A subterranean shudder ran through the derelict ship and Ryann turned to Eve in alarm.
“It feels like the ship is waking up,” she breathed nervously.
“What the hell does that mean?”
Grayell’s rough voice behind them made Ryann look around with a start. He was crouching in cover a little way off, and Ryann was surprised at how his father had moved so quietly in the heavy bulk of his armour.
“Eve said that the Hive Queen is pouring energy into the ship, even though it’s practically dead. She’s trying to keep it alive,” murmured Ryann as another boom rang out in the distance, only to be quickly followed by another. Grayell shot Eve a look of barely-concealed contempt.
“Is that true? Can she do that?” he demanded.
Eve shrugged nervously.
Grayell cursed and brought up a schematic on the display of his wrist-pack, studying it in concern.
“We’ve still got a way to go before we make it to the extraction point. Almost an hour if —”
His voice was cut off as a loud crash echoed across the hall. With a screech of metal, they watched in alarm as the blast door that they were making for slid closed.
“Beck, Maguire! Back here quick!” hissed Grayell, raising his rifle as he scanned the dark corners of the hall. “Everyone, back into the corridor!”
He pulled Ryann up to his feet and they ran for the door through which they had entered, Eve following close behind. To his horror, Ryann heard the boom of the blast door as it began to slide shut.
Five of the six team members, plus Ryann and Angelique made it back into the corridor, slipping through the narrow gap as the heavy door was closing. But to their dismay, Maguire, the solider that had been at the head of the group wasn’t quick enough.
They had a brief glimpse of the man through the gap before the door slid shut with a hollow boom.
The team waited in nervous anticipation as the sound echoed off into silence.
“Aw spatz!” cursed Grayell, striding up to the blast door and kicking it angrily. “Beck, see if you can get this open! Maguire, do you read me? Just hang tight and we’ll get to you. Maguire? Can you hear me?”
He sprang back in alarm as a sudden flash of electricity played out over the blast door. Ryann shielded his eyes from the glare.
As the sparks coruscated up and down the walls the sound of gunfire broke out beyond the door.
“Maguire! Maguire, what’s going on in there? Do you read me?” called Grayell into his comms.
And then the gunfire suddenly ceased and a chill scream rang out, a terrible wail of agony that seemed to drag on and on before being abruptly cut off.
The light went out in an instant and all was deathly silent.
Ryann looked to his father in disbelief and then turned back to the doorway. Where its surface had been blackened and scorched a moment before, now the door was pristine, as though it had been newly constructed.
“What the hell is this place?” Ryann heard Beck murmur.
The group took a step back in alarm as the door slid open with a soft hiss.
A little way off lay Maguire. His armoured suit was scorched, and wisps of smoke curled lazily around as it cooled.
For a moment, they all stood looking on in horror.
Grayell was the first to move. He ran forward, turning Maguire’s body over in his arms. But it was no use, it was obvious that they were too late.
As Ryann cautiously entered the hall, the far door slid ominously open. He raised his rifle but the corridor beyond was empty.
“What killed him?” asked Eve quietly, looking down at the spend bullet cases that lay all around Maguire’s body.
“Looks like he loosed off a couple of mags and hit nothing,” murmured Ryann.
“Collect up any extra ammo you can carry,” called Grayell, his voice shaking. “We’re going to need everything we’ve got.”
He pulled himself up to his feet and headed for the door, muttering, “We need to keep moving.”
“We can’t leave him behind sir,” croaked Dane.
“You know the terrain we had to traverse to get here,” replied Grayell in a leaden voice. “There’s no way we can carry him back down to the extraction point. I’m sorry. Now stock up on what you can. Beck, you’re on point.”
Ryann stepped forward hesitantly, reaching down for Maguire’s backpack.
“Leave that,” came a gruff voice from beside him as one of the soldiers, Garcia, pushed past him. “You don’t get nothing of his.”
He gave Ryann a look of barely-concealed contempt before kneeling down beside Maguire’s body. He began to carefully remove the magazines from the dead man’s ammo pouches.
“We should never have been in this madhouse in the first place if it weren’t for you,” Ryann heard Garcia curse under his breath. “It’s your fault Maguire’s dead.”
Ryann went to speak, but then turned his face away. The rest of the team were all looking accusingly towards him. He glanced across to his father who had stopped by the doorway. For a second he thought he caught that same look in the old man’s eye.
“Beck!” called out his father at last. “It’s a long way back to the extraction point. And we don’t know what this crazy ship has planned for us. Stay focussed.”
The team filed past Ryann without giving him a second glance. He turned to Eve and he could see the sadness in her eyes.
“Come on,” breathed Eve, and followed the line of soldiers towards the doorway. Ryann looked up to see his father still staring silently at him. As Eve passed, he fell into line behind her.
Ryann looked down disconsolately to Maguire’s burned
