunnels. Too late, Joon realized. Too late for lockdown.

Burkeson must have disagreed because he was shouting into his mouthpiece for just that. 

Fuck it, time to get out of here. Joon grabbed Maia by the arm and they ran for the exit leading to the command area. Blast doors were closing, they were buffeted by soldiers newly arriving, and there were more Sasquatches flooding the chamber. A female tech was trampled in the process, her glasses skittering across the floor. Joon went to help her, but there were too many people, and Maia snapped "Come on!" 

They bolted into the corridor, now suffused with red light, and left the chaos behind briefly. Soldiers continued to converge on the ops center. When he got to the command room it was empty. Where were they? He pushed down panic. Maia was bleeding from a cut- where had she got that? Leaving the room, he looked both ways. 

"Come on."

He went right, thinking of heading for the tube. Where would Stella go? 

The complex was so big- even at his clearance level he didn't know the entire floorplan. There was a monorail- like tube that connected the sectors, as well as multiple entry/ exits like the camper- was Stella going to abandon the whole thing? Ot just heading to a more secure place? She wouldn't leave him... would she?