Asteroid of Horror

Nobody can hear a scream in the vacuum of space, or so they say. But that’s not true, I am proof of that. I have heard the screams in space. Oh I know physics says that it's impossible, I know god-damn science. But I’ve heard the screams, maybe not with my ears, but I’ve heard them in my mind, in my heart, in my very soul! In fact, everytime I close my eyes I hear them still…the screams. I dream of screams…

The doctors tell me I’m wrong. That it’s just PTSD, the after effects of such long isolation. They tell me I cannot handle the loss of my crew. One doctor called it “survivor's guilt.” They tell me that it was just a horrible accident. But they weren’t there, they didn’t see them, my crew, what it did to them, and they didn’t see it. But I did. I know it's out there, I know even now it waits for us to come back, because it needs us to free it, really free it. Because even though we let it out, we woke it up. It is still stranded there.

Our ship, the Zheng He, left the shipyards at Titan with a crew of twelve, most of us were scientists and engineers. Experts in our respective fields, a few of us were veteran spacers as well. Our mission was to explore the Kuiper belt, to go farther than any manned spacecraft. It was hoped that we would discover asteroids that were minable, and we joked we would find the “fabled tenth planet", the planetoid (or planetoids) that Gerard Kuiper believed were beyond Pluto.

We were five months into our survey when we discovered it, a fantastic find, probably the most fantastic find, the probe drones had scanned asteroid after asteroid and the majority were just frozen pieces of rock, a few had shown evidence of rare minerals, but nothing too exciting. However finally we found something: on a large irregularly shaped body, the probe drones had located structures. Something was built onto this asteroid! Something that could not be man-made! Because man had not made it this far. A survey team was sent down. As the captain and communications officer sent the news back to occupied space.

I was in command of the team that went to the asteroid. At first I was greatly ashamed, because I ran like a coward. But then? I was relieved because I survived the horrors there. But now? Now, I know that it does not make a difference…I know what is out there, and I will never view the stars with wonder again.

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“Are you reading us?” Lieutenant Scott asked into her internal feed yet again, she was excited. The drones had clearly shown structures on the surface of this rock. Structures! This could be one of the most important things ever. This can change human history. Proof that we are not alone.

“Yes April…we are reading you…still.” Captain Ahuja replied with a forced mocking tone.

“Sorry, I’m just nervous.” She answered sheepishly.

“Understood. It is not every day that one may prove the existence of extraterrestrial life. I would be worried if you weren’t nervous.”

“Good. I’m glad you understand. How's the video feed?”

“Oh for crying out loud!” One of the crewmen on the bridge shouted playfully. This drew a tide of nervous laughter from the crew.

“Video is still fine from both drones.” Captain Ahuja assured her, after looking away for a moment to confirm.

“Alrighty then. We will check in before entering the ‘chamber’ or whatever it is. Scott out.”

“No! Leave all channels open, everyone, just in case. This is a momentous occasion, but a serious one. I want everyone’s feeds on. Do you copy April?” Ahuja said sternly.

Scott had never heard the captain this serious, almost worried sounding. “Copy that.” She responded.

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The team walked the last sixty meters in near silence. The big scottish engineer, Ralph Robertson, tall and muscular with flaming red hair, called “Red Ralphie Robertson” by the rest of the crew, was in the front, side by side with Fido, one of the large six-legged robotic dogs, carrying survey and scientific gear. April was about three meters behind him, followed by Doctor Amoy Campbell, the team xenobiologist who was also controlling the two sensory-drones from her wrist mounting controller. The last person in line was Doctor Chien Nguyen, the team medic who was flanked by Rover, another of the Zheng He’s robotic dogs. The final member of the team was the shuttle pilot, Avery Vazquez, who had stayed behind with the shuttle.

The team came upon a set of twenty foot high stone doors. They were arched and the leftmost door had collapsed inward, while the rightmost door was still intact. The intact door was carved in bas reliefs of great beauty depicting tall, bald, four-eyed humanoids clad in what appeared to be voluminous robes. The top of the archway was carved with a symbol that resembled an eye in the center of a sunburst. There were numerous “hieroglyphics” that no one in the team recognized them, or their origin.

“Zheng He, are you seeing this?” Doctor Campbell asked, as the drones took both video and stills.

“Affirmative team. It’s…well, it’s something alright. What do you think, Amoy?” Captain Ahuja asked.

“I think it's fantastic…look at the detail of the bas reliefs. We are looking at an image of an extraterrestrial species! An intelligent extraterrestrial species!” The passion and excitement in her voice was clear despite the suit and the radio feed.

“So should we go in?” April asked.

“Let’s finish any and all tests and scans outside first, then send the drones in.” Captain Ahuja transmitted.

Ralph stepped to the broken door and did a quick once over, “We're gonna have a wee bit of a time getting the good boys through this without breaking anything.” He referred to the robot-dogs by their collective nicknames, the "good boys". His accent was even thicker over the radio.

The team and crew busied themselves with tests and preparations, with the exception of Doctor Nguyen. He stood there unnoticed, staring at the broken door.

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“Launch the drones.” Captain Ahuja ordered.

“Drones away.” Replied Doctor Campbell.

The drones slowly flew down a wide, straight hallway. The walls were carved with images of the four-eyed aliens, more hieroglyphics, and images of fantastic vistas, painted in vivid colors.

“Zeng He, are you guys seeing what we are seeing?” April asked awestruck.

“Yes we are…” April could not recall who answered.

“We have got to get in there!” Doctor Campbell nearly shouted.

“Let the drones finish first.” April replied.

As if on cue the drones entered an antechamber that had another set of intact double doors. However, these seemed to be crafted of metal, and these bas reliefs were of unknown creatures. And this door was sealed by a large circular glowing “plate” of glowing gold.

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It had taken a while to carry the equipment in without the good boys. And even longer to set it up. But Ralph and the others had worked hard. Finally after the heavy table was assembled and the atmospheric-generation unit was ready, Ralph sat the “rivet-gun” down and turned to April. “Give the word Lieutenant.”

“The word is given.” She replied.

Ralph activated the unit and it began to create a breathable atmosphere. It took the better part of a half hour, but eventually the room was habitable. After checking the front panel Ralph removed his helmet and took a deep breath. The air stank of chemicals but it was better than the suit air. The rest of the team followed his example.

Then began the boring - yet necessary testing and analytics.

After another two hours of this, and conferring with the Zheng He, April called the pilot, “Scott to Vazquez. Are you still awake Avery?”

“Vazquez here Lieutenant. This rock is too damn creepy to sleep on.”

“We’ll be knocking it off soon, coming back to the shuttle to eat and sleep. We’ll bring the good boys back with us.” April informed her.

During the activity and conversations, nobody noticed Doctor Nguyen as he slowly stripped the gauntlet from his left hand, and using a scalpel, cut a deep furrow down his palm, blood immediately welled up and began to drip to the stone floor as he quietly walked to the door, his eyes fixed upon the golden seal.

“Doctor Nguyen. What are you doing?” Captain Ahuja’s voice exploded over the radio feed. At which, everyone stopped and turned to the door.

April spoke first. “Chien? What is going on?” April noticed the blood trail on the floor.

“This is a bad place. An evil place.” Doctor Nguyen replied without turning. He raised his bleeding left hand to the seal and seemed to hesitate for a second. The blood from the wound started dripping sideways, not down! Toward the seal. “We should have never come to this place.” Doctor Nguyen said as he touched the seal.

At that the seal exploded into blinding light and the doors burst open.

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The team found itself on the ground. April looked up and her heart froze. Standing there was something the likes of which she had never imagined. It resembled an ant the size of a rhino. But instead of chitin, it was flesh, nauseating pale yellow flesh that was the sickly hue of a cut up, raw chicken. It had two arms, with two long tentacles beneath. But it was its face that nearly caused April’s mind to crack. It was like the noseless face of the “classic gray” in UFO stories but with three huge dead black eyes, and instead of a mouth its face ended in a tentacle-like proboscis.

Somehow it was Doctor Nguyen that stood up first, and the alien’s tentacles wrapped around him as it raised its right hand, from a puckered orifice in the center of its palm a thick thread of matter, an ugly dark gray in color, slammed into Doctor Nguyen’s mouth and he screamed a muffled shriek as he fell to the floor.

Amoy screamed in horror, the whites of her wide, terror filled eyes contrasting with ebony skin. The alien turned toward her next as it dropped Doctor Nguyen to the floor.

It was this moment of distraction that allowed Ralph to grab the rivet gun and stab into the alien’s right hip and pull the trigger.

The rivet hammered into the pale ugly flesh, and ugly ichor the color of pea soup poured from the wound as the horror shrieked with a high pitched keening, a sceream not heard in the ears, but the mind. “If you can bleed ye ugly bastard, I can kill ya!” Ralph shouted in response.

The alien stared into Ralph's eyes, its Multi orbed visage burned into him, right into his brain.

Suddenly Ralph was home, back on Mars, he heard the most horrible screams and looked down into the face of his wife, she was on her knees and covered in blood, she shrieked at him in abject horror. Tears streaming down her face, leaving furrows in the blood…

“Janey? What are you doing here? What is happening? Are you OK?” He asked his wife in confusion. Then he looked at his hands. He no longer held the rivet gun, but his hands were not empty, oh no. In each of his paw-like fists was the small severed head of a child - a boy and a girl. His boy, his girl.

Ralph actually roared in horror. He fell to the blood drenched floor screaming.

The two women and the crew via the cameras, watched Ralph fall to the deck dropping the rivet gun, he proceeded to shriek like a banshee pulling out his hair and slapping his face over and over again. He screamed so loud, they heard his throat rip! They actually heard the wet ripping gargle in the screams. Yet despite that he screamed still.

The alien turned to Amoy, and a second tendril of the gray matter hit her in the face, and like Chien she fell to the floor making horrible noises, half muffled scream, half gurgling moan.

It was then that April ran. Somehow she picked up her helmet, and she managed to get it on and sealed it. The moment she was outside of the structure her radio feed came back on and she heard both Captain Ahuja’s and Avery’s voices demanding answers,

“April! Robertson! Anybody! What the fuck is going on down there!”

“Dead! They are all dead! It filled them up!” April screamed between breaths.

“What are you talking about?” Captain Ahuja demanded.

“A monster…a monster! We should have never come to this place”! She echoed Doctor Nguyen as she fled.

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I once strode the stars, and other places, the universes beyond this one, akin to a God. All of creation, reality itself, was mine to toy with. I knew, and still KNOW, thousands of secrets, the true names of daemons, mathematical formulae that can change reality, and ancient arcane sciences that the ignorant call magic. I have seen empires rise and fall. Races of intelligent life, crawl from mindlessness to reach for the stars, and then fall into oblivion.

And through all this almost none could oppose me…only them, the damned Pentad of the Ascendant Eye. Oh these sanctimonious hypocrites and their armies of puppets! They opposed me at every turn, and in time they defeated me…oh, I am not too proud to admit it, they were powerful foes…mighty foes…but even they could not kill me! They thought to exile me for eternity. Bound in a dream state, on a floating rock in the distant corner of a young spiral galaxy…but now I am free! And these primitive bipeds will be the foundation of my return to power! And I will stride the stars again!