Part Seven

None of the three teams had an easy time. The one handling the civilians had to be careful not to hurt anyone, at least seriously. Those hunting the aliens had to avoid the humans the creatures had dominated into protecting them, or else deal with the innocent people a gently as possible, while trying to find their targets.

Aiding the latter two groups were two factors; the continuing updates from the microprobes and Runner.

"Both creatures are still sluggish," she said, over the coms. "If you act quickly you can catch them before they are fully awake."

"At least the lights are on," muttered Rapscallion, as the group he was with moved cautiously through the narrow passageways of the Coast Guard ship. "Heat and ventilation, too."

Because the heat was still on, they had removed their cold water survival suits once below decks. Those were left just inside the hatch they had used to access the interior of the ship. Hopefully, if a quick exit were necessary they'd at least have time to grab those on the way out.

"Best guess as to where this thing has laired," said Bowman, "based on multiple clues, is in the engine room, near the generator. Since that is obviously still running, it will be nice and warm, there. At least off the hull, anyway."

"Given past history, the creature will probably have blocked the accesses," said Solange, nodding.

"Exactly," said Bowman, nodding as he checked his pad's display. "That's why the microprobes are having a hard time entering that area."

"So do we attack, or try to freeze it?" said Solange.

"Exactly what we do will depend on what we find," said Bowman. They rounded a corner and he sighed, audibly over their coms. "Okay, this way is very thoroughly blocked. We'll try another."

"Does anyone else think it's strange that we haven't seen any sign of the first supers they sent?" said Champion, over their earbud coms, as her team moved quickly but quietly towards the engine room of the retrieval ship. "Even their helicopter is gone. Yet they reported landing."

The power and heat were on in the retrieval ship, too, and the heroes searching it had come to the same conclusion about where their monster was. They had also removed their cold water survival suits once inside.

"They were all resistors," said Dr. Gorgeous, calmly, over their coms. "There's a good chance that they were defeated and thrown overboard. Along with their helicopter."

"Weren't they wearing locator beacons, like us?" said a worried Thunderer who, with Jet Jaguar, was with Champion. "Those should have come on automatically when they hit the water."

"I'll call our contacts in Greenland to check," said Dr. Gorgeous.

"Okay, that should be the door," said Champion, pointing towards the end of the corridor. "Or rather, it should be just the other side of that pile of junk. It doesn't look all that bad. Let's try to get through here."

"Champion, you need to carefully and quietly make a path," said Dr. Gorgeous, over their coms. "Be as quick as you can within those constraints. Runner tells me that the creature in the retrieval ship is apparently the original. She's concentrating on both keeping it groggy and exploring its memories."

"Good news, about the groggy part," said Champion, as she and Jet Jaguar formed a human conveyor chain and moved debris away from the hatch, while Thunderer kept watch. "I assume she can only do this with one of them at a time?"

"Correct. That's why she's not telling you this, herself; she needs to concentrate. So be quick, be quiet, and be careful."

* * *

The others on that channel - which was all the rescuers - heard this, of course.

"So, we're after the juvenile?" said Bowman, as his team headed for what they hoped would be an easier entrance than the first one they tried. Unfortunately, that path was not one which had been explored yet by the microprobes, so his decision was based more on hope than evidence.

"It's... not that clearcut. Runner tells me the new one should have all the memories of the first one, though it is physiologically smaller and less mature."

"Which means," said Bowman, quietly, as they carefully made their way through narrow corridors on board the Greenland Coast Guard ship, "it will be easier to capture if we can grab it, but it may be harder to corner before that."

"Correct," said Dr. Gorgeous.

* * *

"Many of the crew members we are encountering are already injured," said the Black Mask, as he and Sharma on one ship and Maciste on the other worked towards containing the civilians and keeping them away from both the monsters and the monster hunters. "Most have not had their injuries treated. That's one reason we're not having a worse time than we are."

"This is plenty bad enough, y'ask me," panted Maciste. "Stopping someone without hurting 'em is hard work! This cold water gear doesn't make it any easier, either."

"They are easily induced to slumber," said Sharma, who sounded like she was giving a report in the team conference room. "Doubtless due to the preconditioning for obedience they have received."

"According to the manifests of the two ships, you have nearly everyone on both ships safely restrained," said Dr. Gorgeous. "It could be that those you haven't found were, well, consumed."

"What about the first group of supers who were sent in?" said Maciste, who wasn't actually as breathless as he had sounded moments earlier.

"We just found the first team," said Bowman, quietly, as he and those with him quickly moved to check those supers. "Looks like they were beaten unconscious and tied up. Probably intended as a meal for the younger monster here, when it wakes up."

"That's actually good news," said Dr. Gorgeous. "Not only that they're alive; they're all resistors. If any of them are still able, they can help."

Bowman, Rapscallion and Solange quickly untied the other four supers and examined their injuries.

"Solange, can you go get the first aid kit we just passed?" said Rapscallion, who had the best medical training of the three. "Better not to use our more limited personal kits yet."

Solange quickly fetched that and Rapscallion did what he could to treat the four supers. However, they showed no signs of waking. With no way of even diagnosing them properly, much less treating them, there wasn't much more the trio could to.

"I don't feel safe moving them," said Rapscallion. "Not without knowing why they're unconscious."

"We'll have to leave them here," said Bowman, with a sigh. "C'mon; let's get to that hatch."

This was just down the passageway from where they had found the first-in team of supers.

"I wonder if this way was left unblocked to give the young one easier access to food, once it woke," said Rapscallion, quietly.

"I hear something on the other side of the hatch," said Solange, in a stage whisper.

Rapscallion, for once, kept quiet.

Bowman nodded, absently, having already heard the sounds. Solange had better hearing, but he was closer. He carefully moved the last bit of distance to the door and put his hands on the lever.

"I'm going to open this," he whispered. "Get ready."

The other two nodded. He set himself, abruptly yanked the lever and hauled the hatch open, stepping aside so the hatch partially shielded him.

The thing was standing just the other side of the opening. It definitely looked somewhat reptilian, but only somewhat. There was neither the time nor the inclination on the part of the supers for a closer examination. With a hissing scream, it launched itself at Solange and Jet Jaguar.

There was a burst of confused sounds over the ear buds.

"What was that?" said Dr. Gorgeous, not the only one alarmed by the noises.

"Thing jumped us when I opened the door," said Bowman. "No time to talk."

Rapscallion and Solange were both medium-level physical supers. Bowman was physically a normal human, but he was armed and armored. While the other two fought to hold onto the limbs of the monster, he grabbed an arrow he had prepared for this creature. Too close to use his trademark bow, he jabbed the arrow hard at the back of the monster. Thin, springy metal bands whipped out and wrapped around the lower torso and one upper hind leg of the creature. While that did little to restrain it, as he had hoped the activity distracted it momentarily from the two supers. It took a moment to claw at the bands, which allowed Rapscallion and Solange to get better grips, while Bowman grabbed another arrow. After a brief but frantic fight, between the three of them they managed to hogtie the alien creature thoroughly. In large part due to long practice, working together.

"So much for groggy," panted Rapscallion.

"That's one down," Bowman likewise panted, as he and the other two checked their wounds. "Damn. Be warned. If the young one was this tough, the adult will be a lot worse."

"At least it didn't have chameleon abilities," said Rapscallion, still breathing hard. "Though it has claws - definitely claws - and fangs dripping what may be venom. Which may be why Vulcanic, Hope Springs, Cull and Joesph won't wake up."

"Roger," said Champion. She turned to Thunderer and Jet Jaguar. "Okay, the hatch opens inwards, and I think we've cleared enough debris to get through. Just be on your guard."

"Well," said Jet Jaguar, "with Runner mojoing this one we should have an easier time."

"You just had to say that," said Thunderer, as Champion cautiously eased the hatch open and moved inside.

"Ugh..." said Champion, barely not recoiling.

"What is that smell?!" said Jet Jaguar, who did recoil, despite not having Champion's keep senses.

"Shhhh!" said Thunderer, though she was also making a face.

"Thing's obviously used this room as a toilet," said Champion, almost gagging as she stepped slowly away from the hatch.

"Well, it is an animal," said Dr. Gorgeous.

"None of the microprobes made it in here," said Champion, quietly, as she scanned the crowded engine room. "However, according to Runner it should be just over..."

"Red alert!" Runner yelled over their coms. "It finally woke up fully, and it immediately broke free of my influence. It's after you!"

The three supers reflexively formed a triangle, Champion and Jet Jaguar standing away from the door on either side and covering their ranged attacker, Thunderer.

"See anything?" whispered Champion, warily.

There were so many places for something to hide in here!

"Noth..."

With a hissing shriek, the thing leapt at Champion from some overhead pipes. The sound momentarily startled all three, but Champion's reflexes took over and she blocked the slashing attack. The creature's claws cut through the soft armor of her costume and deeply into her left forearm.

"Shit!" snarled Champion. She swung at the thing with her right fist but missed.

As it jumped back from Champion, however, Jet Jaguar did a flying ram. He didn't have much room to build up speed, but he still slammed it hard into some piping, then rolled away. Thunderer quickly stepped forward and - hands extended - hit the thing with the most powerful blast of concentrated sound she wanted to risk in a room full of machinery. Steam now began shrieking from the pipes.

The creature was stunned, but not out of the fight. This changed when Champion jumped in and delivered a side kick which sent the thing crashing through the already deformed and gushing pipes and bounced it off one of the huge diesel engines in the room. The tough machinery was actually damaged by this; the creature was rendered immobile. An examination by the trio and Runner soon revealed that it was also very thoroughly dead.

"Great," said Champion, sourly, as they confirmed this. She had to speak very loudly - almost yell - to be heard over the steam jetting out of the broken pipes. "Didn't want to kill it, but I had to stop it and just didn't know how tough it was."

"Nobody is criticizing you," yelled Thunderer, with feeling. "That thing was very, very dangerous. Also: You're bleeding. A lot."

She pulled a knife from her utility belt and cut away the costume around the wound.

"Amen," said Jet Jaguar, also loudly, watching the two women tend Champion's injury. "To the dangerous part, I mean. I hurt both wrists just ramming that thing. It was too tough, fast and strong to take chances with."

"Ugh," said Champion, again, as her teammate worked. "That steam isn't helping the smell."

"It's also getting pretty toasty in here," said Jet Jaguar.

Thunderer deftly bandaged Champion's wound, the treated cloth quickly stopping the bleeding. Meanwhile, with a bit of help from Dr. Gorgeous, Jet Jaguar closed valves to cut off the roaring steam.

"Now I'm wondering if we should just kill the one one we captured," said Bowman, sounding uncertain. "These things are physically dangerous and can control people! Who are part of their diet!"

"Humane killing does seem the safest option," said Dr. Gorgeous.

"Do we know what drugs might put these things quickly and permanently to sleep?" said the Black Mask.

"You're sure they're non-sapient?" said Champion, a bit too loudly. What with firing a heavy machine gun and being in close quarters with roaring steam, she'd had two exposures to an extraordinary volume of sound in less than an hour.

"Yes," said Sharma.

"Yes," said Runner.

"Yes," said Dr. Gorgeous.

"Since the juvenile is safely contained, you don't have to decide whether to kill it just yet," said Champion, after a moment of thought. "However, if it's about to escape don't hold back. At all."

"We still need to figure out how to kill it if we decide we need to," said the Black Mask, only a bit of remaining breathlessness indicating the troubles he'd had corralling civilians.

"All right," said Champion, sounding uncharacteristically tired. "Let's figure out how to do it. Just not as a priority."

"Why do we have to make that decision?" said Jet Jaguar.

"Because there's a lot of folks waiting on us to get finished here," said Rapscallion. "T.O.W.E.R. is chomping at the bit to get in and do the cleanup."

"Exactly!" said Jet Jaguar. "Let them do the dirty work!"

"Denmark and Greenland have already agreed to let T.O.W.E.R. come in after we finish," said the Black Mask, thoughtfully. "Maybe we should let them decide the question of extermination."

"Does T.O.W.E.R. have agents who are known resistors?" said Champion, wincing as she worked her injured arm.

"Yes, as well as personal psi blockers," said Dr. Gorgeous, sounding impatient. "The government of Denmark considered this to be their problem, though, and asked the UN to be allowed to handle at least the direct consequences. The UN agreed, if Denmark then allowed T.O.W.E.R. to do the rest."

"Ah..." said Maciste, who had a large group of civilians surrounded on the fantail of the retrieval ship. "Maybe call whoever our contact is there - in Greenland, I mean - and tell them the situation."

"I told you all that," said Dr. Gorgeous. Those who knew her could almost hear her self-assured nodding.

"Not in a way which registered," said Champion, with a grin. "Okay. If - If! - the younger one is properly secured, then call our contact in Greenland and let them make the decision. Oh, and also let them know the retrieval ship will need some repairs in the engine room.

"Meanwhile, let's get out of here before we roast while marinating in stink."