“What? Oh, right.” Alex knelt down next to the mummified remains of a human body wearing a silver, one-piece jumpsuit. “There should have been four people on this ship. I wonder what happened to the other three.”
“It looks human.”
“We know they were the first human species to occupy this planet. I’d better call Donner. We need a friend of mine in Nevada to come up here with some power crystals. He’s the only one qualified to fly this thing down to Area 51.”
They stepped back into the cave and walked outside. Alex slid his satellite phone from a coat pocket and entered Donner’s number. “We did it, Martin. We found the alien spaceship, but we need some support out here. I’m sure we’re not the only ones who know about this island.”
“I have the Coast Guard on standby. Give me your GPS location and I’ll call them right away.”
“What about military support?”
“That will take a little more time, but I’ll make the call. The Coast Guard should arrive within the hour. Is Okana with you right now?”
“Yes.”
“Tell him to call home. His father had a fatal heart attack.”
Alex felt a knot in his stomach. I could swear I already knew he was going to say that, he thought. “Uh. Right. Thanks.” Alex handed the phone to Okana. “I think you should call home. It’s about your father, and your family needs to get in touch with you. I’m so sorry I dragged you into this mess, Okana. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help.”
Okana entered the number for his family ranch and his mother answered. She explained what had happened and asked him to come home as soon as possible. When he finished talking, Okana wiped away the tears clouding his vision and looked at Alex. “Listen, I ah. I need to get home, but I don’t want to leave you without any backup.”
“I know you’ve always had my back, but Rita can handle herself if we have any trouble. I have David and Mike to help, too. Let’s get back to the Mystic. Bett can take you to the airport in the helicopter.”
Okana hesitated. “That’s not much help, Alex.”
“Director Donner said the Coast Guard should be here soon. I’ll be okay. Let’s go.”
*
The long flowing curls of Rita Harrow’s red hair jostled back and forth, as she tiptoed up the stairs to the bridge of the Mystic.
The Mystic, a beautiful two hundred foot research vessel, belonged to an independently wealthy individual named Mike Tanner, and she and Okana were hired as mechanical engineers on his ship. She was in charge of the turbine engine, and Okana operated a small submersible submarine.
Rita peered carefully over the last step to make sure no one was on deck. Just as she thought. Most of the crew was on the island checking out the recently discovered spaceship. She hurried up the stairs, grabbed the satellite phone off the control console, and hurried back down.
She knew Alex Cave would be returning to the Mystic soon and she needed a ride back to the island. In order for her plan to work, Alex had to be here on the Mystic while she was on the island with his friend, Doctor Henry Heinz.
She checked her pistol, tucked it into the back of her pants, and tugged her coat down before stepping out onto the stern deck.
*
Alex and Okana climbed into the motorboat and drove back to the Mystic, where Rita jumped in. “Can I get a ride back, Alex?”
Alex hesitated. For some odd reason he didn’t trust Rita. It was nothing he could explain, really. It was just a simmering hatred in the back of his mind. “Can you wait until Okana leaves?”
Rita held out the sat phone. “Henry needs to talk to someone named Lewis. I told him I’d be right back.”
Alex looked up at Okana, who had climbed out. “I’ll be back in a minute.”
As Alex started the motorboat engine, Okana crossed the deck into the lounge and told Mike about his father. “I hate to impose on you, Mike.”
“You saved this ship and our lives, Okana. It’s the least I can do.” Mike turned to a small woman with short blond hair sitting with him at the table. “Get the helicopter ready, Bett.”
When Bett stood to leave the lounge, Okana held his hand out to Mike. “Thanks. I’ll go down to my cabin and pack my clothes.”
*
After dropping Rita off on the dock, Alex drove back across to the Mystic. When he stepped onto the stern, he heard the helicopter’s engine start to whine, and went over to Okana. “Let me know if there is anything I can do to help.”
“Thanks, Alex.” Okana gave Alex a quick hug and then climbed into the helicopter with Bett.
Once the helicopter took off, Alex climbed the stairs to join Mike on the bridge.
*
Rita waited until Alex had climbed onboard the Mystic and then entered a number on the satellite phone. “Cave found the last device, Steve, but you’re not going to believe what else he found. It’s a spaceship. No, I’m not joking. The control for activating the devices is on this alien ship, but you had better hurry. I’m sure he’s called the Director of National Security to arrange for security and support. Here are the GPS coordinates for the island and the device in the Bering Sea.” She gave him the numbers. “No, they don’t suspect me yet, and I plan to keep it that way. I’ll meet you at the facility.”
She knew Henry would not be a problem when the transport helicopter arrived, but David would try to stop her from taking the device. She brought the pistol out from the small of her back and slipped it into her coat pocket.
*
On the bridge of the Mystic, Mike Tanner heard the deep thumping of an approaching helicopter. He grabbed the binoculars off the control console and looked in the direction of the sound. When he focused the lenses, he smiled. “The Coast Guard helicopter is coming our way.” He handed the binoculars to Alex.
Alex focused on the orange and white helicopter about half a mile from the island. At least he had some support, although they probably wouldn’t have much firepower. Still, it was better than no support at all until the military arrived.
His smile turned into a frown as he recognized a trail of white smoke streaking through the sky toward the helicopter. “Damn!”
The helicopter was suddenly a massive ball of fire, the flaming, shredded pieces dropping into the ocean, as the concussion from the explosion rattled the windows.
“What just happened, Alex?”
Alex aimed the binoculars in the direction of the trail of smoke. “We’re being invaded, Mike.” He grabbed the microphone for the portable radios. “Are you listening, Rita?”
Outside the spaceship, Rita heard Alex on her portable radio. “I heard an explosion. What just happened?”
“Two large black helicopters just shot down a Coast Guard rescue helicopter, and they’re coming our way.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Tell Henry and David to stay inside the spaceship until we know what’s going on. I’ll be there in a minute. Meet me on the dock.”
Alex clipped the microphone back into its bracket. “I’ll grab the shotguns and meet you on the stern. I’ll take the motorboat to the island while you get the Mystic away from here.”
“That’s a bad plan, Alex. I can help.”
“Thanks, but the Mystic’s too vulnerable.”
Alex grabbed the binoculars and stared out the window for one last look at the approaching helicopters. “You can come back when the helicopters leave.”
“And do what? Collect the bodies?”
Alex turned to Mike and set the binoculars on the console. “I hope not.”
*
Rita pulled the pistol from her coat pocket and stepped inside the spaceship.
“What’s going on?” David asked. “We heard an explosion.”
“We’re going to have company in a few minutes. Just stay inside and I’ll go find out what’s going on.”
Rita hurried back to the dock on the beach. She could see Alex standing in the motorboat at the stern of the Mystic, collecting s
hotguns from Mike, and placing them on one of the seats. She waited as Alex drove across to the island.
Alex eased the motorboat against the dock. “One of the helicopters is a troop carrier.” He told her. “The other one is for cargo. I brought shotguns for you and David.”
Alex reached down, grabbed one of the shotguns, and held it out to Rita. As he reached down for the other two, he heard the distinct sound of the pump handle inserting a round into the chamber of a shotgun. When he looked up, Rita was aiming it at his chest. “What are you doing, Rita?”
“Throw the shotguns into the water.”
Alex stared at her. “Don’t do this.” He eased his hand down to his jean pocket.
“Don’t even think about it. I know about your pistol. Take it out slowly and toss it into the water.”
Alex knew he didn’t stand a chance. He held her gaze and did as she asked, hearing the pistol splash into the ocean. “Why are you doing this?”
“Get rid of the shotguns.”
Alex reached down, grabbed the barrel of a shotgun, and looked at Rita. He thought about using it as a club, but she shook her head. He tossed them into the water. “Now what?”
“Go back to the Mystic and take it away from the island.” She could see the rage building in Alex’s eyes. “Just do what I say and no one will get hurt.”
Alex moved forward to the steering wheel, but hesitated to sit down. “What do you want?”
“We want the devices.”
“Why? Who are you working for, Rita?”
“Not working for, Alex. Working with, and you don’t need to know. Just leave and I won’t hurt anyone.”
“Like your friends didn't hurt anyone in the Coast Guard helicopter a few minutes ago?”
“I had nothing to do with that. Now leave!”
Alex reluctantly drove the motorboat away from the dock. The deep thumping of the approaching helicopters was getting louder, and he knew if they didn’t leave the area right away, the invaders might capture the Mystic. If that happened, he would not be able to come back and get his friends. A knot formed in his gut. He didn’t trust Rita to keep her word, and his friends might be dead when he returned.
Rita waited on the dock until the Mystic was well on its way away from the island, then went back to the spaceship.
David stood in the entrance of the alien craft, watching Rita walking up the beach. “Where’s Alex?”
“He’ll come back once the helicopters leave. Get back inside, David.”
David hesitated to do as she asked. “I don’t understand. What’s going on?”
“We’re taking the device in the cave. Just do what I say and no one will get hurt.” When David didn’t move, she aimed the shotgun at him, but he just glared back. “I’m not kidding, David.”
David slowly turned and went back inside. He could see the questioning expression from Henry. “Alex isn’t coming. They want one of the devices, so just stay calm and maybe we can find a way out of this.”
David got an idea and slowly walked to the four chairs in the center of the control room. He sat down and waited for Rita’s reaction, but she didn’t pay him any attention. If he could shut down the power and seal them inside this ship, they would be safe from whoever was coming. He knew if the exterior of this alien craft could survive in molten rock for a hundred and eighty million years, a shotgun blast sure as hell would not hurt it.
Rita turned and looked up as a helicopter suddenly appeared over the edge of the crater. Four thick nylon ropes dropped out of the open side door. A moment later, four armed men slid down them to the beach.
David started to reach down to the control pad, but stopped when Rita suddenly looked back inside.
“Come out here, Henry.” She ordered.
Henry’s mouth opened slightly as he looked at David for help. He thought of David as a son.
David lowered his hand toward the control panel to cut the power before Henry made it to the exit. When the deafening roar from the shotgun’s warning blast filled the room, David flinched and jerked his hands away, staring at Rita. “All right! You’ve made your point.” He saw the imploring look in Henry’s eyes. “I’m sorry, Doc.”
Henry’s shoulders sagged as he slowly shuffled across the room and out through the entrance. “What do you want, Rita?”
“Just stand over there, away from the ship, until we’re done.”
*
Using a pair of binoculars, Alex stared back at the two helicopters hovering over the island, frustrated there was nothing he could do. He watched four men drop down ropes from the first helicopter and disappear into the crater. Then the aircraft moved off to one side of the island to allow the second aircraft, a Sikorsky S-94 cargo helicopter, to move into position. Two thick cables with slings quickly descended. A few moments later, the device from the entrance of the cave was hoisted into the air, swaying below the helicopter as it moved away.
The first helicopter returned and hovered over the crater. A moment later, Alex watched as two people in harnesses on the end of a rope were pulled into the helicopter. For an instant, he thought one of them had gray hair. A moment later, he watched four more people rising out of the crater and recognized Rita’s full head of red hair. “Damn her!” he growled, realizing she had taken Henry.
Alex watched as the last four people disappeared inside the aircraft, and then both helicopters swung away from the island and flew away. He lowered the binoculars. “Take us back, Mike.”
Mike brought the Mystic close to the island and set the controls on autopilot. Then he and Alex ran out from the bridge and hurried down the stairs to the motorboat, still tied to the stern.
When Alex looked across at the island, he saw David walking down to the dock. He sighed with relief, jumped into the boat, and motored over to the island.
As the motorboat bumped against the dock, Alex noticed David’s angry expression. “Get in. We’ll wait on the Mystic until help arrives.”
“That bitch Rita took the Doc, Alex.”
Alex stared at David. “I know. Now get in so we can figure out where she took him.”
Alex took them back to the Mystic, where Mike was waiting on the stern. They all walked up the outside stairs to the bridge, and no one spoke for several long moments.
“At least we have the other three devices,” David told them.
Alex gave David a somber look. “I’m more worried about what Rita has planned for the device she did get. They may have been designed to clean the atmosphere, but we know how potentially destructive they can be as well. Once we get some support out here, I’m going back to the mainland. The only way to find the Doc is to find out whom Rita is working with. If he comes to any harm, she’ll wish she had never met me.”
David had seen that look in Alex’s eyes once before, when he had talked about the six men who had murdered his wife, Sevi. Alex had killed each one without mercy.
*
RUSSIA:
“Hit him again!” Boris Kinski ordered.
Sasha Kinski, Boris’s sister, stepped back, lest the spattering blood from the man tied down to a wooden chair would stain her blue blouse.
The swelling around his eyes no longer allowed Brian Stone to see the fist flying through the air, not until it slammed against his face once again.
“Where is Alex Cave’s family?” Boris’s voice echoed around the room.
In a drug-induced haze, Brian thought about the last time he had seen Boris’s smug face. It was just before Alex had sliced a chunk of flesh from his cheek. A dark window began to close around his thoughts, and Brian was grateful when his mind and body drifted into nothingness. His head fell limply against his chest.
“Check if he’s dead.” Boris ordered in nearly perfect English.
Rudolf Kinski took one of his bloodied gloves off and felt the artery on Brian’s neck. “He is dead, Boris. Why are you still trying to kill Cave? You did the Russian way, kill brother for brother. You still have me.”
; Boris suddenly leaned in close to Rudolf. “Look at me!” he yelled. “I had women begging for my attention until Cave did this to my face. I was the head of the entire Russian Mafia until you recorded me killing those two CIA agents on your damn phone, you idiot! Now I’m a wanted man. If you weren’t my brother, I’d kill you!”
Boris paced in front of Brian’s body. Why couldn’t Cave have killed Rudolf instead? All he’s good for is causing pain. He stopped to look up at the tall, attractive brunette standing quietly nearby. “Find out where Cave’s family is located, Sasha. I’ll make him watch them suffer for what he did to me.”
* * *
Chapter 2
WYOMING:
Henry opened his eyes when he felt a thud from the tire. One of the guards sitting in the back of the cargo truck with him glanced up for a moment, and then looked away. The other guard sitting beside him had his head tilted back against the rear wall, snoring softly. At least the guards had respected his age. Or perhaps Rita had told them to be considerate. They had not even tied his hands. He hadn’t seen Rita since the helicopters had landed at a private airport in Yakama Washington.
Henry looked down at the device strapped onto a wooden pallet. What made her do this? He wondered. She appeared to enjoy working for Mike on the research ship. Was it for money?
Henry felt the truck slow down as it turned a corner and stopped. He could hear men talking outside, but the conversations were muffled. When the truck began moving again, the road felt rough, tossing him from side to side slightly. When it stopped again, one of the guards stood and opened the rear door, allowing the dwindling sunlight to illuminate the interior.
Rita looked at Henry sitting on the bench seat against the far wall. “Sorry for the rough treatment, Henry, but there was only enough room in the cab for two.”
Henry remained seated. “I will not help you, Rita.”
“Fine. Come with me and I’ll take you somewhere for dinner. I even have a place for you to sleep.”
Henry felt his stomach rumble when he heard the word dinner. He slowly stood and walked past the device to the rear of the truck. When Rita reached out to help him down, he shrugged her off and climbed out on his own. “I could use something to eat, but I will not change my mind.”
The Alex Cave Series. Books 1, 2, & 3.: Box set Page 63