"They have their uses? Where are the security-bots now?" Yenni yelled, launching himself off the end of the counter. Gossamer wings erupted out of the long brown casings along his back, flapping wildly.
Nanuk grabbed him as he fell out of the air. "Heavy gravity, remember?"
Zach saw the door inch open under the brown bear's straining muscles. The sight of the teeth and claws combined with the huffing and growling set his heart racing.
Sasha pushed past him to follow Nanuk and Yenni. He demanded of her, "What do we do?"
"Play dead."
"That's not funny."
"I'm serious. You can't run, you can't fight. You play dead."
The bear at the door roared as it managed to get one shoulder through. Nanuk disappeared through a narrow door in the back corner of the room. Zach pushed Sasha through it.
He turned to see the bear squeeze the rest of his body through the door. Muscles rippling under its fur as it rounded a long cabinet. Zach stepped back against a tall line of cabinets.
A mesh barrier descended over the doorway. The bear crashed into it, one small point bending at the impact.
"I thought bears hibernated in winter," Zach said, trying to catch his breath.
The bear roared in fury, throwing itself at the barrier again and again. As it did, Zach spotted a spot of wetness on one shoulder. His mind flew to stories of the abilities of angry injured bears. He had to turn away to keep from getting sick. He couldn't believe he was hoping a security-bot would show up.
"They should be, but it looks sick," Sasha said, backing away even further.
"It is a young male and has no fat reserves left. It will not act like a normal bear. This is a problem," Yenni said, jumping out of Nanuk's grasp. The wings furled, rolling themselves into the protective back casings.
He bounded across the floor of a room filled with shelves, cabinets, and crates to another door. He reached up to a lower pad at the door. The door slid open half-way before stopping.
"The bear could get through that," Zach said.
"It's not intelligent enough to know to go back in the hall." Yenni looked around the edge of the opening. "No security-bots."
"That mesh door isn't going to last long," Sasha warned, joining Zach at the other door.
"Bears are not as unintelligent as you assume," Nanuk said. He squeezed through the opening, catching one of the tools against the door. With a yank he freed himself. "Remember the cabins?"
Yenni followed him out. "Fine, we need to find new shelter. Where would you suggest? The entire ship is experiencing faults."
Zach slipped into the hall, automatically searching for the security-bots, but this time wanting to see them. "How about behind a forcefield? We found one still operational not far from here."
"I don't remember the direction," Sasha said. She looked up at the ceiling as the lights blinked. "It might not be working anymore anyway."
"Parts of the ship are safer than others." Nanuk sniffed the air in both directions of the hall, "To the left. Head towards the core."
"Right. Human children, follow us." Yenni shot down the hall, galloping on all fours. "We might need something to distract the bear."
"That isn't funny," Zach yelled after him.
"He was joking," Nanuk said at them before following Yenni.
Zach gave Sasha a worried glance. "I'm not sure he was joking."
A crash and the sound of breaking metal echoed out of the supply room. Sasha grabbed his hand and tugged. "Anywhere is better than here right now."
Yenni and Nanuk had a head-start, and Zach found himself having trouble keeping up. Once again he cursed the bunny boots. He knew it. He knew boots that had such a stupid name would be trouble.
At first he thought they might have gotten away. No noises coming from behind them.
Nanuk stopped at a turn, gesturing them forward, "Hurry!"
Zach followed Sasha around the corner, chasing after Yenni's four-legged running form. Zach looked back to find Nanuk running after them on two legs, and the grizzly turning the corner behind them.
Nanuk came to a halt near a panel in the wall, yanking it open with such force that it hit the wall on the other side of the hall.
Zach slid to a stop, shouting, "Keep running!"
Nanuk pulled out a short stubby weapon ending in the same bulb and short tube of the Security-bot's weapon. He brought it to his shoulder and turned towards the bear.
A loud zap echoed down the hall, the weapon kicking back against Nanuk's shoulder. A bright yellow light burst forth, striking the bear at the shoulder.
Bits of fur flew into the air as part of the bear completely disappeared.
"Eww," Sasha moaned.
Zach leaned against the wall, trying to get his breathing under control, turning away from what remained of the bear. Nanuk closed the wall panel and walked to them, lowering the tip to the floor.
"I'm glad you know how to use those things," Yenni said, running back to them.
"Disgusting device. I have no pleasure in the knowing. The Admiral won't be pleased it was used by a civilian," Nanuk said, shaking his head as he rejoined them. "But then, we are already in a lot of trouble."
"Why should you be in trouble? It's not your fault the bear attacked," Zach said.
Nanuk looked straight at him, "Why do you think? The bear wasn't the only thing that doesn't belong on this ship."
Zach frowned, biting back the question he wanted to ask next. Not with Nanuk glaring down at him like it was all his fault.
"Question is, how did the bear get inside?" Sasha said. "The same way we did? Dropped down through the snow when the ground opened up? If so, what else could be down here?"
"With the systems not working in this area, it would be impossible for us to know," Yenni said. He sat back on his haunches, looking at first one and the other. "You do need to be returned to the surface. You do not belong here."
"We couldn't agree more," Zach said, finding his voice. "Let's just be clear that we did not do this on purpose."
A series of howls echoed through the halls. The howls rose higher in octave, weaving in and out with each other.
"Wolves," Zach and Sasha said together.
Zach groaned. Great, what else could go wrong?
Yenni put his paws on his knees and scowled down the hall, "What is this place? A zoo?"
"No time for discussion," Nanuk said. He tightened his grip on the weapon and led the way down the halls as the lights above them blinked. "Follow me."
The halls noticeably curved as they quietly followed. Zach guessed they were getting closer to the core of the ship, making him wonder if they were dealing with a saucer-shaped ship. Like the flying sauces UFO enthusiasts claimed to have seen?
The possibility of the ship being a way to explain the phenomenon did little to help him ignore the approaching wolves behind them. Very vocal wolves.
"How can they be such good hunters when they are so noisy," Zach complained.
"They are upset and lost. It's how they communicate," Sasha said.
"I've heard wolves rarely attack humans," Zach said. And he hoped it was true.
"Does that include those of us who are not human?" Yenni asked. He turned back down the hall. "I'm not willing to stay to find out."
Zach looked down the halls at a juncture. With the echoes he couldn't tell what direction they were coming from or if they were getting closer or further away.
Nanuk put a hand on his back and guided him forward. "Now is not the time to delay."
"You know, without all the animals and robots running around I would be fascinated by this place," Zach said quietly, picking up his pace.
Nanuk nodded his head, "Of course. You have the heart of a scientist."
The lights blinked and a voice said, "Section three power has been restored."
"Change of direction!" Nanuk shouted out at Yenni and Sasha, pushing Zach down a side corridor.
As Zach turned to see if the two were following he spotted a flash of a gray and white body at the end of the corridor. The bright yellow eyes of a wolf stared back at him. Another wolf joined the first.
Zach made himself turn away, hurrying after Nanuk just barely under a run. Nanuk stood at the middle of the hall. He waved them all past before touching a large pad several times. A transparent sparkling falling curtain appeared across the hall.
The wolves wove back and forth towards them, as if deciding if it was worth coming after them. Zach couldn't help stepping backwards. He didn't like getting looked at so impersonally, as if he were nothing more than a piece of meat.
"Don't be so fearful, human," Yenni said. "The field is strong enough to withstand a plasma cannon blast."
The lights blinked, and with it the curtain faded. Zach looked it over. "It's no good if the power goes out."
The wolves looked at the ceiling, their bodies tensing. The bigger dark gray one regarded them once more before bounding back to its pack at the end of the corridor.
Nanuk touched the pad again, saying, "Isolate deck sixteen. Native life-forms are on the deck."
A light on the pad switched on and someone demanded, "Did you bring something on this ship?"
"No sir, this is none of our doing. Activate all containment fields possible. You don't want this spreading to other decks," Nanuk said. He tapped the pad and turned towards them. "I knew we were going to get blamed for this."