by Ricky Sides
Having worked closely with Pol on the Peacekeeper, Bill knew all too well the value of advice from a talented engineer. Peter was a good solid engineer. He lacked the brilliance of Pol, but that was no stain on his record for Pol was an exceptionally gifted man. When Peter came to him with recommendations, Bill would always give them serious consideration.
There was no need to test the altitude launch restriction. The engineers and computer people had vetted that system before the crew had taken over the ship. Due to the enormous size of the battleship, Pol had felt it prudent to increase her altitude capability to three hundred feet for reasons of navigational safety. This would limit the need to navigate around many obstacles such as amateur radio towers. However, the drones were capped at two hundred feet, and since the battleship carried ten drones Pol had felt it safest to leave their cap at a lower altitude. In this manner, the ten drones wouldn’t have to share their airspace with the massive bulk of their mother ship.
This did present one problem. If the drones were launched above their ceiling cap, they would freefall to that cap before the flight controls could establish control. Since the electromagnetic field would push against the hull of their mother ship, they would be able to launch, but the moment that field slid past the body of the vessel, they would freefall and the operator would lose control. To prevent this scenario from occurring the engineers and computer expert, Patricia Huxley Wilison, had collaborated and come up with a solution. The operator’s computer interface had an inhibitor built in. When the flight controls were activated, the inhibitor checked with the main navigation computer to determine the altitude of the Constitution. If the ship happened to be above the ceiling cap then a red light was activated on the drone control panels and the drones would not detach from the surface of the mother ship. Once the Constitution came down to two hundred feet or lower, the red lights would be replaced by green lights and the drones could be detached and launched.
The four fighters had been launched to fly top cover and watch the landscape below for signs of people in trouble. Bill had ordered that precaution because the control room crew would be preoccupied with the important research, which they were conducting. The fighters would be flying at a flight level of four hundred feet. With the drones, flying at a flight level of two hundred feet there would be no threat of collision with the fighters.
An hour into the drone testing, Eagle 1, the flight leader of the Constitution’s small squadron, radioed that she had spotted smoke and was heading out to check out the area. Within minutes, the pilot sent word with the location that warranted the captain’s attention. She then reported that she had located a house at the scene of the fire and that there were bodies near the house.
“Please send us the video feed of the scene, flight leader,” Bill requested. Soon he saw the house in a large clearing. The forest surrounded the house. A small dirt road snaked through the forest and entered that clear section. Bill saw four bodies on the ground near the house. Pools of blood had accumulated beside each body.
After viewing the video, Bill suspended the drone testing and ordered the ship to head in flight leader Melissa Falker’s direction. They were over Indiana and he had ordered the pilots to check out visible fires. He had then related the Peacekeeper’s experiences in that state with the cannibals so that they would understand the potentially serious nature of any visible smoke.
Within minutes, the Constitution was hovering over the house and the bodies below. Sergeant Carter was standing near the captain awaiting orders. Corporal Vince Sexton, said, “Sir, there is room in the clearing to the right if you wish to land.”
“Set us down pilot, but be careful. That clearing isn’t going to leave a lot of margin for error.”
Turning to Sergeant Carter, the captain said, “Sergeant, I want two of your men left onboard the ship to guard the bay door. The bay door will remain open while you and your team are outside. Tell the guards that they are not to leave their post for any reason. Take the rest of your men and investigate the scene. I want the scene documented on video for a possible report to the council. This isn’t the first time we’ve had issues in Indiana. The door will remain sealed until you are ready to depart. Report the moment that you open the door,” Bill ordered in a rapid-fire burst of sentences.
“Aye, Captain,” the sergeant said and turned to leave.
“Sergeant Carter,” Bill said stopping the man. “Under no circumstances are your men to leave the clearing. Something killed those people. I want you all to stay close to the ship. Secure the area and then notify me. I’ll want to see the scene first hand.”
“Understood, sir,” Sergeant Carter said and then turned to dart down the hall toward the cargo bay where his team was waiting.
“Patricia. I’m sorry, I mean, Holly,” Bill said apologetically. “Contact Eagle One. Tell Melissa I said for the squadron to keep a sharp eye on the woodlands around the clearing. I’m counting on them to be our eyes in the sky, and watch for hostiles while the men are out in the open.”
“Aye, sir,” Holly responded. She relayed the message and then listened to the pilot’s response. “Sir, Melissa says that they are in position flying cover but so far there is no sign of movement that they can see through the forest canopy. However, she wishes you to know that the forest canopy is very dense. It is quite possible that an army could be on the move down there and they’d not see a sign of them.”
“Noted, Holly. Relay a message to that affect to the Sergeant please,” Bill ordered.
“Sir, Sergeant Carter just reported that they are exiting now. I’ll relay your message immediately,”
Bill nodded and walked over to stare out the windshield at what he could see in the clearing. He was watching as the strike team walked past the nose of the ship. Turning to Holly he said, “I’m going to my cabin for my rifle and then I’m going to be in the cargo bay. The moment the strike team sounds the all clear, I want to know.”
“Yes, Captain,” responded Holly.
“Wait, Captain,” the pilot, named Corporal Sexton said. “I don’t mean to overstep my bounds here, sir, but you shouldn’t go out alone. I know the strike team is there, but they are hundreds of yards away. May I suggest you take a couple of the drone operators with you? And I’d love the chance to go with you myself.”
Smiling, Bill remembered another captain whose crew had insisted he be accompanied by security and Jim’s response. “Sorry, Corporal. You may be needed to pilot the ship in an emergency, but your points are noted and valid. Pick two men and have them meet me in the cargo bay ASAP. And they should bring their rifles,” the captain said and strode away as the ten drone operators hastily climbed to their feet to volunteer. He smiled as he walked to the first cabin beyond the control room on the left hand side of the ship. He remembered volunteering for such missions himself.
Bill retrieved his rifle and buckled on his sidearm. Then suddenly he remembered that he had forgotten to order the men to wear full armor. “If one of them dies because of my oversight…,” thought Bill. He rushed to the cargo bay just as the two volunteers arrived.
Before he could even greet the guards Holly’s voice spoke through the com system of the ship saying, “Captain, the Sergeant says the site has been cleared and he is requesting your presence.”
Activating the intercom microphone beside the cargo bay door, Bill replied, “On my way,” Looking at the two strike force guards he said, “You men keep your eyes open and your senses alert. Don’t let anything inside the ship distract you. Not even for a moment.”
“Yes, Captain,” they said in unison but the captain had already left with the two volunteers rushing to stay near him.
Bill saw three men running toward the rear of the ship. He knew that Sergeant Carter has sent them to escort him. He waved them back toward the other men as he continued to run toward the group.
“Sergeant, are your men wearing their hard armor?” Bill asked when he stopped beside Sergeant Carter.
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��Yes, sir,” the sergeant responded.
“Excellent, Sergeant, always wear hard armor in these sorts of situations. Now give me your report,” Bill instructed.
“We found four dead civilians, sir. One victim is male and there are three dead females. I don’t know what killed them. Maybe a bear or something? They were torn to pieces,” the young sergeant explained. Bill noticed that the sergeant looked pale and wondered if he had been sick. “Sir, one of the women had her abdomen ripped open as if something had been torn out. I … I think she may have been pregnant and something took the baby.”
“Take me to her, Sergeant,” Bill said grimly. Sergeant Carter dutifully led the way to the body. “Has this been documented, Sergeant?” Bill asked as he studied the mutilated body.
“Yes, sir, and we left her as we found her, Captain,” Sergeant Carter replied.
“Sergeant, I want the guard doubled on the cargo bay door, but send four men. Two need to act as escort for the doctor. Get the doctor out here, but just the doctor. The nurse is to remain onboard ship. I want some answers that only a medical expert can give me.”
The sergeant rushed off to issue the appropriate orders while Bill examined the rest of the victims. All of them had been ripped apart by something, but he couldn’t really tell if a predator or humans had killed the victims. Predators would have eaten at least portions of the victims.
As he was walking and staring at the ground, Bill saw a spot that was devoid of grass and had a muddy appearance. He moved closer hoping to see some sort of animal track that might give them a clue as to what had happened here at this old two-story wood frame house in a clearing in the middle of dense forestlands. Inside that six-foot patch of ground, he saw two prints and stared at them in surprise. They were easily two times the size of a man’s footprint and they appeared to be made by someone barefoot. Looking up he spotted a private with a video camera. He walked over to the man and asked, “Did you document those prints?”
“Yes, sir. I was told to do so by the Sergeant,” the man replied.
“Were any other strange prints located here?” asked the captain.
Shaking his head the private responded, “No, sir, not to my knowledge.”
“Did you get close up shots of the victim’s wounds?” asked Bill.
The private swallowed hard and nodded.
Sergeant Carter returned with the doctor as Bill was walking back toward the muddy spot. “Sergeant, send a man to the ship for some plaster, water and a container. I want casts made of the prints,” Bill said pointing to the muddy patch.
“Yes, sir,” the sergeant said.
“Ask the nurse for the gear. We have plaster aboard for treating broken bones,” Doctor Michael Dean said.
“Thanks, Doc,” the sergeant said as he rushed off to carry out his orders.
Bill led Michael to the female with the ripped open abdomen. The doctor knelt beside the dead woman and critically examined her body. The doctor opened the woman’s blouse to examine her breasts to confirm what he suspected. Bill turned away and motioned for another peacekeeper to turn away as well. He heard the doctor say, “It’s hard to say for certain how far along she was due to the condition of the body, but she was definitely pregnant. If I had to guess I’d say she was near her delivery time but that may be off.”
Noting that the captain had turned away in respect for the woman the doctor said, “You can turn around now, Captain.”
Turning back to face the doctor, Bill asked, “Can you tell if the wounds were inflicted by a man or an animal?”
“This victim wasn’t cut. Something ripped her apart. Note the torn skin and how sections appear to be stretched,” the doctor stated with a clinical detachment that Bill couldn’t share. “Of course the skin of her abdomen would have been stretched by the pregnancy, but not even close to this extent,” the doctor explained. “Something ripped her open violently and took the child, Captain. Have the men found the baby?”
“No, sir,” reported the private with the video camera.
“Can you tell how long ago she was killed?” asked Bill.
“Six to eight hours is my guess based on the condition of her body, Captain,” the doctor stated.
“When you complete your examination please examine the other bodies. If you see something that needs to be documented then have the video man do so, Doctor,” Bill instructed.
A private ran up with the supplies from the ship and presented them to the sergeant. “Shall I make the casts, sir?” asked the sergeant.
“You know the procedure?” Bill inquired.
“I was a boy scout, sir. We had a tracking badge and casts of tracks were a requirement,” the sergeant explained.
“Get that done, Sergeant. I’m going to examine the house. Your men cleared the house, did they not?” asked Bill.
“Yes, sir, and there was no one inside,” the sergeant replied as he began to pour plaster into a large container of water while he stirred the contents. “George, and, Evan, you’re with the captain,” he shouted and two privates came running up to guard the captain.
Inside the house, Bill immediately saw that something had broken in via a side window and entered the house. It had then ripped open the front door and apparently carried the people outside where they were killed. He based that opinion on the lack of blood inside the home. He noted several cartridge casings and a twenty-two caliber rifle lay on the floor. He set one of the men with him to retrieving every spent cartridge casing he could locate, and Bill moved deeper into the house with the remaining guard. He saw a door leading to the kitchen and entered that room.
Inside the kitchen, Bill found a large knife coated in blood. It lay on the kitchen floor. He took the knife by the handle and asked the private to locate a clean cloth. The private found one in a cabinet drawer and brought it to the captain who took it and then wrapped the knife in the cloth.
They moved back into the living room where they joined the other guard. Bill knelt to examine the rifle. He noted that it wasn’t empty. Seeing a small patch of blood on a rug Bill told one of the privates to roll up the rug carefully and it would be taken into the ship when they boarded.
Next, they moved to the bathroom and Bill noted that the door to the bathroom had been pulled open so forcibly, that it had ripped the lock through the door facing. Stepping inside, he carefully examined the room and saw a bit of hair lying on the floor beside the base of the bathtub. He picked up the hair and unrolled a section of the cloth wrapped around the knife. Placing the hair sample inside the cloth, he then carefully rolled the cloth back up around the blade. The shower curtain rod had been ripped from its brackets and along with the curtain, had been tossed aside and had landed on the toilet. Someone had probably tried to hide in the tub behind the shower curtain. None of the victims was naked so Bill knew that they hadn’t been surprised in the shower. That implied that the victim knew that he or she was in danger and had sought to hide from the attacker.
Leaving the bathroom he asked, “Did you see any sign of a struggle upstairs?”
“None, sir. We checked every room. We even checked the closets and under the beds. It looks as if what went down in this house all happened on the first floor,” finished Private Evan Jones.
“You were a policeman before the disasters weren’t you?” asked Bill.
“Yes, sir, I worked for the city of Decatur, Alabama, for a while,” Private Jones said.
Nodding Bill asked, “Any evidence of attack in any of the other rooms?”
“No, sir, just the living room, kitchen, and bathroom,” the private replied.
“You two get this evidence back inside the ship and come back,” Bill said and handed the private the rolled up package containing the knife and hair.
Bill followed the two men outside and walked over to the burnt out remnants of the jeep, which was still smoking. The jeep was a hard top model. Bill noted that there was no apparent reason as to why it had rolled onto its side or evidence as to why it had caugh
t fire.
Looking around the area, Bill noted that the outer perimeter men were staying well away from the edge of the forest and that they were keeping their attention focused on the woodland. He nodded with approval and walked over to join the doctor, who had just finished examining the last victim.
“Report, Doctor,” Bill instructed without preamble.
“There is a mystery here, Captain,” the doctor said and then he added, “You’ll recall I estimated the pregnant woman’s death at six to eight hours. The rest of the victims were dead several hours before her. I estimate the other three victims’ deaths at all approximately the same time, which was about fourteen to sixteen hours ago.”
“Were the wounds all similar?” Bill asked.
“If by similar, you mean tearing damage then yes. The other two women didn’t have their abdomens ripped open in the same manner but neither of them was pregnant,” the doctor stated.
“Doctor, I sent a blood coated knife, a rug with a splotch of blood, and a hair sample to the ship for study. The hair sample is wrapped in the towel with the knife, a few wraps before you reach the blade,” Bill explained. “I’d like you to try to identify the attacker with those items.”
“I’ll get right on that, Captain,” the doctor said, but then he added, “I’ll try to identify the species, sir. That’s the best I can do without a sample from a suspect.”
“Just do your best, Doctor. I want a hard copy of your results ASAP,” Bill said.
“Then I’d best get aboard ship and begin,” the doctor said.
“Sergeant, send two men with the doctor, and have them bring back four body bags. We’ll stop somewhere safe and bury the victims. I want to be away from here before nightfall,” Bill stated.
Bill and the sergeant looked around the perimeter of the clearing trying to determine where the animal may have entered the forest after the killings but they saw no signs to mark the passage of the culprit. There were numerous places that the creature could have entered the forest, but no evidence to suggest which area had been used.