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Chapter Ten

The Second Expedition

Such was the enthusiasm for conquest that it was difficult for the humans to wait for the crusade, as Ingrid christened it or the Jihad, as Said dubbed their mission. Given chores around the ship, encouraged to eat heartily, hydrate themselves properly, and get plenty of rest, most of them were kept out of the way while Skip and Abe decided upon strategy and mapped out where the next expedition would begin. Both leaders insisted on planning the next exploration to the most minute detail this time and setting guidelines for the explorers. Back peddling it seemed, Skip agreed with Abe that there would be no kill sites, where the rover would zoom in to eradicate nests of spinners or, while braving it on foot, ambush unsuspecting beasts. For that matter the explorers would not go out of their way to find alien species and kill them for mere sport, as Said and Mbuto wished, and would only be permitted to blast them if they got in their way. There had to be a substantial threat, Abe insisted (the wording of which would give carte blanche in the future to crewmembers toting guns). Though such warlike terms as jihad and crusade were frowned upon by Abe and the notion of taming the world was tempered by the notion of preventative eradication instead, Ingrid’s and Said’s terminology was preferred by the crew. Abe knew he would have his hands full during the next expedition.

******

The first order of business to be followed suited Abe very much: Phoenix One would make a sweep of the current sector under study, hunting for places of exploration as well as threat zones. It would not be intended, as the craft hovered over the land, that they would seek pockets of spinners and wipe them out as most of the crew wished, but maintain the preventative eradication approach encouraged by Abe. Of course, as Max pointed out, it sounded more clinical but amounted to much the same thing. Given the behavior of the spinners, eradication was their only choice, insisted Skip. Stellarnaut motto or not, he reminded them, the idealistic approach had to be tempered with reality. If, as Ingrid and Carla suspected, the spinners, like spiders, hid underneath the ground, piecemeal eradication would prove foolhardy for the crew. The slightest movement ahead might signal an attack, causing panic among the explorers. Preventing the crewmembers from being trigger happy would therefore prove difficult during exploration.

The second expedition on Kepler 186f, to study alien plant and animal life for possible food sources, would, like the previous worlds, be a dangerous and troubling business. When Phoenix One had selected a likely spot, weapons ready, the explorers would have to continue the expedition on foot. Because the greatest threat had been in the open field, the next stage for the second visit to Kepler186f would be to enter the forest, where spinners hadn’t been sighted, with the intention of studying the fauna and flora. Though this was the goal set on the ship, the morning was still young.

Before entering a selected forest, there were several topographical zones chosen by Abe, Skip, and Max to be visited aerially, ranging over an area of several kilometers. The ultimate goal on Kepler186f would be to explore the entire planet, a step requiring movement of the ship and space station if a colony chosen was too far away. For now, the first step merely required the rover to search the zones on the list, beginning with the open plains. As Sheila cheerfully piloted Phoenix One, the passengers chattered excitedly amongst themselves. Using the telescope on the craft, Captain Drexel kept a wary eye open for signs of spinners or other threats, his immediate goal to check out the portions of the landscape selected by Skip, Max, and himself. At times he signaled the pilot to hover over a particular area or zoom down more closely to another, all the while following the digital map created onboard the ship. As witnessed from the Phoenix, the current zone had both plains and forests and several lakes, rivers, and streams. The area nearest the volcano, a mountain range, capped with snow as it was, offered little inducement for exploration, and to the east of the crater, there was a huge body of water, that Ingrid believed was a salton sea The planet’s nearest ocean wasn’t in the projection shown on the conference table but could be reached quickly by the rover. A huge area, encompassing the selected sector plus areas not seen from space, were also available for exploration. To gain a clear perspective, while scanning for threats, Abe instructed Sheila to make a sweep of this zone and the fringe area bordering the ocean. To his satisfaction so far, there were no more indications of igneous activity. Several forested areas, meadows, and plains on his list resembled their previous point of landfall, the most inviting areas being further away from the volcano as well as the meadow where they were attacked. As they skirted the perimeter of this sector, he grew fascinated with the glistening ocean.

“All right, Skip,” he called in, “I’ve made my preliminary check. Notwithstanding our friends, the spinners, it still looks promising. The western ocean seen from the bridge is emerald green. I bet it’s teaming with life.”

“I’ve followed your movements,” Skip boasted. “I’m surprised at Phoenix One’s agility and speed. Have you spotted any threats? From space, I can’t find any spinners, but they’re relatively small.”

Taking over control of the craft from Sheila, Abe zoomed east away from the ocean toward a southern forest, ten kilometers from the original landfall, and, dropping down several hundred meters, with the intention of gradually moving back north, began a close inspection of the land.

“Now we get down to business!” He smiled at his pilot.

“Don’t you trust me?” pouted Sheila.

“I see a herd down there.” Skip blared through again excited. “Have you spotted them in this zone yet?”

He seemed excited, as did the crew.

“I-I see them.” Abe gasped. “They’re as big as elephants. I hope they’re herbivores!”

“Where? Where? Lemme see!” cried members of the crew.

“Oh my God!” groaned Sheila, clasping her forehead. “They have one big eye in their forehead like Cyclops and have eight legs.”

Quickly, placing the image on the overhead screen, Abe shouted back at the passengers, “Sit-the-hell-down!”, then murmured to Sheila, “I know they’re ugly. Get a grip on yourself!”

“Whoa!” Mbuto shuddered. “They’re almost as ugly as spinners!”

“At least their heads don’t swivel,” muttered Said. “I’m glad we haven’t ran into any of them!”

“I wouldn’t worry,” Skip reassured them. “They look like dumb beasts. Herding beasts are usually harmless. Those spinners skittered along in packs.”

“I hope they’re herbivores!” Nicole’s voice trembled.

“I see your following the right order of our list,” Skip said to the captain. “Zone One, Area One. In the future, from this point, you can circumnavigate the globe winding up where you left off.”

“There’s no telling what’s on the other side of this planet!” exclaimed Ingrid. “The adventure has just begun!”

“That’s the right spirit!” Abe looked back with a smile. “We come as explorers, not crusaders intent on conquering this world. We fire upon creatures only when there’s a threat!”

Once again, Abe had left open to interpretation his words. Earlier, before they began, he insisted that there had to be a substantial threat before a creature was terminated. Now, it had been reduced to mere threat, which once again, because it was subject to interpretation, gave shooters carte blanche.

As he listened to Skip’s version of what he saw from the ship,” he could hear Ingrid comforting Nicole and the other crewmembers muttering nervously amongst themselves. Seeing their crusading zeal wane, Ingrid, Max, and Carla, who were more intrigued than frightened by the monsters in the overhead screen, gave the others moral support. For several moments, as Abe hovered over the herd, he discussed the possibility of using them as a possible food source. Skip agreed. Said, having been convinced by Skip and Carla that they were harmless, grew excited by this thought, as did Mbuto, both of whom looked forward to bagging themselves a beast. The compartment of the Phoenix On, in fact, was abuzz with comments about the herd, with even Nicole animated by the thought of ‘Cyclop’ steaks.

In the background, as Skip suggested that they might cull a beast from the herd and test its meat, Rusty was describing something he was seeing below in the projection. “Why it’s another one, sir—an alien dome!”

“What?” Skip seemed to gasp.

That very moment, at almost the same time, Ingrid spotted the same phenomena on the screen, exclaiming excitedly, “There! Look everyone! Do you see it? A dome! A dome!”

“I see it,” cried Skip, “glowing like a jewel on this primeval world!”

Seeing it directly ahead of the scattered herd, Abe acted quickly. Without asking for advice this time, he decided to set Phoenix One down in front of the dome.

“Time for a little detour!” he giggled light-headedly.

“Yes, of course,” Skip concurred, “but be careful. Keep your weapons ready at your sides. Don’t make any threatening moves.”

Eyes wide and mouth gaping open, Said echoed everyone’s thoughts. “Let’s hope it’s empty like the last dome!”

******

As soon as the Phoenix had touched down, the explorers were unfastening their seat belts, rising up, and clamoring for the hatch. “Slow down!” Abe called irritably. “What’s the hurry?” “Damn it, people,” he screamed, shaking his fist, “I said slow down. Get away from the hatch!” Elbowing his way to the front of the line, he continued to bark orders to his crew: “I said get-the-hell away from that hatch! Are you folks deaf? I’ll go first. File out in an orderly fashion, and keep your weapons at your sides…. Be brave lieutenant! Calm down Nicole. That’s it, Ingrid, with your free hand, hold her hand. We’re surrounded by that herd, people. We don’t want a stampede. So don’t get trigger happy, and don’t make any sudden moves…. That means you Carla. You too, Mbuto and Said!… Follow me out of the rover, then line up facing the dome. Keep quiet. No talking when I open the hatch!”

As the line of explorers stood there, guns at the ready, the cloud mass that had hidden the great sun began to shift. Suddenly, without warning, light from the star broke through setting the dome ablaze.

“Good grief!” muttered Said, shielding his eyes from the light.

“Oh, it’s blinding!” Nicole squinted. “I can’t see a thing!”

“What part of ‘keep quiet’ don’t you understand?” Abe whispered harshly.

The unsettling phenomena, which caught them off guard, worsened as the cloud mass moved completely away from the sun. Complying with the captain’s demand for silence, the other crewmen looked away or turned their backs, shaking their heads in dismay.

“Put your helmets on.” Skip directed from the bridge. “The rover is tinted. You don’t need protection there. Until the sun shifts or you’re in the forest, the helmets, which are also tinted will protect your eyes.”

“Right!” Abe responded, his eyes tightly shut. “Carla, Nicole, Ingrid, Said, you heard the man!”

Any hope of sneaking up on occupants of the dome had vanished. As Skip shared his concern about the herd browsing in the nearby field, the foursome quickly re-entered Phoenix One, returning with helmets clutched in each hand. When they were helmeted and lined up again with their weapons at their sides, Abe led them up a dirt path up the dome, paused a moment, listening for interior sounds, then moved warily up to the entrance.

“This one has a door,” he whispered. “The other dome was left wide open.” “But there’s no doorknob or handle,” he added, studying it cautiously. “It’s made from the same shiny stuff—a plastic material, nothing like we find on Earth…. How very strange!’

“Whoa!” Max whistled under his breath. “How do we get in. I wonder if it’s locked.”

“Damn! These domes are amazing!” Carla looked up with awe.

“Well, don’t just stand there,” Ingrid poked Abe’s back excitedly, “knock!”

“Are you serious?” He looked back with a frown. “This isn’t a neighborly visit, Ingrid. What if someone answers the door?”

“Smile and say hello!” She broke into giggles.

“Yes, captain.” Said joined in the mirth. “Say, ‘Greetings neighbor, we’re from Earth. Take us to your leader. We just dropped by to say hello!’”

“This is serious.” Carla frowned. “What if they are home?”

“I hope they aren’t!” Nicole shuddered. “We’ve seen enough today. Let’s go back to the ship!”

Once again, whispers had risen to murmurs and murmurs to exclamations. Awakening to their foolishness, Abe shushed them. Standing before the great door, he deliberated for a few more moments. Like students on a field trip, they continued to behave carelessly on the new world. Conditioned for the unexpected, they still acted like children at times. Nothing had been normal during their odyssey—sleeping, awakening (an endless cycle), worlds without end, thousands and thousands of years passing, dreadful encounters with man-eating animals and plants, death among their fellow crewmembers, culminating in the attack of the spinners only kilometers from where they were now and here they were laughing and joking at the threshold of an advanced alien race, who might not take lightly to their invasion of this world.

Feeling lightheaded now, Abe shrugged his shoulders and, following Ingrid’s suggestion, rapped on the door.

All seven of his crewmembers now turned and bolted for Phoenix One.

“Are you insane, captain?” cried Carla.

“Really, I was just kidding!” Ingrid called back.

As they fled, Max and Mbuto laughed hysterically at his action. Sheila, who had retreated several meters, herself, was staring at him in horror. Said and Nicole had already re-entered the rover, as Abe backed up several paces and looked expectantly up at the dome.

“That was foolish!” chided Skip.

Ingrid said a quiet prayer, then joined Nicole quoting the Twenty-Third Psalm, as the other crewmembers trembled in their seats. As if to accentuate Skip’s scolding and the psalm, a loud, piercing hum suddenly sounded from the dome. A creaking sound followed, as the great door, after being shut for ages, slid slowly open.

With his fingers stuck in his ears, Abe backed away, mumbling in terror, “The door’s open! The door’s open!”

Stopping in his tracks, as Mbuto and Sheila joined the others in Phoenix One, Max shouted loudly at the captain, “Abe, wake up. You set off some kind of alarm!”

“He’s right, Abe,” Skip sounded frantic now. “Get in the rover! Do it quickly! Get-the-hell out of there!”

As he ran toward the rover, Abe thought giddily to himself, he’s even sounding like a human! In the background on the bridge Rusty was arguing with Skip (also a very human sign): “Wait! The door’s open, as if it’s an invitation. Why would they open the door? Those aliens, if they’re still on the planet, could’ve destroyed them by now, and yet all they did was sound an alarm. This is a scientific opportunity, sir. Shouldn’t they check it out?”

“Is he serious?” Sheila’s voice creaked up a notch. “That’s out of the question. We can’t do that!”

“Quite right!” agreed Skip. “Return to the ship, captain. You mustn’t risk your crew!”

“All right.” Abe reported shakily. “We’re taking off now. “…. I can still hear it up here—the loudest sound I’ve heard in my entire life!”

“Yes,” marveled Skip, “I can hear it through you communicator. That could burst eardrums!”

“At least take a picture before you return!” Rusty butted in again. “Circle around and take a shot!”

“Hmm, I don’t know,” Skip deliberated. “What do you think Abe?”

“Well, it seems easy enough,” he answered nervously. “We’ve got a belly camera on the rover. It shouldn’t take long!”

“Do it, Abe!” Max called from his seat. “Rusty’s right. If they wanted to attack, we’d be toast!”

Abe switched on the screen, “That’s true,” he decided hesitantly, “…I’ll make it quick!”

“No!” Sheila reached down to stay his hand. “Skip told us to return!”

“Lieutenant!” Abe said from the corner of his mouth. “Pilot the craft. Remember our little talk?” “Where’s the spirit I saw last night? Make the turn or let me take control!”

With great reluctance, Sheila circled the dome as Abe watched the screen, clicking the joystick numerous time and taking various shots of the structure, until he thought he had enough.

“We haven’t finished exploration yet,” he reminded Skip as Phoenix One lifted up to the ship. “We’ve scarcely begun.”

“This won’t take that long,” Skip reassured him, relief evident in his voice. “We’re going to magnify those pictures, make sure there’s no movement down there. Those domes are translucent, like the habitat on Mars. Hopefully, we can discern if it is occupied. There has to be a reason why we heard that noise. More importantly, why did the door open? What does that mean?”

******

Skip, Rusty, Sandra, and Woody appeared to be showing genuine human excitement when Phoenix One arrived on the rover dock and the humans filed out, but then, regaining their calm composure when the crew had assembled on the ship, turned immediately to the issue at hand. Once again, Said commented later, they put on their robot faces and gave them blank expressions. Though their voices seemed tinged with excitement and curiosity, this, too, could be faked, the little Arab reassured everyone. Despite the words uttered by Said, his words weren’t critical this time and, in fact, were filled with the same respect felt by the others, especially for Skip, who, like the voice of God from space, as Carla put it, guided them out of harm’s way.

The investigation moved swiftly. Unfortunately, it soon proved to be a big disappointment. Even blown up to their highest magnifications, none of the shots taken could prove one way or other if the dome was occupied. The translucent nature of the structure was limited because of its sheen, which catching the sunlight, caused a reflective glare in each shot. What was established so far was that, unlike the empty doom in the forest, which was heavily concealed by jungle vines and undergrowth, the structure, was in good shape. It’s electronics—the alarm and door—obviously still worked. These two facts excited everyone even more than the bizarre creatures discovered on this world. As the humans and androids crowded on the bridge, they watched video feed for several moments and could see no movement in and out of the structure since the explorers had visited it and from the point when the alarm sounded from the dome, but this still couldn’t prove whether or not it was inhabited by aliens. There had to he a reason why the alarm sounded and the door opened, everyone agreed, but the most important issue was what happened to the aliens. Did they leave the planet, never to return? Where they still here and living inside the dome? What happened to the aliens?… Would they come back?

An idea struck Skip then, which seemed farfetched at first. The laser probe stored on the ship that was intended for detecting subterranean caverns and tectonic movement on Triton might be adapted and used to detect movement inside the dome. The maximum range for the probe, however, was barely more than a kilometer, which meant that the ship and space station were too faraway for detection and one of the rovers would have to be used.

While they discussed this possibility, some of the crew nodded with a degree of reluctance, while others remained tight lipped. The implications of this venture were unsettling. The imaginations of the humans now ran wild. If there was a credible threat, would they abandon this world and return to hibernation? The androids wouldn’t let them risk their lives. On the other hand, as Mbuto pointed out, to investigate this possible threat, Captain Drexel and his lieutenant would have to use the probe and risk being blasted by the aliens from the sky.

“That is patently ridiculous!” Rusty frowned at the African. “Why would they wait so long? Those domes were created by a civilization more advanced than our own. They could’ve vaporized the ship and space station if they wanted to. They certainly would’ve done it after Abe knocked on their door.”

“Yes, that was silly.” Abe sighed.

“I’m not afraid,” Ingrid decided. “God has a mission for us. He’s given us this world.”

“Yeah?” Carla scowled. “You ran like a rabbit too!”

“A knee jerk reaction!” She twirled her fingers.

“Well, it’s our job.” Abe looked at his pilot. “Right Sheila?”

“Uh huh.” She blinked, bobbing her head.

“I could be your pilot,” Rusty offered, pointing to himself. “Better yet, why don’t you both stay on the ship and let Skip and I go.”

“No.” Abe shook his head. “We must do this thing: Sheila and I.” “That probe.” He cleared his throat. “How long will it take to get it ready.”

“Not long,” Skip motioned to Sandra. “It’s easy to operate. We’ll plug it into the bottom of the rover. All you have to do inside the rover is watch the screen, grab the target, and shoot. The laser will pick up movement and noise in the structure. While probing the dome you’ll take video and stills. You’ll know immediately if there’s movement while looking into the screen. While your pilot hovers over the dome, you simply aim, fire the laser, and, while probing the interior, make the recordings.”

It sounded so easy, and yet Mbuto, once an avid science fiction reader, had put a notion in the captain’s mind he couldn’t shake: the possibility, however absurd, of being blasted out of the sky. Sandra wheeled the laser probe into the compartment on a dolly to show them what it looked like: a square nondescript container with a barrel that reminded Mbuto of a ray gun. From the compartment, the laser probe was carted to Phoenix One, where Sandra and Woody installed it beneath the craft. Too nervous to eat the refreshments Sandra and Woody provided the crew, Captain Drexel and his lieutenant waited for the modification to be made. Everyone hovered sympathetically around them as if this might be really dangerous or, as Nicole feared, proved to be a suicide mission—a one way trip.

******

As the crew followed Abe and Sheila to the dock, Ingrid intoned a prayer she had made up for the occasion. This time, Carla, who had been trying to be patient with the self-appointed chaplain, lost it again, telling her to “Shut-the-hell-up!” Once again, however, the others jumped to Ingrid’s defense. After the deaths of their fellow crewmembers and so many close calls, the majority view was the “They needed all the help they could get!” No one was a hardcore atheist anymore, not even Carla, who immediately apologized for her words.

When the captain and his pilot were at the controls ready for takeoff, Ingrid, with Carla’s approval, said another prayer, this one short and to the point: “Lord of the universe, protect our captain and lieutenant!” To avoid the vacuum of space then, the humans and androids tramped up the ladder, shut the hatch behind themselves, and standing over the bridge in front of the dockside camera, watched the docking door open and the Phoenix One make its descent. Already, the age old question, about whether or not there was intelligent alien life in the universe had been answered with the discovery of the headless men on Gliese and reaffirmed when they found the domes. Now, here on Kepler 186f, the questions paramount in everyone’s mind was ‘Where they still here?’ and ‘Would they come back?”

Descending quickly until reaching a point a kilometer above the dome, Phoenix One positioned itself over the probe’s target. From the moment the rover took off and throughout the brief investigation, the humans and androids stood with great anticipation on the bridge, watching the rover hover over the dome. Though they were ordered to be quiet as Skip monitored their movements, excited murmurs erupted on the bridge, until Skip whispered shrilly, “Silence on the bridge!”

“Keep her steady,” Abe ordered the pilot.

“Please hurry, captain!” muttered Sheila. “We’re sitting ducks!”

The camera on the belly of the rover showed the scene directly below, magnified many times, while the inboard camera caught the faces of the captain and pilot. Abe put on his bravest face. Sheila looked terrified. With the laser probe in operation and dome in his sights, Abe pressed the camera button, bringing the probe camera’s magnification gradually up until he lost focus, then adjusting the reception, the image was clarified and an infrared likeness of the dome’s interior appeared on the screen.

“Well…” Skip sounded impatient. “What do you see?”

“I’m not sure,” Abe frowned. “It looks like more of those crystal structures we saw in the cave, but no one’s about.”

“That’s a relief!” replied Skip. “The crystals are quite significant…. But what else, captain?”

“I don’t see movement, but according to the infrared image the structure’s producing heat. Astonishing—utterly amazing!” He whistled under his breath.

“It’s the crystals!” exclaimed Carla almost reverently. “I felt it in the cave.”

“They’re not alive.” Ingrid frowned. “You treated one like it was an idol.”

“You’re an infidel!” Said teased. “Off with your head!”

“That’s all I see,” concluded Abe. “We have to check this out—the ones in the cave too!”

“So that’s an ‘all clear,’” Rusty looked at Skip.

“I think so.” Skip nodded faintly. “We haven’t detected any alien people on this planet.”

Her eyes wide and unblinking, Nicole blurted, “You can’t be sure they’re not around. What if they’re hiding from us? It could be an ambush!”

“Oh, come now, Nicole.” Max looked at her in disbelief. “Why would they do that? What purpose would that serve?”

“I don’t know.” She thought a moment. “…They could be afraid of us. Maybe they’re planning an attack.”

“That’s ridiculous.” The doctor shook his head. “Why would they be afraid of us? After seeing those crystals, you could believe that?”

“Yes,” she raised an eyebrow, “don’t forget Gliese. Those headless men attacked us!”

“Those fellows were stupid.” Max shook his head. “I’m talking about an advanced civilization. Those domes were probably just outposts. The visitors are long gone!”

“My dear.” Ingrid gave Nicole a hug. “What did I tell you?”

“If you don’t trust the facts, trust in God,” she answered in a small voice.

“And when afraid, what do you do?” she prodded gently.

“Pray,” Nicole brightened, “and recite the psalms.”

“Good grief!” Carla rolled her eyes.

Waving his hands as if to dispel this nonsense, Skip shouted. “Shut up! Everyone shut up! This is the most important thing that’s happened in our odyssey. Abe, check your fuel gauge. If you have enough, why not view it up close? The door’s open. Why not go in? Take the camera with you, so we can all see it first hand. The crew can visit the dome later after you’ve checked it out.”

“What do you think, Sheila?” Abe turned to his pilot.

With a much calmer expression on her face, Sheila shrugged her shoulders. “Okay, we have enough fuel. Let’s take a peak!”

Watching the Phoenix make its descent, the bridge once again broke into chatter. Some of the chatter came from Ingrid who continued to bolster Nicole’s flagging courage and Said, Mbuto, and Carla who teased Nicole after hearing her outrageous views.

“I’ve got it, Nicole,” Said gave her a sly look. “Maybe the aliens are invisible!”

“They could just be very small,” Mbuto grinned.

“Or both invisible and small.” Carla’s eyes twinkled with mirth. “Like fairies, elves, or maybe woodland spirits!”

“Nicole,” Max said, placing an arm around her shoulders, “look at the evidence. They’re gone, vanished, finis, no more! Our biggest worries aren’t the visitors from space but the dumb brutes on this world!”

******

As the Phoenix One descended, the nose of the craft angled toward the ground, their destination growing larger and larger in the forward screen, the expectation in both the rover and on the bridge heightened by discovery of the crystals in the dome. After leaving the communication speaker on, Abe could hear the crew, in a light-hearted, happy mood tease Nicole. Everyone appeared to be content with Abe and Sheila spearheading the investigation. As a military man, he had accepted their frailties. It occurred to him that this planet might very well need soldiers, not civilians, disciplined for combat and knowledge of survival. With the exception of Sheila, though, who was, because of her frequent lack of resolve, not an exception at all, the other crewmembers were civilians and acted as such. Only Max and Carla showed basic courage and Ingrid’s faith had become her shield against fear.

So far the spinners, a menace on this planet that might have to be destroyed, had not appeared. Now, as the rover hovered over the dome in anticipation of landing, they suddenly returned. Ignoring the furtive, spidery creatures, the elephant-like beasts, continued to browse nearby, as they surrounded the dome. Unlike wolf packs the spinners didn’t appear to be interested in big game. In fascinated horror he watched silently as they moved in and out of the dome, as if lured by alien or human scent. Except for a few gasps, the bridge was also silent.

“They’re back!” Abe finally uttered.

“My God!” Max groaned. “There’s hundreds of them!”

“Don’t land.” Skip barked. “Return to the ship!”

Without a second thought, Sheila began her assent. “Let’s get out of here!” her voice trembled.

“Once and for all, they must be destroyed!” Carla socked her fist. “It’s us or them!”

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