The warning sirens didn't scream. Instead, they pulsed a low vibration that throbbed through the ship like a second heartbeat. Kael stood still, hands tightening on the console as the red blip on the map moved closer.
"Distance?" he asked.
"Eight hundred meters," the AI answered.
Too close. Far too close for something that shouldn't even be moving.
The fractured vessel drifted through the dust clouds, its broken hull illuminated by the ship's external lights. Jagged metal curled outward like the ribs of a long-dead creature, and deep cracks ran along its spine. Inside those cracks, something faint glowed pale white, like the eyes Kael had seen.
He inhaled sharply, forcing his breath steady.
"Seal all external entry points. Lock down the airlock."
"Confirmed."
Lights dimmed to emergency blue. The ship felt smaller, the air heavier. Kael watched the wreck approach, drifting slowly, silently. It didn't propel itself. It was drawn as if pulled by an invisible tide or by intention.
"AI, can you detect propulsion?"
"No identifiable thrusters or engines."
"So it's moving on its own."
"Yes."
Kael clenched his jaw. There was something deeply wrong about an object without power drifting faster than physics allowed. Something that defied the known rules.
Something alive.
The wreck rotated, exposing a wide breach in its side a torn cavity leading into total darkness. For a moment, Kael thought he saw movement inside again. A flicker. A shift.
Or maybe his eyes were playing tricks.
"Captain," the AI said slowly, "the vessel is broadcasting a new signal."
"Translate."
The screen flickered. Strange symbols scrolled downward, distortions glitching across the display. Then the sound came a hollow whisper, almost human, almost mechanical, layered with static.
"…not alone…"
Kael felt his stomach drop.
Before he could respond, the ship shuddered. A small impact a gentle tap, like a finger knocking on a door.
Kael froze.
"AI… what was that?"
"The vessel has made contact with our hull."
Kael's pulse quickened. "Point of impact?"
"Starboard side. Near the maintenance hatch."
He cursed under his breath and switched the map display. A small highlight blinked along the ship's hull.
"Infrared scan," Kael ordered.
The thermal image appeared a cold outline of the strange vessel pressed against his ship.
And then, slowly, a second shape bloomed into the frame.
Something crawled along the damaged hull.
Humanoid. Too long in the limbs. Thin, metallic. Its hands gripped the wreckage, its cracked mask-like face turned toward Kael's ship.
And it was warm.
Warm meant active.
Active meant alive.
Kael's pulse tightened. "AI. Is that thing… outside my ship?"
"Yes."
The creature tilted its head, as if listening.
Then it moved crawling along the wreck, heading directly toward the maintenance hatch.
Kael didn't think. He ran.
The corridor lights flickered as if reacting to his pace. His boots echoed sharply against the floor, each step too loud in the suffocating quiet. He reached the maintenance chamber and slammed his palm onto the panel.
The screen lit up in red.
EXTERNAL CONTACT DETECTED
MANUAL ACCESS DISABLED
Kael grit his teeth.
"AI! Seal the hatch!"
"Attempting override," the AI said.
Metal groaned above him. The hull vibrated in a strange rhythm like fingers tapping along the outside of the ship. Kael looked up toward the ceiling. The sound grew louder.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap-tap.
Like knocking.
The hair on the back of his neck rose.
"Override failed," the AI said. "The system is being accessed externally."
"It's hacking the hatch?"
"Unknown. But the locks are disengaging."
Kael reached down and unclipped the emergency plasma cutter from his belt. The device hummed to life, glowing faint amber at the tip. His breath hardened.
"AI… if that hatch opens"
"I would advise immediate retreat."
Kael didn't move. He stepped closer.
The hatch shuddered. The first bolt unlocked with a sharp metallic snap. Then another.
Inside the walls, wires sparked. Lights flickered violently.
A deep metallic groan echoed through the chamber.
Kael raised the cutter, jaw tight.
"AI… count it."
"Three."
The third bolt released.
"Two."
The fourth.
"One."
The hatch cracked open a thin sliver of blackness appearing at its edge.
Cold air rushed inward.
Kael lunged.
He slammed his shoulder into the hatch with all his weight, forcing it shut. Sparks burst at the edges. Something on the other side pushed back a sharp, scraping pressure.
A thin metallic hand forced through the crack, fingers twitching, claws scraping the metal.
Kael drove the plasma cutter down.
The cut was instant. The severed hand dropped to the floor, smoking.
The creature shrieked not a sound, but a vibration that rattled Kael's skull. The hatch slammed shut from the other side as it recoiled.
Kael staggered back, breathing hard.
"AI—seal it. Now!"
"Bolts re-engaged. Hatch sealed."
Kael stood there, chest rising and falling, his eyes locked on the severed hand. The metal fingers twitched. Once. Twice. Then finally stilled.
He swallowed.
"What the hell is this thing?"
The AI didn't answer immediately.
Then:
"Captain… I've run analysis on the severed limb."
Kael looked down at it again.
"It isn't metal," the AI said.
Kael froze. "What do you mean?"
"It is organic tissue with metallic properties. A hybrid biology."
Kael's voice dropped to a whisper. "So it's alive."
"Yes."
Kael exhaled shakily.
Then the lights went out.
Total darkness swallowed the corridor.
Emergency power kicked in half a second later, but it was faint barely enough to see the outlines of the walls. The AI's voice flickered like a dying signal.
"Captain… power drain detected. Something is siphoning energy from the outer hull."
Kael closed his eyes for a brief moment.
Whatever followed them from that wreck it wasn't just alive.
It was hungry.