Chapter 16: Armageddon

Blackie turned around just in time to see the alien about to stab at him with its leg, causing the alien to miss him.

"Head back to the lab!" Blackie shouted at them.

As they headed back to the lab, one of the other scientists fell. Blackie tried to help him up, but Sando pulled him away. The claws of the alien just missed him, but succeeded in grabbing one of the scientists.

Blackie then looked at Sando and asked "Why?"

"There's no use in getting both of you killed now run!" Sando said as quickly as he could.

The scientists all made it back to the lab on the fifth floor, except for the one caught by the alien.

"We'll never make it out alive!" Hush and Brush shouted. "The green goodness of God is no longer ours to behold!"

"Wait, as crazy as that sounds it gives me an idea!" Blackie said. "Look at how the aliens have behaved. Their main interest seems to be in destroying anything organic or things that might be threats. They haven't even touched those green drones walking around the building" Blackie stated.

"So?" Gridy questioned. "You gathered all that from watching them out of the window?"

"That, and the fact that this is the only floor that hasn't been penetrated we can assume it was because it was too cold here for them to detect us.

"Just how do you know that this is the only floor that wasn't penetrated?" Gridy asked. An alien foot that was dangling from a corner of the ceiling answered his question.

Blackie continued. "We know we can freeze organics with little damage as long as they stay frozen, and by doing so the aliens my not be able to see us when we leave the lab."

"That's crazy, what good are we as ice cubes?" Gridy asked angrily.

"Well, those frozen wouldn't be any good until we learn how to unfreeze them, but it would allow us to get more out of the building. Drones could carry out the cryo-chambers, and the rest of us could sneak out along with the drones" Blackie finished.

"That's all fine and dandy, but who gets the big chill and who gets to stay warm? I know that I'd never get into one of those things unless I knew I was coming back," Gridy said almost sarcastically.

"Since it was my idea, I'll stay warm as you put it" Blackie replied.

"Then so will I" Sando said.

Thus the scientist began one by one to take the necessary drugs while entering the cryo-chambers. As they were being frozen, Blackie activated the drones.

"This is it, it's now or never!" Blackie shouted.

Only six remained outside of the chambers that were filled, however two chambers remained empty. It was decided that there would be two sections. The first section would be lead by Blackie, Sando, and Gridy.
The drones were lined up, and each one grabbed a cryo-chamber. There was silence. They began their march down the stairs, the six that were unfrozen hoping that the cold air from around the cryo-chambers was enough to mask them from the aliens. However, the aliens looked at them suspiciously and some even began to follow them. They didn't quite seem to know what they should expect from the curious robots, but they knew something wasn't right. The march to the mother ship of the M.A.D. fleet became a slow jog, then all out running. They made it outside, but immediately a few of the aliens attacked the back of the line. Each one of the scientists shouted "Run!" and the robots and the scientists began to run.

The aliens let out shrills to alert the other aliens, who then began shooting at the scientists. Mortal screams were once again heard as the three scientists leading the second line of robots were torn limb from limb by the alien creatures. Glass was heard shattering as the cryo-chambers fell from the robots' grips. Blackie, Sando, Gridy, and nine cryo-chambers were able to make it to the ship, but Blackie had taken two shots, both hitting vital organs. Gridy began to look for the captain of the ship, as Sando tended to Blackie. "You're not going to make it, we have no choice but to freeze you" Sando told him as he injected him with the chemicals necessary before freezing. Blackie was too weak to resist.

"I'm not going to die, I still have one life left" Blackie said in a weak voice.

"Maybe you do, but you're not going to use it now. Those wounds need a doctor's care, and we don't have any doctors on board" Sando insisted.

Gridy came back with grim news "Everyone on the ship is dead."

"I'll have to fly the ship then" Sando replied.

Most Minchivans knew how to fly basic shuttlecraft, but this ship was different. Instead of showing his typical disapproval, Gridy simply nodded his head.

"The alien head" Blackie said as he handed Sando the head that he had taken from the first alien visitor. "The data is in the portable computer that I brought with us."

Blackie wished to say more, but he could not. He was too weak. The drones lifted him up and put him inside the last empty cryo-chamber. Sando watched as the chamber filled with freezing preservative liquid.

"Well, now all we have to do is cloak and get off of the ground" Sando said as he pushed keys on the control console.

"What's that noise?" Gridy asked.

Sando and Gridy both looked at each other then went to the area of the ship where the Cryo units were stored. An alien had just smashed one of the cryo-chambers.

"Go back to the control console and open the rear hatch of the ship." Gridy told Sando. "Then no matter what happens I want you to take off. Once you reach one-hundred meters I want you to shut the door."

"But Gridy! You'll . . ."

"Just go!" Gridy yelled back to him.

Sando did as he was told. After he had reached one hundred meters he went to go check the back of the ship to make sure the door had shut. Gridy was gone along with the alien, but all the cryo-chambers were secured.

"How the heck do you fly this thing?" Sando thought as he went back to the controls. He then heard steps coming from behind him.

"Gridy! Thank goodness, I thought you were dead!" Sando said excitedly as he turned around, only to see in horror an alien, the same one whose head he had dented with his metal suitcase.

The creature glared at him, picked him out of his seat, then threw him against a wall. Sando watched as the alien took control of the ship. When the ship had finally reached space, what appeared to be a wormhole opened up before them. Sando looked at the alien head Blackie brought with him that was now sitting across the room. This gave Sando an idea. With his last bits of life, Sando grabbed the nearest blunt object, and knocked the alien away from the control console. He then changed the changed the coordinates of the ship to read "Unknown 236." "This oughta get you out good and lost you bastard!" Sando shouted as he smashed the ship's controls.

The alien sneered, and dealt the final blow to Sando. It then shrieked helplessly as the ship spiraled out of control through the portal.