by Phil Maxey
A few seconds passed.
“This is main operations at the Kentucky, outpost. We have Abbey Reisner here for you general. Putting her on now. Over.”
In an instant he realized she must have not gotten onto the cargo plane, and a mixture of anger and disappointment flooded through him.
“Zach? Are you there? Over.”
“I’m here. Why are you not on the plane? Where’s the toxin? Over.”
“I know none of this makes sense. The toxin is on the plane. It’s on its way to the camp. But—”
“Why did you not come back?”
Abbey sighed then spent the next few moments explaining what had happened with Clovis, and how Erin was expected to arrive any time soon.
Zach lifted the headset from his head and slid his hand through his graying hair, then let it fall back to his scalp.
“Zach?”
“I’m here. I’m just thinking how to help. We’ll turn the C-130 around when it lands, and get another platoon with medical equipment up to you. Over.”
“Zach, it’s too much of a risk. The Hulathen could decide to blast whatever we put up there out of the sky. We have lots of soldiers, equipment and some Cascaders already up here. If that’s not going to be enough then another platoon won’t help. Over.”
He knew she was right, but he was going to send help anyway. “Comms you still on the line?”
“We are sir, yes.”
“Can you send the footage of the aliens landing at the Core up to the outpost? I want them to see what happened.”
“Aliens? You mean the Hulathen? Over,” said Abbey.
“No, something else entirely.”
“Oh…”
The comms officer confirmed the footage had been sent.
“It’s the aliens that myself and Fiona came across. They want to help us. Over.” Zach heard the intake of air on the other end of the link.
“That’s…amazing. Can they help with the situation up here? Over.”
“I don’t know. Maybe. From what we have learned so far, there’s not many of them. And I get the impression they don’t want a direct confrontation with the Hulathen unless they have no other choice. Still—”
“We’ll take it,” interrupted Abbey.
“Yup. Okay, tell Hoxted I want hourly updates from up there and as soon as the bastard shows up, you let us know. Over.” He thought about telling her about Hannah, but decided against it.
“Will do. Don’t worry, when this is all over. I’ll be on the next plane to the camp. Over.”
“I’m holding you to that, or I’m coming up there and dragging you back with me! Over.”
“Talk soon. Over.”
The woman on comms came back on the line. “The communication has ended with the outpost, but general Trow is waiting to talk to you.”
“Put her through.”
“How’s things with the outpost? Over.” Said Trow.
Zach explained the situation.
“We should send reinforcements. Over.”
“I agree, but we won’t be able to get anything meaningful up there for at least five days by going overland. And that’s if the Hulathen don’t attack us on the way. Would the Ultor’s help us get supplies up there? Over.”
“That’s a button I don’t want to push just yet. I understand you want to make sure Abbey’s safe—”
“It’s not just Abbey, its everyone up there. We can’t afford to lose our only foothold in the northeast of the country. Especially not to Erin. Over.”
“Agreed. But for now it’s a problem we need to solve on our own. Over.”
“How are things going with the aliens? Over.”
“Well we have learned there’s not many of them. A few hundred are in a larger ship, which is orbiting the moon. They say they can’t get any closer to the planet without being spotted by the Hulathen. What landed earlier was one of a few other smaller ships they have. But that’s not what I wanted to talk to you about. We now know what the Hulathen black cubes are. Over.”
“What are they? Over.”
“Some of the Ultor’s have been working with our tech guys, and our earlier hunches were correct. They’re not ships exactly. Fuller, our main scientific liaison with the Ultor’s used the words ‘Portable space-time warp technology’. Basically, they allow the Hulathen to jump from one location in space to another. Over.”
Zach scratched his head. “Right.”
Trow laughed. “Yeah, that was my reaction too. Fuller said that none of these particular cubes contain any Hulathen, they are just used like a door, to bring them to wherever the gate currently is.”
A thought suddenly hit him. “So more Hulathen could come through the gates that are above the dam? Over.”
“That’s what I’m told, yes. Over.”
“Is there any way to stop that from happening? Can we destroy the gates? Over.”
“The Ultor’s say it’s possible, but Zach, there’s something else they told us. They said the gates operate both ways…”
“So we can send something back the other way? Over.”
“Something or someone’s, yes. Over.”
He paused as his mind ran through the possibilities. “We can deliver the toxin to wherever these aliens are coming from. Over.”
“I was thinking the exact same thing. I’m going to try and get a few hours of sleep, then we should start thinking about getting a team together who is going to deliver the package. You get some rest too. Over.”
“Sounds like a plan—” He looked at the time on the computer monitor. It said 2am. “—Connect up again, around 6am. Over.”
Trow agreed and Zach took his headset and placed it on the desk. He had no intention of sleeping. Even if he did, he knew he wouldn’t be able too.
He looked towards the door. “Hoffman?” He shouted towards the door, which promptly opened, a soldier appearing in the gap. “I’m going to be needing a pot of coffee.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Abbey crept forward across the field, only a small flashlight lighting her way. She could sense the beast beyond the trees just a hundred yards away. It had already been imprinted, but they were going to need every E.L.F they could get their hands on.
High above she could also sense her own creature, the monkey bird hybrid, who she named ‘Mo’.
“Stay up high, Mo, otherwise it’s going to get more spooked than I can already feel it is,” she whispered to herself.
Suddenly branches were breaking and the huge six legged beast burst through the undergrowth, leaping the hedgerow and bounded across the mud laden field towards her.
She stopped and closed her eyes to the fury that was bearing down on her, and instead calmed her mind. The panting and growling receded until the light wind was all she could hear. She then reached out with her Cascader senses.
At the start of the field two snipers and Brad looking through binoculars, stood waiting. Brad was shaking his head. He knew even a high velocity bullet wasn’t going to stop the thing that was about to crash into her.
Abbey could see the creature in her mind, sense its pain, its fear. Clovis had always treated his E.L.F’s like toys to be expended then discarded, and the creature about to tear into her was full of hate for humans, even ones that had been altered by the Cascade.
She opened her eyes and walked forward. Just as the bear like creature was about to meet her, she knelt on the ground and lowered her head.
The E.L.F skidded to a stop. Then rose up on its hind legs and roared. An almighty sound which shook the nearby trees. Despite the noise reverberating through her, she controlled her breathing and thoughts.
Its front legs crashed back to the ground just a few feet from her. She then felt its breath as it sniffed and snorted towards her.
She looked up and smiled. Then held out her hand. The creature stepped forward and sniffed again, then licked her hand.
Abbey laughed then stood, patting the beast on its head. “You’ll be treated with respect
from now on.”
Brad and the two soldiers let out a breath they weren’t fully aware they were holding.
Abbey waved to them then looked back at the creature. “Come on.” She walked with it back to the beginning of the field. Brad and the soldiers shifted on their feet anxiously. “He’s under my control now. Or mostly at least. As long as we keep Clovis sedated.”
“Or we could kill him,” said Brad. “But I know how you feel about that. So, do you sense anything else out here?” He looked around them into the darkness.
“There’s a few things, small, they wouldn’t be of any use to us.”
Mo squawked from above then landed with a thud some yards away in the field, he hissed at the large six legged creature nearby. The soldiers grew even more anxious. Abbey walked forward quickly towards her own E.L.F. “Behave Mo. He’s no threat to us now.”
The large winged creature shifted from foot to foot, but quietened down.
“Are we leaving him out here? I don’t think—”
Abbey raised her hand. “He can stay out here. He won’t see anyone from the outpost as an enemy anymore. He’ll even guard us.”
Brad started to walk away with the soldiers. “Good.”
Abbey stroked the creature once more then joined Brad and the others walking back to the gate.
“You should get some rest. We’re going to need your abilities when they arrive,” said Brad.
She nodded.
*****
A distant knocking grew to a crescendo. Abbey woke suddenly. Someone was knocking at her bedroom door.
She sat up. “It’s okay, I’m already clothed. Come in.”
The door opened. A red-faced soldier appeared with a bright hallway light behind them. “Ma’am, Major Hoxted said to wake you. We are picking up movement on the radar.”
Abbey nodded. “I’ll be right down.”
The door closed and she fumbled around on the nightstand to grab her radio, and to view the time displayed on its green display. 7 am.
Sun should be up soon.
Swinging her legs around to the cold floorboards, she stood then walked into the small bathroom. Putting the radio down on the top of the basin she briefly turned on the faucet, throwing cold water across her face.
She looked at herself in the mirror, the light from the radio’s LED display giving her a zombie like appearance and absorbed the woman she had become.
Another day, another asshole that needs to die.
She grabbed her radio then headed downstairs. As she walked across the hallway to the basement, she could hear the house was already alive with activity. She also heard it outside. The sound of boots running across mud and gravel.
She quickly descended the stairs to the main operations of the outpost. All the comms stations were manned, and a myriad of soldiers were in heated discussion.
Brad appeared between them and waved her over.
“They’re here?” Said Abbey.
“We don’t know yet. The radar is picking up a number of objects about ten miles out. North of the town, so that’s north of us, and also the same distance to our south. Maybe they are just E.L.F’s that are moving through the area.”
“Both north and south of us at the same time?” Said Abbey.
Brad nodded. “Yeah, I don’t believe that either. It’s probably Erin or his creatures.”
They both moved closer to Hoxted who was with Shaw huddled around the radar operator.
“The contacts have stopped moving,” the young man said looking at his screen. “But…” Someone else pointed at the screen. “Yes, there are now more contacts, to our east…and more, approaching from the west. They all appear to stop when they reach the ten mile point.”
Hoxted looked at Brad and Abbey. “Looks like they’re here.” She then looked at Shaw. “We need to know what those contacts are.”
Shaw nodded then started relaying orders to the officers next to him. One of them nodded then quickly left.
Hoxted stood up straight, addressing everyone in the cramped space. “This is it people. We don’t know what’s out there, but whatever it is, it’s coming our way, and it means to do us harm. I want everyone to their posts. We are on high alert.” She then looked at the comms officer nearby. “Get a message to our people nearby, tell them it’s on and then the Texas camp, tell them it’s begun, but we haven’t engaged yet.” The officer nodded and started talking into his headset.
“Where do you want me?” Said Brad.
Hoxted smiled and put her hand on his shoulder. “For now, right here.”
“I think there’s something I can do that might help,” said Abbey. She turned and sat in the nearby chair. “Whatever happens, just leave me be. I’m in control.”
“Okay…” Said Hoxted.
Abbey closed her eyes calming her mind to the urgency around her, instead she searched the skies above the outpost until she connected with Mo. She then went deeper, deeper than she had gone before, trying to become one with the soaring creature, until she was up there in the night sky looking down on the lights of the buildings within the walls. She could feel the wind buffeting her face, and the air currents keeping her aloft. She then looked to the distance, to the north and flapped her almighty wings gaining height, then allowed the drafts to drive her forwards. Over the dark forms of trees and roads she flew, and then the large warehouses of the town until she saw them. A column of heavy tanks and soldiers, gathered off the side of the main road to the town.
“I’m seeing tanks north of the town, maybe five of them, and soldiers, perhaps a hundred,” Abbey spoke hoping her words were actually emanating from her mouth in the room, and Brad and those around her were hearing what she was saying. She then tilted her wings and beat them, building pressure to allow her to fly towards the west. Gaining speed she soared over the forests. She realized if she focused she could even see between the branches and the details of the ground below. More military vehicles came into view. “To the west I’m seeing trucks, more soldiers about the same number, they seem to be setting up some kind of camp at a—”
She felt the air pressure change like a wave washing over her, before she heard the distant clack sound. They were shooting at her. She quickly turned and dived, descending to pick up speed and was soon out of their range. She headed back to the safety of the outpost. When she was above it, she relinquished her grip on Mo’s mind and opened her eyes to the room under the main house.
“Did you—”
Everyone was looking at her in silence.
“That was freaky and amazing in equal measure,” said Hoxted. “Yes, we heard you.”
Brad smiled then briefly squeezed Abbeys shoulder. “So to the north and west, it’s just good old fashioned army units. Not sure if that’s good or bad for us.”
“With the heavy tanks, definitely bad,” said the Major. “That’s why they have stopped at ten miles, that’s a good range for a battle tank.”
“So we’re sitting ducks?” Said Brad.
Hoxted nodded.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Abbey danced in front of Zach, her yellow dress flowing in the wind. She looked younger, like her life hadn’t happened to her yet. She smiled. He loved her. Then he smelt them, the dry burnt ashes. He turned around and staggered back. The camp was gone, replaced with an inferno. Pieces of homes and people fluttered on the wind, and the heat began to sear his face.
Zach awoke with a start at his desk, knocking his headset to the floor and narrowly missing his coffee mug. His movement also woke his computer and his monitor sprang to life with the frozen video and documents that had been uploaded to the camps server by Fuller and his people, and were still sitting positioned as he left them.
Blinking, he rubbed his eyes then looked at the time. It was 8 am.
Sun should be up. Abbey. Outpost.
His mind falteringly began to lose the fog of sleep and he wondered if there had been any messages from Kentucky. A knock came at his office door.
&n
bsp; “Yup.”
The door opened and Martin Hoffman, the soldier designated to act as a secretary appeared with a brown pot that was steaming. “I got your morning coffee, sir.” The young man quickly put the pot down and grabbed the one that was already there.
“Any news from the outpost?”
“Err…yes, we got a message an hour ago saying their radar have found contacts, but they had not engaged with—”
Zach got up. “Why didn’t you wake me?”
“Umm…I didn’t really know you were asleep, I thought you would have already gotten the message. You were working until—”
Zach shook his head. “Its fine.” He grabbed his mug and poured the new hot coffee into it, then placed his headset back on his head. He looked back at the nervous young man. “Anything else?”
“General Trow wants you to attend a meeting at zero nine hundred hours at the Core. It’s about operation Wildfire.”
Zach nodded. ‘Wildfire’ was the designation they had given to the craziest mission he had ever been part of. The fact that he had already been in space didn’t really help.
He looked down at his computer monitor, then adjusted the mike on his headset. “This is general Felton. Comms you there?”
“We are sir.”
“Can you patch me through to the outpost?”
“Doing so now sir.”
A few seconds passed. “This is comms at the Kentucky outpost, what can we do for you General? Over.”
“Put the major on. Over.”
“I think she’s out inspecting the walls and towers, but I can get a message to her to return. Over.”
“I just want a sitrep. Are there any other officers there? Over.”
“Lieutenant Shaw is here and Mr. Crenshaw. Over.”
“Put Brad, I mean Mr. Crenshaw on. Over.”
A few seconds passed. “Hey Zach, I presume you have heard things are a bit tense up here. Over.”
“I missed the last report, can you fill me in? Over.”
“Well it would appear there are about five hundred of Mitchells people surrounding us—”
“Cascaders? Over.”