It was quickly done and he was ready by the time the impressively large SUV pulled into the garage next to the forklift.
"You look like someone ready to head into the Zoo," Banks said as he mounted up and settled into the massive seat clearly designed to accommodate precisely what he wore.
"Groovy," he replied, quoted from his favorite movie of all time, and rolled his shoulders. The suit picked up on the small movement and exaggerated it. "I guess I still need to get into the zone."
"You'd better get that done before we arrive." Once again, she pointed out the obvious. She seemed to have a knack for that.
Chapter Twenty-One
The drive wasn’t long enough for him to experience any discomfort. They were already a fair distance away from the center of the city and within a few minutes, they were out in the boonies and driving on a two-lane road that wound up into the hills that grew steeper and steeper.
Before too long, they came to a stop in front of a striped police line that indicated it was still a crime scene. Taylor assumed that maybe the locals weren't fully convinced that it was a regular old animal doing all these killings. He could understand why they had a tough time with that concept. After all, he'd seen the bodies.
Animals didn't usually do that shit.
He stepped out of the SUV, settled the weight of his suit, and turned the HUD on. With night already starting to fall, the woods looked a little too dark and gloomy to head in without any help, which explained all the cops involved where the bodies had been found. He could see more police lines a little deeper into the woods, which he assumed was the actual crime scene.
The officers seemed confused to see them there. Many pointed and gaped at the mech suit he wore. The rest were merely surprised to see Banks and the golden shield she flashed to the officers in charge of keeping the area clear.
"What the hell does the FBI want with an animal killing scene?" one of them asked and looked around at his fellow officers. "Well, I assume it's still an animal killing? I saw the bodies and there's no way that it was human, right?"
Once again, their attention focused on the suit. If that was needed to hunt a human, they didn't really want to know more or be involved with that particular human. Wariness and unease were written on every face
"We're a part of a special task force that's been assigned to this case," Banks said with the kind of laid-back cross between boredom and professionalism that people had come to expect from the FBI. "My guy will simply head on up there, look at the crime scenes, see what he can see, and get out. There’s nothing to worry about and certainly nothing for you all to stick around for."
"Are you sending us away from our own crime scene?" one of the officers asked, his head tilted in what might have been a mixture of relief and challenge.
"Something like that, yes," she said. "Well, no, not really, this is still your crime scene. But it doesn't look like all of you are here to…well, protect it, so maybe send the redundant personnel home? Come on, man, this isn't a circus."
"For all you know," the officer retorted, "it could be a circus bear up there killing humans one by one as revenge."
"Or maybe a demon clown that's preparing itself for some kind of ritual sacrifice," another officer added.
"Or maybe you two have seen way too many horror movies and are trying to fill in what you don't know about the case with insane theories," the agent replied and shook her head. "And as fun as the theories and the movies are, I'm afraid we at the FBI have a slightly higher standard when it comes to proving our theories."
"Hey, fuck you," the officer said.
"Watch it, Serpico," Taylor snapped. "Or do you want to head into the fucking woods to see what you can discover yourself?"
"Nah, we're good," the man said and backed down hastily as the seven-and-a-half-foot mech suit stared at him. "Good luck out there."
"I'd normally say that I don't need luck, but I'm working on maybe half an hour of sleep in the last thirty, so maybe I will," he replied. "Anyway, do you guys have any theories on what might be up there? Aside from killer clowns and killer circus bears?"
"McFadden, what are you doing?" Banks demanded and narrowed her eyes.
"I’m merely trying to see if I can make a little money off this," he replied with a casual shrug.
"You're already making money off this, now get the fuck up there," she all but hissed through clenched teeth before she turned to the officers who still watched the exchange. "He's a freelancer and is experienced in these matters—tracking crazy shit and putting an end to man-hunting creatures. Hence the suit."
"The only place I've seen suits like that is in those video games about the Zoo," the second officer said. That was Taylor’s cue. He rolled his eyes and decided to simply get to work and head into the forest while Banks justified his being there to the people who still had no fucking clue what they were up against.
Honestly, if he were them and knew there was even the slightest possibility that a Zoo monster hung out in the woods, there wouldn’t be enough money in the world to get him to stay anywhere near the forest without a whole shitload more backup than the officers currently had.
"And here I go, heading in there in a suit of armor to hunt the fucking critter." Surprisingly, he needed to get used to the movement of a suit again. He forgot how sensitive the motion detector was until he reached up to scratch his nose and played the world's most concussive game of stop-hitting-yourself.
“At least the trees aren’t trying to kill me around here,” he continued. “That’s a plus.”
"Are you talking to yourself?" Desk asked through the speakers in his helmet.
"Of course, I am," he replied without considering the implications of the unexpected company. "Everyone knows the best way to psych yourself up is to have a conversation with yourself. It helps to calm you and ease you into the zone. All soldiers and pro athletes know about it."
"Right," she said in a tone that clearly indicated amusement.
"I also didn't know you would be listening in," he continued. "Oh, yeah, quick question—why the hell are you listening in?"
"I'm supposed to keep tabs on you through your first mission," Desk replied. "We don’t usually tell the operatives when they are on a test mission, but I'm fairly sure the best idea is for us to work openly, given that we’ll be a team in the future."
“There’s one small problem with that logic.”
“There is?” She sounded genuinely confused.
“You hacked my comms,” he pointed out belligerently, irritated that he actually had to explain what was essentially Trust 101.
“Well…yes. How else was I supposed to keep tabs on you?”
“That’s…fuck, that’s not the point. For one thing, someone should have told me you would tag along as a fucking babysitter. And,” he continued hastily as she made a noise of protest, “this is not an FBI suit. It’s private fucking property. Mine. I think I should at least have some say in who is allowed in here with me—and when because you suddenly appearing out of nowhere could have cost me my fucking life if you did that at the wrong moment.”
“As if I would,” she retorted sharply. “I have enough experience to know better, I’ll have you know. And besides, you’re currently on an FBI mission. We’ve hired you and so we’ve hired your suit as well. For the duration of this operation, it’s technically FBI property, so you might as well get off your little high horse before you fall off—although in that monstrosity, it’s unlikely to hurt much, more’s the pity.”
He actually gaped for a moment, utterly taken aback, and wondered if she secretly copied Banks when the woman wasn’t looking to learn her tricks.
“Be that as it may—and I’m not saying I agree with you, only that it’s up for discussion—I still think I should have been warned that you would tag along.”
“And that is precisely what I did. In the interests of keeping our working relationship on the straight and narrow path of honesty, I felt it was advisable to make
you aware of my presence.”
"Right. So tell me, will that straight and narrow path of honesty extend to telling Banks that I like to talk to myself to get psyched up?"
"Oh indubitably," Desk replied. “I’m supposed to report on all behavior and responses.”
"Fan-fucking-tastic." He didn’t bother to hide the derision in his tone.
"That's all you have?" she challenged. "No begging me not to tell or talking about how we need to keep it between us? I expected you to either offer to bribe or threaten me, at the very least."
"I’m sorry to disappoint you," he said and turned his attention to the first crime scene. "But in case you’ve forgotten, I’m in the field and trying to stay focused at the moment. I could threaten you with all kinds of bodily harm, but I can tell you right now that my heart wouldn't be in it."
"Well, we could always do it later," she suggested.
“If there is a later,” he snarked. “This is potentially life-threatening, remember, not a fucking picnic in the botanical gardens. I need to focus, not be continually distracted by the uninvited voice in my fucking head.”
“Fine.” She sounded sullen, but he didn’t give a shit. “The other reason I came forward was because I thought I might be able to assist you.”
He laughed. “Look, I made eighty-three trips into the Zoo without a…a handler. I think I can manage.”
“Well clearly, we need to define the parameters of our interaction,” she conceded stiffly. “However, I shall be here—you know, keeping tabs on you.”
“Fine. Whatever floats your boat.”
“But,” she said quickly, and he rolled his eyes, “at least keep an open mind. For now, you are not yet in a life and death situation and I need to say I honestly believe I can be of assistance. While you’re simply investigating, why not experiment a little? Perhaps we can find a way to work together that adds value rather than irritation. Unless, of course, you’re afraid I’ll crack the case before you do.”
He didn’t miss the sly edge to her tone but, dammit, the challenge did get through to him. “Look,” he said brusquely, unwilling to admit that she’d struck an ego-nerve. “I don’t really have time to debate this. So yeah, if you think you can add value, be my guest. But I reserve the right to tell you to fuck off when I need to.”
“Of course.” Now, she sounded smug and he wished he could see her face. He shook his head to settle himself. After all, the exercise would simply prove him right in the end. “I promise I’ll respect it should it come to that.”
Taylor grunted acknowledgment, his mind already tuned out to focus on the matter at hand, and activated the higher vision functions embedded into the suit. Heading into the Zoo required the night vision and motion sensor combo to be turned on almost immediately as the trees grew thick enough to blot out most of the sunlight. The forest was far less dense and he still had some light from the fading sun, but this high and this close to where the bodies had been found, he needed as much vision as he could possibly harness.
There wasn't much to see at first, but as he circled and gave the area closer scrutiny, all the hidden details gained clarity. First, he identified the numerous boot prints from the people who had found the body, examined it, and taken it away to the morgue.
He then broadened his search to exclude non-evidence he could safely ignore like cigarette butts and broken branches around the area. Finally, he located set of tracks that warranted a closer inspection.
They weren't boots and they weren't the kind that one might see from the animals in the area. They resembled bear tracks, although Taylor didn't know much about tracking them. The claws, however, seemed to leave too deep an imprint in the ground.
"Did you find something?" Desk asked as he crouched beside the clearest set of tracks.
"I think so." He pushed aside his irritation at the unexpected question. "Do you know if there are any species of bear that are native to these parts?"
"There are a number of species of black bear," Desk said and added a couple of images to his HUD. "But only one in this area. There aren’t many of them around there, given that they tend to avoid heavily populated areas. They don't like having humans around and apparently, the feeling is mutual."
"Yeah, I can see that. Okay, I'm no tracker, but these look like a bear's tracks but are much larger than your average black bear."
"Do you think it's wise to follow the tracks on your own?"
"That is what I'm here for, right? If it ends up being merely an overly large and mutated black bear, it's my job to eliminate it and make it pay for killing all these humans."
"That is your job, yes," she said. "That was a test and you passed."
"Oh, yay, what do I win?" His sarcasm had clearly returned in full measure.
"It's a test, and you passed. The fact that you passed is what you win."
"Of course. Why didn’t I think of that?" The prints were deep enough in the mud that they were easy to follow as they moved deeper into the woods. He didn't know why it had been so difficult for the local people to follow them, but maybe their focus had been more on the dead bodies and less on the wildlife. Besides, he wasn't even sure if the bear whose tracks he now followed was even involved.
It could have merely been the smell of blood and death that attracted it. The information in his HUD indicated that black bears were omnivores and when they lived this close to humans, they tended to be scavengers and fed off the garbage around campsites and the like. It could have simply moved in to see if there was any food left after whatever it was that had actually done the killing was finished. Except, of course, for the disconcerting fact that only the organs had been taken. He didn’t think any self-respecting black bear would turn down a free buffet.
The tracks began to be spaced farther and farther apart as he followed them. While he didn't know much about tracking, he did know it meant that it had started to run. The sounds of humans would cause that but it would stop running once it was clear, right? It would realize that it was safe and it needed to conserve its energy.
That seemed the logical deduction but for some reason, the animal seemed to run like something was in pursuit. There weren't any other tracks around it and it had moved in a relatively straight direction into the hills above.
"Have you found anything?" Desk asked.
"I might if you didn't keep interrupting me." Taylor looked around to make sure there weren't any other tracks before he resumed trailing the most obvious ones through the soft mud.
"Is that a yes or a no?"
"I'm…following something," he admitted. "I'm not one hundred percent sure what I'm even looking for, but I have the feeling I'll know it when I see it."
"That doesn't seem too hopeful," she observed.
"Well, yeah. Again, the monsters tended to hunt us in the Zoo," he grumbled. "When the roles are reversed, I'm a little out of my eleme—oh shit!"
He yanked his sidearm clear of the holster around the suit's hip and pulled the trigger three times at something big that suddenly stood over him. It looked like a regular fucking bear at first glance, and there wasn't much else to it.
His second glance, however, revealed something altogether different.
"What's the matter, Taylor?" Desk didn’t sound even remotely worried.
"I…found the bear." He shook his head and moved closer cautiously. It was definitely the bear but it had been impaled on the branches of the tree, which was what held it up and gave him the impression that it stood over him.
More importantly, though, it looked like it had been savaged in a way that was reminiscent of the park rangers. He wasn't a gambling man, but he would have put good money on the liver and other internal organs being missing from the eviscerated body.
"I think I found something else too." He caught a glimpse of movement in the trees above him, drew his assault rifle clear of the holster on his back, and primed it for combat.
Chapter Twenty-Two
It was difficult to tell what he was
looking at, in all honesty. The motion sensors needed a little more calibration and even then, it seemed like there was all kinds of movement everywhere around him. Maybe it was the wind moving the branches, but the pine tree above the dead bear moved contrary to the wind as if something wound down the trunk and moved closer to him.
Something distinctively skin-crawling about the movements and the way it sent shivers down his spine told him that what he was looking at wasn't the kind of crazy shit he could expect to see around there on a daily basis.
Hell, he was sure this kind of shit hadn't been seen there in the past few million years, if ever. The way it crawled down the tree made him wonder if it was a kind of giant snake, but as it drew closer, he realized that dozens of tiny legs were responsible for movement. In that and the carapaces that covered the lower body, it resembled one of the big fuckers from the Zoo. What were they called again?
Oh, right, the killerpillars.
That fact was enough evidence on its own, but the top half of the beast definitively convinced him that it was a Zoo beast—or at least a product of the same goop that caused them in the first place. It looked like it had recently molted into a new form—like it had slid out of a cocoon and was still getting used to its body.
The top half, away from the killerpillar half, looked more like it was from a mammal or something like it. It had hind legs that appeared to have the same dimensions as a rat, although they were five or six times larger.
As if that wasn’t weird enough, the front of the beast captured most of his attention. The arms might have been the last to come out of the molt as they were still covered in some kind of slime that coated the fur. They looked like fully-grown bear limbs. The neck was a little too long, although the sinewy movements told him there was some kind of advantage to it. The head itself looked like a cross between a rat and a bear, with the elongated snout and quivering nose of the rodent and the powerful jaws and long teeth of the larger animal.
Hired Killer (Cryptid Assassin Book 1) Page 18