by Alexie Aaron
“How’s your pretty boy?” Mike asked.
“Whit?” Mia hesitated a moment. “We’re on the outs. A bump in the road. Hey, we gave it a shot. It was nice being the girlfriend of the prom king, football hero, law enforcement professional, but I think I liked being his friend more.”
“Does having a certain tech around make it easier?”
Mia blushed. This encouraged Mike to lean in and tap her ear com. “Ted, Mia checking in,” he said in a high voice.
“Go ahead, your voice sounds odd. Are you perhaps getting a cold?” Ted played along.
“I’m standing here talking to Mike about my love life, over,” Mike said and jumped back as Mia took a swing at him.
“I heard your love life’s over, over,” Ted teased.
“See,” Mia pointed out to Mike. To Ted she said, “Talk to you later, gator, over.”
“Ted, over.”
“Of course having Ted around makes life easier, he’s fun and smart and…”
“Worships the ground you walk on,” Mike offered.
“There’s that,” Mia agreed and laughed.
“You seem to be taking the Whit thing in stride.”
“Not really, but I’m a big girl and know the time and place for tears and boxing ears.”
“Oh that is so poetic. Ever consider writing greeting cards?”
Mia scrunched up her face before a giggle escaped.
“No. You did, didn’t you?” Mike slapped his thigh. “Tell me.”
“Well, I was looking for ways of making money without leaving my sanctuary. Long story short, my poetry sucks, my drawing is marginal and I don’t have much sympathy for, well, sympathy cards.”
“Share, oh please,” Mike begged.
“In all the years that you were wed, you never thought of one of you dead. But here you are, take the insurance money and buy a new car.”
Mike exploded in laughter. Burt looked over at the two of them and shook his head. Beth glared.
Mia raised her eyebrows. “See, that is why I’m not a poet.”
“How about, ‘You played the field, too much of course. That’s why you’ve ended up in divorce.’”
Mia laughed and patted Mike on the back. “You suck too.”
“We can’t all be pretty faces. Speaking of which, I noticed yours is a bit different.”
“Really? I thought so too. Ted didn’t say anything though so I thought I was imagining things.”
“Your worry lines are gone, and your skin is beautiful. Actually you are quite beautiful, my dear. Ted wouldn’t notice as you are beautiful to him no matter what.”
Mia’s eyes teared up. “Thank you, Mike, you’re being kind. I think having that tumor removed may have eased the stress on all parts of me.”
“So it was a tumor. How’d they remove it?”
“Angelo said it must have been jarred loose in the fall into the well. He said they went through my nose and cut it out. I’m not sure I believe him, but there you go.”
“Can you still see ghosts?”
“Oh yes, and I can OOB without damage. So whoever bet I would blow my brain out through my nose after excess OOBing wins the bet.”
“I think Ma has a tenner on you having a screw loose. I guess that’s close enough.”
Mia snorted and laughed.
Burt trudged over. “What exactly is so funny here?”
“Mia was telling me about her brain surgery,” Mike said.
“You are a horrible human being.” Burt shook his head in disgust. “And you are having way too much fun. No wonder I don’t want to pay you,” he said to Mia.
“Damn,” Mia said. “Work is supposed to be work and fun is fun.”
“Okay, you jokers. Are you ready? As soon as we have a com check, I’m going to fire this baby up.”
“Have at it. Where’s Beth?” Mike asked looking around.
“She said she was too cold. She wasn’t prepared for being outside, and so I sent her inside.”
“You’re too soft on her,” Mike said.
“Leave the man alone,” Mia said. “It’s his investigation.”
Burt was surprised by her attitude. “Thank you.”
“So a paycheck…”
“I’ll see what I can do,” he said and walked over towards the pile of wood. “Ted, let’s have a com check.”
“Dupree,” Ted’s voice sounded in everyone’s ears.
“I hear you loud and clear, over.”
“Cooper.”
“Present, and I hear you and Dupree, over.”
“That’s because you’re standing next to him,” Ted said.
“K, over.”
Ted instructed, “Walk away from the stud, muffin. That’s a girl, over.”
“I can heard Mike and you over. And who you calling a muffin?”
“Children, can we get through this,” Burt broke through the chatter.
“Bouvier, over.”
“Loud and clear,” Beth answered in a bored, pissed off voice.
“Okay that’s the PEEPs. Cid is next to me on headset but not com, over.”
“Time to light up, smoke em if you’ve got them,” Ted said.
Burt ignited the flame thrower and aimed it at the wood pile. It charred the edges, but the snow had soaked the wood overnight in the impound lot. Flame danced and ran over the accelerant but didn’t hold.
“Dupree, a little spark please.”
Mike tossed a lit road flare into the pile, and finally the fire caught hold. Mia moved around the edges of the fire, watching for anything crawling out. Mike did the same. They passed each other and continued to circle.
“Trap camera four just went off,” Ted announced.
Four was placed on the edge of the yard nearest the barn. They turned and saw a row of black shadows form. Just as quickly as they rose, they fell again and disappeared into the darkness.
“Trap camera three just sounded,” Ted warned.
Mike walked over to the side of the house, and two big brown eyes regarded him before trotting off. “A deer,” he reported.
The wood popped and sparks flew as the fire licked at the workbench. Mia saw different shapes in the flames, nothing paranormal. Staring into the fire was a way of accessing memories of other fires. The last big one involved a desiccated corpse that refused to die. She also remembered an intimate fire or two. She looked over at Burt and smiled. She remembered the activities after, but they were mere pictures, as the emotions involved were gone.
Two figures moved up the driveway. They kept their distance from the activities in the backyard. They moved stealthily around the back of the garage and headed towards the other side of the fire. This brought them on the far side of the foundations of an old barn. The pop and crackle of the wet wood distracted them as they stared in the direction of the fire.
Macy turned to Harbaugh. “It’s a signal fire. Be alert.”
They were dressed to blend into the snow. Each had a compound bow with various projectiles to fire, including straight arrows, tranquilizer darts and flares. They didn’t want to kill the aliens - well not until they interrogated them first, of course.
They made their way into the foundations, lowering their night goggles as soon as they were deep enough to not be subject to the glare from the bonfire. The old barn walls were made of river rock and mortar. The ground slanted downward towards where stone walls rose to separate stalls from storage areas. Macy tested out the floor and found it slick where moss had grown over the hard-packed dirt. The barn had not been used in generations, but it still retained the odor of its previous occupants. Snow drifted into the corners and ice had formed over where sunlight had melted the snow.
Harbaugh slipped and fell backwards. He was caught by strong arms. He started to thank Macy but realized he was looking at him. Who then? He twisted around to see who was there, and even though he was still being held, there was no one there. “These fuckers are invisible,” he shouted to Macy.
Macy spun arou
nd and saw his big friend being dragged off. He grabbed a flare and shot it into the air. He then followed the trail of his struggling comrade.
Chapter Thirty
Mike looked up. “Well that’s something I wasn’t expecting.” He watched the magenta flare float downward.
Mia and Burt traded their fire extinguishers in for mag lights and headed towards the barn. “Burt and Mia, headed for the barn to investigate the flare. Requesting Beth to come out and cover Mike, over.”
“Fuck this,” Beth said, forgetting she was live with the others.
“Miss Bouvier, no one investigates alone. You either…”
“I’m on my way,” she said contrite.
Mia looked at Burt and he at her. She shrugged her shoulders.
“Entering barn,” Burt said and started to get a commentary of their progress. “Two sets of footprints. One large and one small. Looks like the big one fell and was dragged. The small foot prints are barely readable but seem to be following the other. They both lead to a pit.”
Mia and Burt flashed their lights into the darkness. She shook her head. “I can’t see anything but this dark slushy water. No telling how deep it is.”
Burt picked up a large rock and hurled it into the water. It made a splash as it entered the water, but they didn’t hear it settle on the bottom.
“It could be a dirt bottom or…”
“Be too deep for us to move forward,” Burt finished. “Ted, over.”
“Go ahead, Blue Leader.”
“Do you think you could improvise something so we can get some bright light in here?”
“Can do, but it will take me a few minutes. I suggest you and Mia back out of there, arm and clothe yourselves better. Perhaps waders?”
“Where are we going to get waders this time of night?”
Mia picked up her cell phone and called Tom Braverman. “Mia, um, hello?”
She explained the situation.
Tom said, “I’ll grab my gear and be there in fifteen minutes. Whit’s here, wants to know if you need any help.”
“Burt, Tom and Whit want to know if we can use their help,” she relayed.
“Officially?”
“No.”
“Always can use a couple of good guys. Make sure they are prepared for the cold.”
“You hear that? And sober,” Mia added, knowing Whit’s penchant for drowning his sorrows.
“Will be by the time we get there. Where are you?”
Mia gave him the instructions and hung up. “We have two copperroos headed here in twenty minutes, hide the contraband, people,” Mia said into the com. “Burt and I are headed in, over.”
Ted pushed his hand through his hair. “Cid, do you think…”
“Gotcha covered. You may want to send sour face in here to help though.”
Ted hit the com. “Burt, we could use Beth here watching the console.”
“Fine with me.”
“Beth, please return to the house. Burt wants you on the console with Cid.”
“Fine,” she said into the mic. But after she clicked off she was heard to shout, “Would they make up their fucking minds!”
Burt and Mia walked past Mike who put a hand on Mia’s arm. “Do you have a minute?”
“Do I?” she asked Burt.
He nodded.
Mia looked at Mike. He plucked her earpiece out. He had already taken his out. “Are you okay with Whit coming here?”
“I think it’ll be okay. Why?”
“You and he just broke up.”
“And…”
“We don’t need a colossal fight going on between you two right now.”
“A fight didn’t break us up, Mike,” she said and whispered, “It wasn’t a what but a who that caused this situation.”
“Ted?”
Mia laughed, “No, not Ted. Let’s let it drop. I’m sure I can be mature enough to not embarrass myself and PEEPs.”
“Okay, but if you need me to step in.”
“Thank you, Mike, but you can put away your armor. I don’t need a knight.”
“I’ve always wanted to be a knight, but I understand.” He handed back her earpiece and put his own back in.
“Mia back on air and headed in the house.”
“Copy that,” Cid said and added, “Over.”
Ted was unrolling an extension cord with the front door standing open when she came inside. She breezed by Beth as if she didn’t exist and rushed over to help the tech with his materials.
“You start. I’ll bring your equipment back out to the truck,” she instructed.
He nodded and picked up a box and trotted out the door. Mia found his coat and gloves and put them on top of the next box and hefted it up and waddled towards the command vehicle. She got as far as the door before she had to put it down. She pulled the ear com out of her ear and turned it off, placing it in her pocket. Mia banged on the door, lifted the box and waited.
Ted raised the door and reached down and grabbed the box. He smiled as he recognized his coat.
“Put on your coat and gloves until the truck warms up,” Mia ordered.
“Stop flirting with me, I have work to do, woman,” Ted said and waved her off.
Mia giggled and went back for the last box. Mike passed her with the box, giving she and Ted the oddest of looks.
Burt sat down and pulled off his wet Timberlands. He rued not having brought winter gear with him. Mia passed by him, stopped and picked up his shoe to see what size he was. “Bloody hell, this stinks,” she said.
“Give that back.”
“Hold on. I think I saw some galoshes in the foyer closet.” She returned with a black pair of buckled boots and a pair of old house shoes. She dug into her pocket and came up with some orange sweat socks. She smacked his hand when he said to leave him alone. She had his feet towel-dried, donned in the Chicago Bears socks, and put the house shoes on before he could protest further. “I suspect these were the ex’s so I don’t think Martha will mind much.” She then tugged the boots over his shoes. “There, if the waders don’t fit then these will do in a pinch. I hope they don’t pinch. Anyway, you know what I mean.”
Burt smiled. “Thanks, Ma, but I can do it myself.”
“Oh, Burt, I am such a bully, no wonder…” a shadow crossed her face and she stopped talking. Burt watched as she forced the bad thought away and grinned back at him. “Someone’s got to take care of you.” She winked at him and walked off. She stopped at the end of the hall and put her forehead against the wall for a moment. He knew that she was unaware that he could still see her. Her shoulders heaved as she fought the exhaustion and the tears. She straightened up and went into the dining room.
Ted worked furiously and almost blinded himself at one point. He fought the little blue dots as he rewired the devices. He didn’t know how he felt about Whitney coming over. He was torn between punching the man or preparing himself to be punched. Mia was so vulnerable right now. He could see determination in her eyes. He wanted to tell her that she didn’t have to put up with all this bullshit but knew that this was something she would have to work out for herself. She said that the responsible thing was to end a relationship before starting a new one. Although she had been flirtatious with him, he knew that she couldn’t switch gears this quickly and still look herself in the mirror. If he lost her again to Whit then it was fate speaking. But he would not lose her to anyone else. Not even Murphy.
He heard a car coming up the drive. He guessed the law enforcement professionals had arrived.
Tom got out and lugged four sets of waders up to the porch. Burt opened up the door and came out and helped bring them in the rest of the way.
Whit walked by Burt, not making eye contact. “Why does he look so guilty?” Burt wondered.
Mia walked up to Whit, and her body language was telling him to keep his distance. She held out her hand, and he pulled her into a hug.
“What am I seeing?” Burt asked himself.
“Okay, c
opper, let go,” Mia said sternly. “Let’s move on. I haven’t said a word so no need in hanging your head so low. We can get by this.”
Whit straightened up. “Does Murphy know?”
“Hell no, he’d kill you,” Mia said and smiled. “Besides, Murphy’s out playing cowboy and Iroquois right now.”
“Okay, where’s Burt?” He turned around. “There you are. Explain what’s going on? Mia said something about a signal flare?”
Burt related his information, and Whit grabbed a hold of Tom as he walked in with some supplies. “Tell them.”
“Why.”
“They found two sets of tracks, one large and one small. It could be them.”
“Macy and Harbaugh escaped from the hospital this evening. We think they may have possibly headed here since Cid Garret is here.”
“What is it with their hard on for Cid?” Mike asked standing in the doorway.
“They think he is a man in black covering up an alien invasion.” Tom put his hand nervously on his hip. “My uncle said that Harbaugh saw a large man in black leave 1634 Hillside Drive with a jar full of aliens. He was dressed in black, hence the men in black scenario.”
“Angelo,” Mia identified.
“They tailed you guys here.”
“I thought I lost our tail at the Taco Bell,” Mia said disapointed.
“These guys are smart. They were using two cars. Macy followed you guys here, saw the PEEPs vehicle and put one and one together and got eleven.”
They pulled the waders on. Mia had Tom’s old pair from his school days.
He warned, “If you fall, unhook the bib and get out of the pants as they will pull you under with their weight. Whit, we better suit up. Mia, Burt, I would suggest you hang back. These nut jobs are armed. We found evidence of a purchase of compound bows and arrows in the cabin.”
Whit pulled on his tactical body armor and helped Tom with his. He tossed his old vest to Burt. Tom tried hard but could not make his small enough to fit Mia. She waved him off saying, “I’m too small to be a target.”
“You better get an ear com. Ted will be with us in a minute,” Burt instructed.
“Why not let me handle this,” Beth’s voice oozed from the direction of the kitchen.