U.S.S.A Alice

Chapter 12 Memento mori

-"Everyone, we've been breached! Hold your positions!"  Tyson went over to the knocked-down marine and helped him up. "Up, on your feet soldier, you're not dying yet until they have."  The marine stood back up and thanked him.- "Tyson! We've got incoming!"  Lola shouted. I looked out the window panel and saw a horde of splinters right outside, how did they get here so quickly? We can't stay here, they would find a way to get to us. Tyson, Tobey, and Lola poked the barrels of their rifles through the polymorphic glass panel and fired into the sea of twitching corpses. -"They're coming out of the showers!"  Someone shouted, and two marines ran out covered in the viscous black fluid.- "Shit, looks like they've found another way in. Persistent fuckers." Tyson snarled. Loud slaps echoed out of the unnaturally darkened locker room. large taloned hands emerged from the growing shadow, gripping each side of the locker room entrance; all it did was point its gangly limb at us then slowly withdrew from sight.  

We all just stood there in shock at what we all saw, what the hell are these things, and how are they getting inside? A low guttural groan came from inside, everyone pointed their rifles toward the source of the sound. Several fast-moving creatures came bolting out, one jumped on the table in front of me, it was all too fast for me to react to. Gunfire boomed everywhere and I dropped to the ground to protect myself from the bullets as well as from the quadrupedal splinter that was mere feet from tearing me apart. It leaped from the table at me like a lion pouncing on its prey. Someone from behind me grabbed it as it was in the air, a piercing scream came after the sound of bones crunching as it was slammed on the table. Tyson delivered one blow with the butt of his rifle and caved its deformed skull in with several more, the contents of its head splashing out over him. - "Alice, get behind them."  He said pointing at Tobey and Lola. I rushed behind them for safety, I was defenseless against these things. It felt like this was it, everything that's happened in my life has come this, being devoured to death by the people I used to work with.      

They were finding more ways inside now, not just the showers and the vents.- "Just stay behind us, we've got you."  Lola said trying to reassure me. I could see the other security succumbing to the endless horde of splinters that were flooding in from outside, with there being over a thousand people on board, there were just too many of them for the small amount of security that was left to handle them. As we were almost engulfed in darkness, the lights powered back on, along with all the electronics in the place. A hologram appeared on the table, scaring Lola who was right next to it.- "Dios!"  Mounted guns retracted out from their wall-mounted pods and opened fire on the splinters, shredding them apart and reducing them to black stains where they stood.- "Hola, it seems you require machine assistance."   We were all too happy to see her and for the power to be back on, at least I was. I ran up to her while Tyson went to go round and help the rest of the security with the splinters. "Ah, Alice it's good to see you, what has happened?"   I wasn't sure how to tell her what's been happening for the past couple of hours.- "Ever since the artifact was activated it seems that it deactivated all the power on the ship, and turned most of the crew into...these things."  Metis had an expression that showed that something I said wasn't quite right.- "Not entirely true, I wasn't deactivated immediately when the pulse came from the artifact. Whatever shut the power and me down, disabled communications first, interestingly comms is what first came online right before I did. The only way that would be possible is if someone were to overload the power substation and have It spread to the ship's main power generator, It would seem someone restored them both." 

Her saying that came as a shock; like I needed any more of those today.- "So what you're saying is that the Umbra was sabotaged before It was activated?" - "Set up to be sabotaged as soon as It was activated? Yes." - "But who would do that?"  Metis paused for a moment.- "That's what your friend is trying to find out as well."  I was confused by whom she was talking about.- "Friend?" - "Lilith of course."  She said with a smile.- "Lilith's still alive?"  I couldn't believe it, I had to find out where she was and how she survived. "Is she somewhere safe, can we speak to her?"  She looked around the room as if she didn't want someone to hear. - "Not yet but soon, she is in the A.I core room. Lilith is about to be surrounded by them, she's going to need your help." - I faced Tyson. -"Do you know where that is?"  I noticed he wasn't paying attention to me, as if he was in a trance, I waved my hand in front of his face. - "Huh what? Oh sorry, I spaced out. The uh A.i core is on deck 27 if you're going up there. You'll need backup."  I looked around the now fully lit room, it was in shambles, corpses of the splinters, and a few guards littered the place.- "Look at this place, we can't stay here, we have to find Lilith then we can find a way to get off the Umbra." - "That would be the most prudent course of action, I can lead you all to the safest route to my location. But do be careful, I have detected several strange anomalies across the ship ever since my reactivation."- "What kind of anomalies?"  I asked inquiring as to what she meant. - "It would be best for your sanity if you did not know"