There were many long cracks and fissures that sliced through the rocky ground, which began to slant ever so slightly downward. Captain Kirk and his small crew had walked barely fifty meters when the ground abruptly fell away into a huge chasm that cut across the chamber. It was the only thing separating them from the derelict city that waited silently for them in the shadows.

An old bridge reached across the chasm, the ancient metal curling into the loose ground at each end. There were no railings or supports and it was made of several narrow platforms that were fitted together. Strange designs and markings ran across the warped metal surfaces. 

"This doesn't look up to code," Kirk mumbled, stepping tentatively onto the bridge "Seems sturdy enough though," He began to walk across. The rest of the crew followed closely behind.

Kirk looked over his shoulder at his crew, about to say something to ease the mood when he noticed a pale figure shambling towards the bridge. Humanoid. Sort of. There were large dark pits where its eyes were supposed to be and its mouth was like a dark gash across its crooked pale face. A long clawed hand almost dragged across the ground as it walked. Several spider-like appendages wrapped around its slender form.

"Move!" Kirk ordered  as several more figures joined, all stumbling quickly closer towards the bridge.

Kirk let his crew run past him, heading towards the dead city.

"Keptin," Chekov hesitated, holding his phaser up.

"Go!" Kirk ordered, gently pushing the ensign along.

Kirk, Giotto and the redshirt remained on the bridge, firing at the now oncoming hoard of figures. They began to make noise, guttural inhumane sounds tearing from their deformed throats.

"There's too many of them," Kirk said, realizing that no matter how many they were stunned, they still kept coming.

Giotto shook his head. "We won't be able to hold them off for much longer," He told the captain, glancing over his shoulder at the city behind them. "Your permission to detonate charges on the bridge, captain."

Kirk looked at his crewman in shock. "That may be our only way out."

Giotto shot at the first two who had begun to step onto the narrow bridge. "We may not have another option, sir."

Captain Kirk shot at another as he backed across the bridge. There were too many of them and they were approaching too quickly. They were going to overrun them very soon. Kirk swore. "Permission granted!"

Giotto reached into his pack and removed two clunky silver disks. He dropped to a crouch, setting them on the ancient metal surface and beginning the activation sequence. Meanwhile, Kirk and the other red shirt stepped in front of him, firing at the creatures that had begun to step onto the bridge.

Suddenly a blurred right figure was in front of the crewman. A clawed hand sliced through his chest, another hand wrapped around the back of his skull. The jagged mouth stretched open wide and a forked tongue flicked over rows of teeth.

"No!" Kirk yelled, firing rapidly at the creature, but it was too late. The man slumped to the ground and his limp body fell into the bottomless chasm below.

Kirk kept firing at the oncoming hoard when he turned and one appeared in front of him, its head swaying back and forth and the jagged tear of its mouth opening. The spider like appendages unfurled from its body.

Kirk shot it, but it didn't have an effect. The creature hissed and moved forward at an alarming speed. One of its appendages coiled around the captain's arm, tearing the phaser from his hand and sending him tumbling off the bridge. Kirk barely caught the edge of the warped metal before he plummeted into the chasm below.

"Jim!" Bones yelled, firing at the creatures from the other side of the bridge.

Giotto called out to his captain, firing at several of the creatures as the hoard began to funnel onto the bridge. Kirk could see the multitude of flat webbed feet shuffling past where he was hanging.. There were too many of them, and the moment Kirk climbed onto the bridge he would be overwhelmed.

"Activate the charges!" Kirk ordered.

"Not without you captain!" Giotto shouted back.

"That's an order!"

"Damnit Jim, we're not going to just blow you up with it!" Bones yelled.

There were too many of the creatures. If they didn't activate the charges, the rest of the crew would be killed. It was then that the captain had an idea.

Hanging painfully from the ancient corroded metal with one hand, he set his phaser for immediate overload and tossed it onto the bridge.

And with a mumbled prayer, he let go.