Somewhere inside her head, Sophie could hear Overton’s voice, but as the adrenaline in her system was replaced by pain, she slipped into shock, closed her eyes, and drifted into unconsciousness.

Bouma strained his ears. Somewhere in the distance, a series of metallic clicks rang out, followed by the ambient sound of the ventilation system turning on.

He continued on, wriggling through the tight ductwork. Checking his HUD first for heat signatures, he blinked his night vision back on. The passage was clear.

Stopping at an intersection, he managed to push himself onto his knees, first looking to his left and then to his right.

“Damn,” he muttered. He had only been crawling through the guts of the system for fifteen minutes, and he was already lost.

He reached for his tablet and slid it in front of him, blinking off his night vision. The screen displayed the internal blueprints of the Biosphere. Running his finger along the surface, he followed one of the red lines. It didn’t take long to find his approximate location. He wasn’t far from the vent above the med ward, the area where the Spiders most likely would have sought refuge after they feasted on Saafi.

He slid the tablet back into its pouch and peeked around the corner. As the screen dimmed, he saw there was another light source. Resisting the urge to turn his night vision back on, he crawled forward. At the end of the passage he could see the outlines of what appeared to be several balls.

Moments later he was feet away from a cluster of glowing orbs—smaller ones, no larger than a basketball. He felt his heart beating faster, his breathing becoming labored. These were unlike the others. They were different—they were eggs.

He closed his eyes, trying to blink the sight away. But all it did was enhance his night vision, filling his display with a vibrant green glow.

He forced himself to crawl a few paces forward. With a quick jab, he poked one of the eggs with his rifle barrel.

The skin of the orb pulsated to life, revealing a tiny creature inside. Startled, Bouma scooted away from the thing, smashing into the side of the duct. He took a deep breath and focused on calming his heart rate. He watched the creature unfold one of its many legs, each with a miniature claw on the end. As the baby Spider began to tear through the fragile skin of the orb, Bouma grabbed his rifle. He didn’t stop to think about what the eggs signified—he didn’t stop to consider what it meant for the future of the human race. He simply squeezed off a single volley of shots, turning the cluster of eggs into messy blue pulp before continuing forward.

He had a promise to keep. He was going to kill them all.

Chapter 30

CHAPTER 30