Arctic 9 Chapter 2~By Milles S. Fuller

Flames sparked along the contours of the ship as it sped into the planets atmosphere. Laura stared out her window, it looked like the ship would tear itself to pieces. Clouds raced past as they cut through, steam rising out from the hull. The ride became bumpy, Laura's team bounced around in their harnesses, then, they broke through.

Gengis was a virtual garden of Eden, completely untouched by all civilization. Trees as tall as super scrapers stretched out as far as the eye could see. The scientists gathered around Laura's window and watched as the land zoomed past. Soon though, the trees faded, replaced by grassy knolls, and then by snow and rocks. They were approaching the northern pole of the planet.

Blizzards blocked any view from the window, so Captain Cross gathered everyone for the briefing. "Alright, you all know the just of the plan, and I'm going to keep it simple. Laura, you and your team is going to attempt to recover all technology and information. My team is going to cover your asses. We'll have plenty of time, Arctic 9 doesn't have the space to land a destroyer, so the Judgement needs to make a cycle around the planet before it can pick us up. This also means that our departure window is tight, so we have to leave WHEN I say so. Clear?" She received nods from everyone.

The halls of the ship we narrow. The team walked I'm single file behind Cross towards the fighter bay. The walls were bare and icy. The LED lights gave the halls a sterile feeling, like a morgue. The air began to grow thinner in the hall, they where close to the fighter bay.

The hall opened into the fighter bay. The room stretched to fit a few dozen fighters and shuttles. The group proceeded towards an already prepped lander. They stuffed them selves into the cramped interior, and prepared for launch.

At the end of the bay, two massive doors slid open, sucking most of the air out of the room. The lander shuttered, then rocketed forward, blasting out of the ship. The group shook violently in their seats, experiencing massive strain. The lander slowed and the shaking stopped. The lander jerked slightly, and the air in the hold became electrified. Cross came on the com, "We just passed through the bases environmental shield, we'll be landing in a second. Jenkins, Hollow, Festis, Hiu, get your guns ready, I want a full sweep when we touch down."

The lander's side door slide open to reveal the base. The lander hit ground hard, and the soldiers threw themselves out, scanning the air with their rifles. Laura's team followed along with Cross.

The base loomed a few yards away, but Cross had an uneasy feeling. She heard a sort of hissing noise. Something wasn't right, she look back at the lander. From the far left, Cross could see a small sphere flying around. She stared at it for some time, completely baffled as to where it came from, or what it was for that matter. Then, in a flash, it bade a B-line for the lander. Cross exclaimed, "No!" as the ball made impact.

The lander burst into flames, shattered pieces of the hull flying in all directions. The group was blown over from the shock wave, and flames. Laura stumbled to her feet, only to see creatures crawling around the wreckage of their ship. She grabbed her bag and ran for the base. Cross leveled her rifle, and opened fire, bullets cracking out of the barrel in quick succession. Cross's men followed her lead, firing on their perusers, while making a dash for the base.

Laura looked back as she hit the front door. The creatures were swarming now, chasing the soldiers. Cross had given up shooting and was now making a full sprint to safety. Sergeant Jenkins turned to shoot, and twisted his ankle. He let out a cry of pain, and fell. He looked up, tears flowed from his eyes, he cried out, but he knew death was upon him. He slammed his head into the ground, shaking it side to side as the creatures engulfed him.

The, things, grabbed onto Jenkins where ever they could. In less than a moment, his arm was torn away, and flung into the air, leaving an arc of crimson behind it. Jenkins threw his head up, screaming in pain. One jumped up, grabbing onto his head, gripping his scalp, pulling. The group watched as Jenkins' skin and fur were torn from his skull. Sarah ripped her gaze away from the scene, hiding in her sister's embrace. Jenkins ended with a final, gurgling scream. Hollow tried to avenge in fallen friend, but was stopped by Cross, "Get to the base!"

The four remaining soldiers barreled through the bases front door. Cross slammed the close button, and took one last look back. Jenkins lay in a pool of his on blood, torn limb from limb. She broke down, weeping on the entrance way.