Night of the Aurora (Salmon Run - Book 1)

Chapter 18

"They have their uses? Where are the security-bots now?" Yenni yelled, launching himself off the end of the counter. Gossamer wings erupted out of the long brown casings along his back, flapping wildly.

Nanuk grabbed him as he fell out of the air. "Heavy gravity, remember?"

 Zach saw the door inch open under the brown bear's straining muscles. The sight of the teeth and claws combined with the huffing and growling set his heart racing. 

Sasha pushed past him to follow Nanuk and Yenni. He demanded of her, "What do we do?"

"Play dead." 

"That's not funny."

"I'm serious. You can't run, you can't fight. You play dead."

The bear at the door roared as it managed to get one shoulder through. Nanuk disappeared through a narrow door in the back corner of the room. Zach pushed Sasha through it.

He turned to see the bear squeeze the rest of his body through the door. Muscles rippling under its fur as it rounded a long cabinet. Zach stepped back against a tall line of cabinets.

A mesh barrier descended over the doorway. The bear crashed into it, one small point bending at the impact.

"I thought bears hibernated in winter," Zach said, trying to catch his breath. 

The bear roared in fury, throwing itself at the barrier again and again. As it did, Zach spotted a spot of wetness on one shoulder. His mind flew to stories of the abilities of angry injured bears. He had to turn away to keep from getting sick. He couldn't believe he was hoping a security-bot would show up.

"They should be, but it looks sick," Sasha said, backing away even further.

"It is a young male and has no fat reserves left. It will not act like a normal bear. This is a problem," Yenni said, jumping out of Nanuk's grasp. The wings furled, rolling themselves into the protective back casings.

He bounded across the floor of a room filled with shelves, cabinets, and crates to another door. He reached up to a lower pad at the door. The door slid open half-way before stopping. 

"The bear could get through that," Zach said.

"It's not intelligent enough to know to go back in the hall." Yenni looked around the edge of the opening. "No security-bots."

"That mesh door isn't going to last long," Sasha warned, joining Zach at the other door.

"Bears are not as unintelligent as you assume," Nanuk said. He squeezed through the opening, catching one of the tools against the door. With a yank he freed himself. "Remember the cabins?"

Yenni followed him out. "Fine, we need to find new shelter. Where would you suggest? The entire ship is experiencing faults."

Zach slipped into the hall, automatically searching for the security-bots, but this time wanting to see them. "How about behind a forcefield? We found one still operational not far from here."

"I don't remember the direction," Sasha said. She looked up at the ceiling as the lights blinked. "It might not be working anymore anyway."

"Parts of the ship are safer than others." Nanuk sniffed the air in both directions of the hall, "To the left. Head towards the core."

"Right. Human children, follow us." Yenni shot down the hall, galloping on all fours. "We might need something to distract the bear."

"That isn't funny," Zach yelled after him.

"He was joking," Nanuk said at them before following Yenni.

Zach gave Sasha a worried glance. "I'm not sure he was joking."