The Titan Mystery – Part 7

Seanna and McKinley stood there, the wild haired man grinning back at them with a devious look. The backdrop of the huge Titan behind the man it’s scale in stark contrast to any human form. He stepped forward towards McKinley as he did so Seanna raised her plasma rifle and armed it. She pointed it straight at him as she stared down the sight.

“Not aother step!” She barked at him.

“You’re not pleased to see me?” he continued to grin “McKinley, we have so much in common why is there all this distrust?”

“You’ve just killed two of my men and you’ve been giving us the run around ever since we got here and even perhaps before!” McKinley replied. Seanna wasn’t letting up, she was standing a few steps back from McKinley with their untrustworthy companion a few metres away. He took half a step closer as he raised out his hands.

“We’re the same you and I” he insisted.

“Not another inch, or so help me I swear I’ll put you down!” Seanna yelled at him, now get back!

“We’re not the same at all, I don’t recognise you at all!” McKinley told him “I’m done with you!” With that McKinley waved for Seanna to fire. For a split second the wild man’s eyes widened and he yelled as the blue bolt was unleashed from Seanna’s rifle taking down the man, pushing him back towards the edge of the platfrom. He pushed himself up, kneeling as his form began melting, disintegrating before their eyes.

“That should have taken him right down sir!” Seanna exclaimed “What in God’s name is this thing?” Seanna and McKinley watched his body melting, he looked up, his eyes no longer human as underneath was a monsterous creature with eyes far bigger than any human.

“You… will… all… die!” it’s voice grated, as he bolted forward. Again Seanna raised the rifle and leaving nothing to chance shot bolt after bolt of plasma into the monster with a final shot to the head pushing him off the platform and leaving him to fall the several kilometers to whatever was below.

Seanna and McKinley went to the side to look over the edge and see the spec vanish from sight. McKinley pushed himself back from the edge clutching his head.

“Arrrggh!” he yelled

“What is it?” Seanna was worried that something bad was happening, she dropped the rifle to help him.

“No, it’s ok, really. I’ve never looked down onto something from so high up before. Oh damn, that has really messed with my head!”

Seanna moved patted McKinley on the shoulder “You know what it is don’t you sir?” she said with a mischievious grin.

McKinley looked at her suspiciously “No, but I’m sure you’re going to tell me anyway!”

“It’s the years. You’re getting too old for all this running around!” Seanna grinned at him, half expecting him to cut her down for the remark.

“You’re not wrong there!” McKinley admitted to Seanna’s surprise “But someone needs to be here to look after the hot heads eh?” McKinley grinned back. The rest of the team were starting to filter onto the deck, unaware of what had just taken place but all of them shaken at the deaths of Person and Roberts.

Blake walked up to McKinley “What happened?”

“He killed them!” McKinley replied “But we’ve taken care of him now.” Blake nodded his understanding.

“There’s another hyperloop car on the other side of the core, it seems to lead further up the ship.” Blake was matter of fact in his information, perhaps a little more so than normal McKinley thought.

“Let’s get over there shall we?” McKinley suggested. He turned to Seanna “are you going to get dressed?” he asked his first officer.

“What for?” she asked “I can’t stand those suits they’re so heavy and I’m fine like this.”

“Fair enough” McKinley replied “I won’t argue with you. Let’s go.”  McKinley strode though the small group of people, all of them following his lead. Seanna waited behind, picking up her plasma rifle and slinging it over her soulder she followed on last. Just before she door shut behind her, she sneaked a look behind to make sure that nothing was behind her. There wasn’t, so she followed on behind.

After ten minutes they all arrived at the hyperloop car. McKinley spotted Seanna sneak in last he wandered over to her.

“We need to get some rest, we don’t know what we will find at the end of this and I’m worried that we’re all exhausted.” Seanna agreed and it was decided that the best place to rest was in the hyperloop car. McKinley reported back to the Tycho before finding his own corner and for a few hours they found places to get their much needed rest, Blake and some of the others took turns to watch out for trouble, but all seemed quiet. Four hours in and Seanna went to sit with McKinley.

“Can’t sleep?” She asked

“I got a couple of hours” he replied “I can’t shake that thing out of my head and this place. I don’t know, I’m disliking the feel of it more and more”

Seanna nodded “I feel it too and I know some of the others have been talking about it.”

“The thing is…” McKinley replied “We’re going deeper into this thing and we have nothing to tell us what’s safe and what isn’t”.

Just then the airlock to the hyperloop tunnel opened and the car started moving. In seconds they were out into the vast openess of the Titan, moving at immense speed.

“What just happened?” McKinley bellowed. The guard looked around astonished.

“Nothing sir, I was just here and the care started moving!”

McKinley looked at Seanna and out into the vast tunnel “Looks like wherever we’re going now we haven’t a lot of choice about.” McKinley was worried and this showed in his voice “Wake the team and tell them to prepare for anything!”

©Simon Farnell 2016

No ownership claimed on images

Written for Rachael Ritchey’s blog battle, this week’s there – Duplicitous.

Rules:

1. 1500 words max (effective May 2016)
2. fictional tale (or true if you really want)
3. PG (no more than PG-13) Content – let’s keep this family friendly!
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6. Post your stories on the 2nd & 4th Tuesday of the month, by 11:59 PM PST
7. Go for the entertainment value!
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