Skullker growled in frustration as he limped down the hall. His burned hand throbbed angrily and his skin felt hot and tight from the Halpha's attack.
Guess the little monster does have some fight in him, he thought grudgingly.
It wouldn't matter though. He would be ready for the boy next time and the old man was too hurt to help. His twisted smile gleamed in the starlight.
Their time was running out.
The dimly lit hallways stretched past him as he made his way back to the entrance. The auxiliary power had kicked in to sustain life support and artificial gravity, but the lights remained off. He continued his methodical way forward, tracking the traces of scent on the air.
Skullker finally stopped at the entrance to a solid metal door. He took a deep breath through the nose, sifting the air carefully.
Yes. There were Halphas in there. Many of them. The door handle was coated in layer upon layer of distinctive smells. They were fresh, barely an hour old.
His mechanical eye focused in on the door, trying to see through it. But the cold, thick metal was heavily protected. He alternated between infrared, ultraviolet, and x-ray, but was still unable to see inside.
No matter. He lifted his weapon and prepared it for steel cutting.
............................................................................................................................................................
"Do you think Vlad is alright? He must have made it to his blood stores by now."
"Yeah... Yeah I'm sure he's fine."
"How come the lights are still out?"
"I'm getting cold."
Jax'i listened to the quiet murmur in worried silence. The darkness of the memory room was starting to grow. The dropping temperature was causing the few glowing plants to dim, so the only light source was coming from the few Halphas who could sustain of constant glow.
He was one of them.
As the speculations and worries of the others began to grow, he felt a pressure begin to build in his chest. Vlad had left him in charge. He was supposed to be doing something more than just sit here.
But as he imagined leaving the safety of the room and facing a trained killer, a sharp chill raced down his spine. A flash of memory reminded him of how useless he had been against the bounty hunter attack. A cold certainty gripped him as the Halphas huddled together.
They could all die here tonight.
He gave a little shiver at the thought and tried to think about something else. He closed his eyes for a moment and just listened to the conversations of the others.
"Can you hear anything?" someone whispered.
"No, the door's too thick. I hope we're not in here for much longer."
"I want to go to bed!" a young voice sniffled. "When is Vlad getting back?"
"Can't be too much longer."
A sharp clang echoed from the metal door, sending a wave of silence through the group.
Jax'i leapt to his feet, his glow surging to illuminate the room. The eyes of every Halpha were locked onto the faint outline of the door.
No one moved. No one even breathed.
Then a hot, orange glow began to shine through the darkness. The sharp smell of melting metal began to fill Jax'i's lungs.
"D'yani, Maesk, Sta'a, get to the back of the room," he whispered tightly, hands clenched to hide the tremble. "Everyone else with combat training, follow me."
YOU ARE READING
Split Between Stars
Science Fiction(Sequel to Half Life) Danny has lived his whole life thinking he was the sole survivor of Halpha's destruction. Space Corps has hunted him and his kind for years, making it almost impossible to survive. But after being saved from their clutches at...
