Human Will

Linda entered the large cargo bay with Grant when she noticed the shipping computer nearby.

“We can use this to find out if any ships are docked,” she said.  “Then we could use one of them to escape?”

“Do you know how to pilot a ship?” Grant said.  “Because I certainly don’t.”

“How hard can it be?”

“Really hard.  We’re talking about spaceships here.  Let’s just head for the escape pods.  It’s what they’re there for.”

“Fine,” Linda said and started to walk forwards until she noticed a blood trail leading to some supply crates.  “What is this?”

Linda opened one of the crates and recoiled in shock at the sight of several corpses hidden within.

“Must’ve been some of the first victims,” Grant said.

“How is it doing this?  Don’t we have security?”

“Just a few guys with stun guns to subdue anyone who loses it up here.”

“We’ve got no guns?”

“Against international aerospace law.  No firearms onboard any offworld vehicle or station, it’s too dangerous.  However, that’s only the official policy…”

Linda was not listening by this point, for she had just spotted something.

“Linda?” Grant said.  “What is it?”

Linda spotted a small corpse in a dark corner and focussed on the faceless body of her daughter.

In a vacant C-Deck corridor, Linda’s scream of anguish could be heard echoing even there.

***

Sanguis crawled along a tram tunnel in search for his remaining victims when new information appeared on its HUD:

Human female vocal pattern detected
Triangulating source…
Two targets remaining

***

Grant was at the activation console for the escape pods while Linda sat against a wall in a stupor.

“Rob?” Grant said into his communicator.  “Where are you?  It got Mariella.  We’re at the escape pods now so come on and hurry up.”  He then put it away and continued to work.  “Rob’s still not answering.  I’m worried but there’s no way we’re gonna survive trekking all the way to A-Deck.”  Grant finished up and said, “And that should do it…”

Grant pushed the activation key and the screen flashed red with the phrase, ACTIVATION DENIED.

“Wait…” Grant said.  “It’s not letting me…something’s wrong…it’s saying the pods have been remotely disabled from the Control Room.  No…no…come on!”  Grant hit the console over and over again in frustration.  “Work!”

“What now?” Linda laughed.

Grant turned to the still giggling Linda and said, “We have to kill it.”

***

Sanguis scuttled over the ceiling of a corridor at high speed, regularly scanning its environment.

Proximity increasing…

Sanguis locked onto something behind a wall and his HUD was updated:

Human scent located
Chemical composure of perspiration detected
Locking onto heartbeats and tracking footsteps…

Sanguis’ speed increased as he moved through various corridors and vents to shorten the distance between him and his target.

Sanguis arrived at a tram station to see Grant and Linda boarding a tram to B-Deck.

“It’s here!” Grant shouted, hitting the button with his fist that caused the tram to shoot off.  Sanguis chased after them by crawling along the roof of the tunnel while screeching.

Grant took his communicator out and shouted, “Screw you!” before hurling the device at Sanguis, hitting it right in the head.  Sanguis fell from the roof and onto the tracks as the tram left him behind.

Linda and Grant soon lost sight of Sanguis, but could still hear its screeching echoing throughout the tunnel.

“That was interesting,” Linda said.  “Where are we going?”

“My quarters,” Grant said.  “There’s something there we can use.”

“You think you’ll win, huh?”

“I’m gonna try.”

“Why?”

“Humans are powerful creatures.  We live our lives knowing we’re going to die and accept it.  There is no will stronger than ours.”

***

Grant and Linda walked down a dark corridor on B-Deck with doors to crew quarters lining the way.  They travelled over a transparent section of floor and then stopped in front of Grant’s quarters.

He hesitantly opened the door and looked in at the dark interior for a while before entering.

Linda rested apathetically against a wall while Grant opened a ventilation grate and collected something.

“What could you have here that could possible defeat that thing?”

“This,” Grant said, holding up a pistol.

“Is that a gun?”

“Yep.”

“You said guns weren’t allowed in Heaven.”

“That’s the official policy.  I smuggled it onboard when I first came.”

“Why?”

“I wasn’t going into space unarmed.  What if aliens invaded?”

***

Sanguis stalked down the corridor in search for its prey, its head darting about as it scanned every door it passed.  The tapping of Sanguis’ feet over the transparent floor resonated throughout the corridor while he continued onwards.

***

Grant and Linda looked to the closed door as they heard Sanguis’ footsteps on the other side come to a stop.

Outside, Sanguis stood still as he came to a conclusion.

Two heartbeats detected
Final targets located
Commencing execution…

Grant and Linda were frozen in place, the only sound remaining being Grant’s heavy nervous breathing.

There was a metallic knock at the door, causing them to share a confused glance before the door slid open, revealing Sanguis’ silhouette on the other side.

Grant immediately raised his weapon and shot at Sanguis’ head.

Sanguis’ electric reflexes allowed him to dodge and slither up the wall and into a nearby vent as the shot hit the wall behind him.

As Sanguis crawled through the vent at an astounding speed, the new factors needed to be analysed.

Firearm sighted
Present course of action unacceptable
Frontal assault impractical
Altering combat technique…
Activating stealth and ambush parameters to minimise damage

***

Grant and Linda skulked through the dark hallways as they hunted Sanguis.  As they turned a corner, they saw Sanguis standing in the middle of the corridor.  There was very little light but he was making no attempt to hide.  It didn’t even move as Grant raised his gun.

As he was about to pull the trigger, Sanguis jumped.  It leaped incredibly high and directly upwards, disappearing into a hidden vent above him.  The pair rushed to the vent and looked up into the darkness.

“Do you see anything?” Grant said.

“It’s too dark-“

Two tentacles emerged from the shadowy vent, one aiming at each of them.  Grant stepped aside so the blade only cut his back but the other tentacle sunk deep into Linda’s shoulder and pulled her upwards.

“Linda!” Grant called into the shadow-filled hole that she had just disappeared into.

Linda found herself bleeding in the dark vent.  Ahead of her, Sanguis lurked.  As Sanguis crept into view by slinking closer to her, one of its retractable forearm blades slid out.

Linda smiled just before it forced it trough her body and into the metal wall behind her.

Below, Grant was running through the hallways desperately calling out, “Linda?  Where are you?”

Linda’s corpse dropped down through an overhead vent and landed by his feet, forcing him to stop his search.  He looked down at his dead friend and then up to the vent she fell through.

Sanguis then slowly lowered itself through the vent using its tentacles and stood before him.

Grant just looked into his green eyes for a few moments and said, “You…you think you can kill me?  I’m a f*****g human!  What the hell are you?”

Sanguis cocked its head in curiosity at the human ahead while it thought to itself.

Target not fleeing
Target not fighting
Standby for further information…

“You know why I’m gonna win robot?” Grant said.  “Coz humans are just f*****g better!”

Grant lifted his gun and shot Sanguis twice to little effect before Sanguis was on him.  It lifted him up by the throat while its other arms took hold of his left wrist and clothing,

Its sharp claws cut into Grant’s flesh as he struggled under Sanguis’ metal grip and its tentacles circled round them both as it pulled Grant’s face closer to his.

Final target seized
Mission nearing completion
Commence deletion…

“So much f*****g better…” Grant whispered just before he pointed his pistol at the transparent floor below and fired three times, causing the window to shatter.

Sanguis and Grant fell through the floor along with the thousands of tiny plastic shards as all the air in the corridor was sucked out into space.

***

Not that much later, Sanguis drifted alone.  It watched Heaven get smaller in front of him as he floated backwards towards Earth.

LEVEL 2 CLEARED
Mission Complete: DELETE ALL HUMANS
Loading Level 3…
New Objective: RETURN TO EARTH
Initiating Level 3…

Sanguis continued to drift without moving at all.