by Thomas Stone
Edward Fagen was actually the secondary target, but Denforth felt Fagen’s capture would make it easier to commandeer the spacecraft, which was the real prize. However, if push came to shove, Denforth knew he would not hesitate to terminate Fagen’s life as well as anyone else who got in the way.
Denforth stood behind his command vehicle and raised the rear hatch. Inside was an assortment of equipment neatly arranged and stowed. The major found what he wanted and withdrew a small case, somewhat smaller than briefcase size. He unclipped the two fasteners on the front edge and opened the case to reveal a metal canister nestled in grey shockproof padding. Alongside was a device with the size and characteristics of a remote controller.
Standing in the shade offered by his captured truck, Jennings watched. Cross stood behind him in the open hatch. The two hadn’t exchanged words since their first encounter except to occasionally reveal their open distrust of one another in brief statements to Denforth.
Surprisingly, Cross was the first to attempt to bridge the gap. “What’s the Major doing?” he asked.
“How should I know?” Jennings flatly answered.
“He was in such a fired-up hurry a minute ago...”
Jennings walked away, toward Denforth. Denforth looked up as he approached. As he moved closer, Jennings recognized the gear. “Nanobot scouts,” he said.
“That’s right,” said Denforth.
“I’ve used ‘em,” admitted Jennings.
“Not like these,” said Denforth. “These babies aren’t passive and they have more intelligence than the scout drones. Latest thing from Braithwaite’s mil-labs section.” As he held the cylinder containing the nanobots under his arm, he took the remote and began making selections from the parameters displayed on the three-centimeter wide screen.
Punching in the last command, he stuck the controller in a pouch on his combat vest, unscrewed the top of the cylinder and held it aloft. Activated by open air, the tiny mechanical creatures began to swarm upward in a rapidly expanding buzzing mass. In moments, all had fled the confines of their tubular prison and disappeared into the surrounding sky.
“If Irons is still in the area, that’ll take care of him.”
“What about wind dispersal?”
“Oh, these things will stay put until I tell ‘em to return. If he’s in the vicinity, Irons hasn’t got a chance.” Denforth looked up as troopers began boarding their vehicles. He pointed a finger at Jennings. “You ride with me. My men will drive the trucks. Let’s saddle up.”
Specialist Ramey came running up to the Major. He pointed at Minerva-Too. “What about that truck, sir?”
“Leave it,” said Denforth with a wave of his hand.
Jennings looked at Fagen’s super-truck with regret before climbing in after Denforth into the rear of the command vehicle. A driver and another armed soldier sat in the front. The convoy started up and, in a long line, began to snake its way between the dunes. Once on their way, the Major took another device from a vest pocket and placed it on the console between himself and Jennings.
“Do you know what that is?” he asked.
Jennings slowly shook his head in the negative. “Uh-uh.”
“It’s a lie detector. It works by stress analysis on your verbal responses. A hundred percent accurate. Guaranteed. I’m going to ask you some questions and you will tell me the truth. Got it?”
“Fine with me,” said Jennings. “Got no reason to lie.”
“We’ll see.”
The vehicle hit a rough stretch and the card-sized device slid across the console. Denforth stuck a piece of double-sided tape on the back and put it in the middle of the console, between himself and Jennings. “All right,” started Denforth, “first, I want to know who the old man is, this Emory character.”
“I don’t really know,” Jennings started. “He found us in the desert while we were observing kitzloc and then brought us to a secret complex. He said he worked for Braithwaite and had been on Mirabel for years. There were others, he said, but they all disappeared, apparently taken by the kitzloc.”
“Do you believe him?”
Jennings paused a moment before shaking his head. “No. Nobody could live out here that long, all alone. And... he’s weird. A little off, you know.”
“When was the last time you saw Fagen?”
“Yesterday. Last night at Emory’s complex.”
“Why did you leave them?”
“Because I didn’t want to get killed chasing ghosts in the desert. Or worse.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean these creatures, these kitzloc, this is their domain. We know next to nothing about them but it seems to me anybody who comes into contact with them either disappears for good or winds up out of their mind.”
“So you got scared?”
“Damn right I got scared. Common sense kicked in and I bugged out.”
“Do you know why Fagen is here?”
“They were trying to cure Irons of the kitzloc illness.”
“Did they succeed?”
Jennings shrugged. “Once someone is infected, they’re infected for good. The cure is death.” said Jennings, glancing at the lie detector.
“Where are they now?”
“I don’t know. They were at the complex when I left.”
“All right,” said Denforth, taking the device from the console, “you’re not lying, as far as you know.”
“Could have told you that.”
*
The small group gathered just inside the cave’s open mouth. Fagen looked to the fading light of the sky in hopes Minerva would appear. Bobbi sat next to Ellis on an outcropping of rock while the others likewise sat farther back in the tunnel, as if reluctant to fully expose themselves to open air. George remained standing with one end of the tether encircling his waist and the other held in Lisa’s hands. Tobias sat next to her, rubbing his eyes, waiting for Fagen to tell them to move out.
They were ready to go, yet Fagen still hesitated. His reluctance was understandable. He had taken on the mantle of responsibility and once the group left the catacombs, they would leave their shelter and the means to sustain themselves. An exchange of freedom for possible death. Highly possible.
Bobbi got up and stepped beside Fagen. “If they heard the beacon, seems like they’d be here by now.”
Fagen didn’t answer but he knew she was right. He looked at the others. All except George returned his gaze.
“Okay,” said Fagen, “as you can see, our ride isn’t here. I think I need to walk out a few kilometers and try the beacon again. So, everybody wait here while I try again.” Fagen pulled his pistol from its holster and handed it to Bobbi.
“Wait a minute,” said Tobias. “I thought you already did that.”
“I did, but I can’t be sure they received the signal. Just stay here. It won’t take long.” Fagen turned to go.
“I’ll go with you,” said Bobbi, stepping up behind him.
“Don’t let them leave without us,” Lisa murmured to Tobias.
“Wait a minute,” said Tobias, rising to his feet, “how do we know you’ll come back?”
“We’ll come back,” said Fagen. “I promise.”
“Well,” said Tobias, “I’d feel better if the woman remained here with us, just to make sure.”
“It’s not necessary,” started Fagen. He was interrupted by George who started to moan and twist in his bonds.
Lisa got to her feet as well. “It is necessary! How do we know you’ll come back? Who are we to you? The woman should stay...”
George rocked his body back and forth, his moans increasing in strength even as everyone argued. He began tugging at the tether, pulling at it in an effort to loose himself from Lisa’s grip.
Fagen spread his hands in a gesture of capitulation. “I’m coming back, you don’t have to worry about that. All I need to do is...”
At that moment, George jerked the tether from Lisa’s hands, did an abrupt about face, and
ran back into the tunnel, the darkness enveloping him in seconds.
“Oh great,” exclaimed Tobias.
Bobbi faced Fagen. “I’ll stay here and help retrieve George. You go on.”
“I won’t leave you again.”
“We have no choice. It’ll be all right. Go now.”
Fagen looked long at Bobbi before finally nodding in agreement. He took her face in his hands and kissed her before turning away and starting his walk.
Bobbi watched Edward walk away and when he turned at the top of a dune, she waved. He lifted a hand and walked out of view.
Bobbi looked at Ellis. “Stay here while we find George.”
“Where am I gonna go?”
Tobias and Lisa followed Bobbi into the tunnel in search of George. In minutes they found him cowering before the fissure that led to the space where Fagen had found Bobbi. When Bobbi shined her light on George, he flinched and began wedging himself into the tight opening.
“Here he is,” announced Bobbi. “Calm down, Georgie. Come to me now, you don’t want to go in there...”
As soon as she said it, George went farther in. When Bobbi shined her light in the crack, all she saw was the demonic shine in his eyes before he vanished from sight.
“He went inside,” said Bobbi. “We’ll have to go in after him.”
“Oh great,” said Tobias.
“What do you want to do?” shouted Lisa. “Leave him?”
“I didn’t say that.”
Bobbi was growing weary of their bickering. “All right, that’s enough you two! We’ll just have to go in and get him.” Bobbi shined her light on Lisa. “Will he listen to you?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “Maybe.”
“I don’t think I can bring him out by myself,” admitted Bobbi. “You’ve got to help.”
“All right, all right,” she relented.
“I’ll wait here,” volunteered Tobias. “I don’t want to have to go back in there.”
Lisa turned on Tobias with a pointing finger. “You will go in with us and help. You got us into this and you can help get us out. You first.”
With a sigh, Tobias obeyed and squeezed his tall, lean frame through the narrow opening. Lisa followed with Bobbi close behind. Bobbi didn’t say it, but she certainly didn’t want to return to the place where she’d been kept prisoner. Get in, get the nutcase, and get out -- that was her plan. Don’t think about it, just do it.
When Bobbi emerged from the fissure, Tobias and Lisa were waiting but George wasn’t in sight. They checked the narrow passage on the right only to discover large eels blocking the entrance. Lisa stifled a scream and the trio backed away. Bobbi turned her light on the opening to the left. “Well, that narrows it down.”
She moved to the passage, prepared to enter, but Tobias manned up.
“I’ll go first,” he said.
Lisa looked at him. “Thanks Tob’. I’m right behind you.”
Tobias shined his light inside and moved forward. Lisa followed him step for step. As Bobbi was about to follow, a rustling came from the far side of the room and Bobbi shifted her light. Two of the eels wormed forward, slithering out of the hole to reveal bodies that looked even larger out of narrow confines of the tunnel. Bobbi sucked in her breath and drew out Fagen’s pistol. Although the two looked menacing enough, neither posed an immediate threat -- they weren’t coming after her -- yet.
Bobbi, her back to the opening, called over her shoulder. “Lisa? Tobias? Did you find him?”
There was a muffled response, but Bobbi couldn’t make out what was said. She glanced again at the eels. The creatures were preoccupied with exploring the far wall, so she took the opportunity to squeeze through the passage behind her. She took half a dozen steps before ducking under the rocky outcropping and emerging into the dead-end chamber. All three were in the center of the room. Tobias had just finished retying the tether around George who sat on the floor with a hanging head. Lisa had her hands on his shoulders. Tobias looked up as Bobbi entered. “We got him,” he said just as George raised his head. His eyes were wide and as he looked at Bobbi, a crazed smile crept into his expression. That was the last Bobbi saw before a bright spot of light suddenly washed over the trio. In an instant, the trio vanished.
Bobbi, startled, fell back, hitting her head on the outcropping on the way down, and nearly knocking herself unconscious. She dropped her light and it rolled away into the chamber, then went out altogether, bathing Bobbi in darkness. Head throbbing, woozy, she pressed one hand against the back of her head where she felt moist stickiness. The other hand reached out, blindly feeling the vertical wall of the exit passage. She couldn’t get to her feet because the low overhead prevented her from standing, so she scooted along on her rear. She knew she was headed the right direction; there was no other way to go. The only thought she had was to get out. No time to think, just get out. By feel, the passage widened and Bobbi knew she’d made it into the outer room, only then remembering the eels and their rustling scales as they slithered across the rocky floor. The same sound came to her ears again, but closer. She was on her feet in an instant, all thoughts of her banged head forgotten.
Bobbi stood with her back to the opening and recalled the layout of the chamber. The fissure lead out was across the room, a little to the left, only steps away. Without further consideration, she scampered across the space. On her last step, she felt something underfoot. It moved and a hissing issued forth. Bobbi jumped to her left as if hit with an electric shock. She shivered uncontrollably and felt along the rock in front of her, frantically reaching in the dark for the fissure. One of the eels brushed past her ankle and she jumped again, this time tripping over the squirming tube at her feet and falling to her hands and knees. Centimeters from her face, an eel hissed loudly, drops of spittle landed on her exposed face and neck. Hands up, she threw herself forward and found the narrow crack in the wall. As she turned sideways and jammed herself through, she felt jaws nipping at her calf. She snapped her foot backward and felt contact, but didn’t pause. In moments, she had squirmed through and made her way back to the exit passage. Without hesitation and with a wildly beating heart, she turned to the right and fairly ran through the darkness to the exit.
The dim light streaming from the cave entrance was such a welcome sight that at first she didn’t notice Ellis was no longer there.
Bobbi crept from the cave’s dark, yawning mouth. Night had fallen, but the stars shone brightly, lighting the ghostly landscape. Ellis was missing. Afraid to call out, to make a sound that might draw attention from known or unknown predators, Bobbi collapsed to her knees and sobbed into her hands. Lost in her anguish, she didn’t notice the shadow fall over her. She did however, hear a familiar, low humming. Raising her teary eyes, she saw a beautiful sight: the gleaming black hull of the spaceship she’d called home for the past fifteen years descending to the sands before her.
When the ramp descended and Fagen stepped down, she ran to his open arms. “What happened? Where are the others?”
Bobbi couldn’t answer. She merely shook her head.
“Ellis is with us. I lit the beacon two kilometers from here and they picked me up in less than fifteen minutes. They were already on their way.”
He put his arm around her and led her up the ramp. “Don’t be shocked when you see what’s happened to our crew.”
Bobbi recovered her voice. “I don’t know if I can handle any more today.”
“These are good changes, I think. It’ll just take a little time to get used to the, uh, differences.”
The ramp went up behind them and, instead of going to the control room, Fagen accompanied Bobbi to their quarters. Bobbi fell onto the bed. “This feels so good. I think I could sleep for a week.”
“Unfortunately,” said Fagen, “we don’t have that long.” He crossed the room and entered the bath where he began to draw water into a tub. He continued to speak to Bobbi as he prepared her bath. “You could use a soak, something to eat, and some
sleep, I know. Minerva is putting some food together for you. She wants to bring it to you so you can see her new, er, look.” Fagen poured a solution into the bath and bubbles began to form. “We’re going to back off a few kilometers, do a scan of the area and then probably make our way back to the complex. We’re not done looking for Harry and Kathleen, so don’t worry about that.”
He left the water running and stepped into the bedroom. “I need to catch you up on things. First, Bart and Arai, they’re...” Fagen stopped talking. Bobbi was sound asleep.
Chapter 14
The convoy stopped short of the complex before dusk. Following standard operating procedures, the Major checked to ensure his locator beacon was active so those aboard the Braithwaite ship in orbit would know his location. With the vehicles hidden behind the dunes, Denforth ordered a third of his force to encircle and secure the area while he led the remainder of the contingent underground. He motioned to Jennings. “Stick with me. Show me how to get inside.”
“We’ll need Emory,” replied Jennings. “He knows this place better than any of us.”
Denforth nodded thoughtfully. “I suppose you’re right.” He instructed a trooper to bring the old man out of the truck then admitted to Jennings, “I don’t trust that guy. Something’s not right about him.”
“Tell me about it,” Jennings agreed.
In minutes, Penbrook was brought out and instructed to guide the soldiers to the entrance. Penbrook seemed delighted to help. “Glad to have the company,” he said as he led the way. Over his shoulder he added, “Sorry the place is such a mess but there’s plenty of water.”
Denforth commented on the well-hidden facility, “I wouldn’t know it was here if I hadn’t been told.”
“It was designed for concealment,” grunted Jennings, “according to the old man.”
Penbrook led Denforth to where the opening mechanism was concealed. He stooped, brushed the sand from the top of the metal hatch and lifted it up, exposing the apparatus. Penbrook fumbled with the locking key and turned the switch. As the great door lifted, Denforth instructed his men to watch the opening.