“No way this is a hoax,” Kevin said.
“Then we need to decide whether or not we try to take this key…” Eddy bent down and picked up the key. It snapped closed in his hand, concealing the red light. “…and finish what Haphnee started. Should we take the key to the transmitter?”
Everyone was silent.
“If we do this, I want everyone in. One hundred percent. If any one of you don’t want to, we head home as fast as we can. If we all agree, we head north, to the transmitter. Kevin?”
Kevin looked at Eddy, surprised to be asked first. He fidgeted for a moment then looked resolute. “Listen, I know I freaked out back there, but you have to understand. I saw all this. I saw their planet, the Ferox… I… I know what they look like—what they really look like, and none of you believed me. I thought I was going crazy and I panicked. I’m sorry.”
Eve placed her hand on Kevin’s shoulder. “Any one of us would have had the same reaction. There’s nothing to apologize for.”
Eddy said, “Tell us what you think.”
“I think,” Kevin started, “that this is the chance of a lifetime. Here we are, a bunch of nobodies in the overall scheme of things, nothing more than microscopic specs that appear and disappear in a relative nanosecond. But we have the chance to alter the fate of our planet, which could alter the fate of our solar system, and eventually our galaxy—if the human race survives another hundred thousand years or so.”
“Buck is on a roll,” Steve said with a smile.
“I’ll be the first to admit, this is a dream come true for me. Aliens? The fate of the planet? This is the stuff I read about every day and now I have the chance to live it. I was wrong about one thing before: I said I wasn’t eager to live through a thriller. I was wrong. This is the best thing to happen to me since I married Salina.”
Kevin paused. The muscles in his face fell and pulled his cheeks down in a deep frown.
“What is it?” Eddy asked.
“Salina, Bruce and Peter… If something happens to me out here, they’ll never know what happened to me. They won’t even know if I really died or not.”
“Think logically,” Norwood said. “Should we choose to believe all this rubbish about global moral decay being caused by shape shifting aliens, our lives and the lives of everyone we know are moot, an illusion.”
“That’s cold,” Steve said.
“No, he’s right,” Eddy said. “The only way our lives and the lives of everyone else on the planet will matter, really matter, is if they are free of evil influence. Everything up until now has been molded to fit a particular desire—destruction. What we see on TV, our wars, terrorism, plagues, all of it could be a result of Ferox influence.”
“Imagine what the world might become without them,” Eve said.
“I’ve decided,” Kevin said. “I’m going. If the rest of you decide not to go, I’ll take a snowmobile and do it alone. Either way, I’m going.”
“Hold on, Kevin,” Eddy said. “Let the rest of us decide before you wage a one-man war.”
“An appropriate analogy,” Kevin said. “Because when you stop and think about it, that’s what this is—a war. I don’t know about you all, but the idea that we seven could change the course of history, literally save the human race and change the balance of power from evil to good, is very exciting.”
Eddy turned to Norwood. “Kevin’s in. What about you?”
“We’ve made so many discoveries in the past few days. Some of the most important discoveries of all time. But they need to be studied thoroughly and scrutinized carefully. Since you’re all so prone to charge in headlong without giving a passing thought to science…or profit, I will most definitely be coming along. Though I’ll admit, more from scientific curiosity than some foolish notion that removing four alien creatures from the planet will stop the downward moral spiral of the human race. My answer is yes, most definitely.”
“Well that was a long-winded waste of time no one wanted to hear,” Paul said. “Try this next time: I’m in.” Paul crossed his arms and looked at Steve.
“Hell,” Steve said, “someone’s got to protect Paul’s ass. I’m good. I’m in.”
Steve looked at Nicole.
“I’ve still got a camera. I go where the action is. I’m totally in.”
Eve turned to Eddy and smiled. “I go where you go.”
Eddy sighed, feeling the weight of this decision on his shoulders. He wasn’t sure who to trust. The Inuit they had encountered obviously had ill intentions, but to trust an alien hologram thousands of years old… The idea was ridiculous. “I’m not so sure.”
“What?” Kevin looked confused for a moment, then resolute. “Eddy, I know you changed in Venezuela. I know it hurt you. But we can’t just let this go.”
“How do you know the hologram is telling the truth? How do you know we won’t all die for nothing?”
“I know I won’t be able to live with myself if I don’t try. Just the chance that this is all real, that our lives are influenced by these things, makes the attempt worthwhile.” Kevin crossed his arms. “And like I said, I’m going with or without you.”
Eddy looked into the eyes of each and every one of them. All were giving him the same look. They were going without him…but they needed him. “We’re both in,” he said, speaking for himself and Eve as one. The sentence felt strange at first, but then comforting.
“Same seating and we’ll double time the speed. From what I understand, these Ferox are more dangerous than the Arctic, so environmental concerns are out the window. Stay close and move fast.” Eddy turned to Paul and pointed to the numbers carved into the snow, “Plug those coordinates in the GPS and set a course. Let’s go.”
The group broke up. Paul, Steve and Nicole hopped back onto the snowmobiles, while Kevin and Norwood climbed into the Sno-Cat. Eddy and Eve lingered behind a bit.
“You’re doing a good job,” Eve said.
“Thanks.”
“You afraid?”
“Terrified.”
“Good. Just making sure.”
“You know, your analogy—angels and demons. At this point, my world view has been shaken so much I’m about willing to believe anything.”
“Get to the point,” Eve said with a smile.
“The point is, if you were right and these creatures were demons, or at least the evil force that inspired humans to create the concept of demons, that would make their leader the Devil.”
Eve stopped and thought about the comment. She closed her eyes, raised her eyebrows and shook her head. “Ugh, then let’s hope we don’t meet up with him.”
“You don’t understand,” Eddy said. “We’ve already met the Devil.”
Eve looked at Eddy, her brown eyes stunned and wide—so huge they were almost comical. She enunciated every syllable. “Marutas.”
17
FORWARD
Miles of endless ice and snow passed without event. Kevin and Eve had fallen asleep in the rear of the Sno-Cat, while Norwood drove and Eddy rode shotgun. All remained silent as they plowed north, toward the unknown, toward the Aeros citadel.
Eddy was lost in thought, debating their current action. He knew they were in real danger, perhaps more danger then ever before; but if what the holographic man, Artuke, said was true, then all of humanity was in peril. The idea that aliens, beings from another planet, maybe even another galaxy, had arrived on Earth thousands of years ago with the singular task of corrupting mankind, was preposterous. A day ago he would have rolled on the ice, laughing, if someone had tried to convince him that E.T. had landed, peacefully or otherwise.
Eddy glanced to his left. Norwood was adjusting the rearview mirror…again. Eddy’s pondering of the existence of alien life faded, replaced by suspicion, though he did not know why. There was nothing in front of them, nothing behind—just a smooth white carpet from horizon to horizon. There were no roads, and the only other moving vehicles were driving twenty feet to their left—the snowmobiles. Eddy pe
ered at the mirror without moving his head and imagined the angle from Norwood’s eyes and how his vision would reflect off the mirror. He followed the imaginary line back, moving his head casually, as though he were bored. His eyes came to rest on Eve’s breasts, which were accentuated by the tight, black sweater she wore. Earlier, she had removed her coat; the Cat often grew quite warm from the excellent heating system and four warm bodies. Norwood took her exposure as permission to grope her mentally.
It occurred to Eddy that he was overreacting, like a teenage boyfriend wanting to punch out any guy who glanced Eve’s way. But then he decided he wasn’t overreacting. Eve was his friend, one of his best friends, and he had the duty to protect her from the thoughts he knew must be swarming through Norwood’s mind. Of course, Eddy knew he had similar thoughts about Eve from time to time, but they had an understanding between them, didn’t they? The attraction between them had always been palpable, but they were both mature adults and work had to be done. It came first. Work always came first. But there was no reason he couldn’t defend Eve against the lustful thoughts of a man she’d want nothing to do with.
Of course she’d want nothing to do with him. Even as he thought it, Eddy doubted. Maybe they have a secret romance. Maybe Brian has reason to look at her that way? Maybe Eve is tired of waiting?
Eddy cursed himself for being an idiot and decided not to believe the thoughts rolling through his mind—the lies. Eve was special to Eddy and he was her protector; whether she knew it or liked it didn’t matter. His mind was made up.
Norwood’s hand reached for the mirror, gripped it and adjusted it, moving it down.
Lips pursed and eyebrows low, Eddy gripped the mirror and turned it up. “Eyes on the road, Brian” he said in a deep voice that said much more.
“What road?” Norwood said. “There’s nothing out there but snow and ice.”
Eddy knew he was right and couldn’t argue without giving his intentions away. His intentions were transparent.
Norwood smiled. “Besides, I’m just enjoying the view.” Norwood adjusted the mirror again, making no effort to hide where he was pointing it and what he was looking at. He took in Eve’s form, closed his eyes, and shook his head with a big grin.
Eddy was sure that if he could read minds, he might beat Norwood to a pulp for what he was thinking.
Norwood opened his eyes. “You know, Eddy. With your track record—what is it now…thirty-five deaths in two expeditions? I think in the future, you’ll be taking orders from me. Not to mention that I already pay your bills. You might want to be nicer to me.”
A tight grin on Eddy’s face showed his clenched teeth. His unblinking eyes made Norwood nervous.
Eddy turned to him. “Another word from you and I’ll happily make it thirty-six.”
Pfft. Norwood chuckled. He was about to say something, but Eddy cut him off. “You don’t think anyone here would miss you, do you? I might have a bad track record. I might be responsible for the deaths of three people. But you forget that every one of the people left alive would give their life for me and I for them. Do you think they’d do the same for you? Do you really think they would argue about leaving you behind?”
Norwood looked nervous, but his defensive nature pushed him forward. “What about getting paid? Hmm? If I don’t survive, who’s going to write your checks?”
Eddy stifled a laugh. “Some things supersede money, Brian. Someday you might learn that.”
Now Norwood laughed. “Nothing is more important than money.”
Eddy leaned back in his seat. “Has it occurred to you yet, that the way you think, the darker desires of your heart might be caused by the creatures we now seek to defeat? If this all turns out to be real, what will become of you when the Ferox are gone? People like you will be exposed for who you really are—followers of the Ferox.”
Pfft. Norwood chuckled again. “You sound like some religious fanatic now. How you ever became a respected scientist is beyond me.”
“A lot is beyond you.”
Norwood looked in the rearview, taking in Eve’s form. “You think she’s beyond me?”
“Point that mirror at yourself and take a good long look. Try and find something worth loving.”
“You don’t think she could love me for my money?”
Eddy shook his head with a smile. “Now you’re just trying to make me angry.”
“How do you know she hasn’t already? I think you’d be surprised what she would do for the right amount of currency. Everyone is greedy, Eddy. Even your little angel.” Norwood looked in the rearview again.
“You know what?” Eddy said. “You’re right.”
Norwood cocked his head to the right, surprised.
“There is no road,” Eddy said. “The rearview is useless.” Eddy snatched the rearview and yanked down, snapping it away from the windshield. He rolled down his window and tossed the mirror out into the snow.
The blast of cold air from the open window roused Kevin and Eve from their naps. “What’s going on?” Eve asked, half asleep.
Eddy glared at Norwood, who glanced at Eddy in fear. “Not a word,” Eddy said with a strong whisper.
“Who opened the window?” Kevin asked, as he pulled his jacket over his chest. “It’s freezing in here.”
“The heat was on the fritz,” Eddy said. “But I fixed it. Go back to sleep. Everything’s fine.”
Too dazed to argue or think clearly, both Eve and Kevin nodded back off to their dreams.
Eddy glared at Norwood one last time before turning away to look at the side view mirror, which gave him a perfect view of Eve’s sleeping face.
☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼
After another half hour of silent driving, the radio crackled inside the Sno-Cat. “Hey guys,” Paul’s voice said over the radio. “Can we make a stop soon? I gotta take a serious piss.”
Eddy picked up the CB and held the button down, “Copy that, Paul. We could all use a good stretch. How about we—” Eddy looked out the windshield, eyes locked on something in the distance. “What is that?”
“What is what?” Paul’s voice questioned.
“I don’t see anything,” Norwood said, looking out the windshield.
“Over there,” Eddy said, pointing. “Looks like a bunch of poles sticking out of the snow.” Eddy pushed the CB button again. “Two o’clock, guys. Head for that structure. We’ll take a break when we get there.”
“Copy that,” Paul said.
“I’m on it,” Steve added, as he rocketed forward on his snowmobile, Nicole clinging to his waist. “Whooo!”
As they grew nearer to the structure, Eddy was impressed by how large it was. And there were others, several others. From one hundred yards out, Eddy felt a chill run up his back, climbing over his skin like a horde of army ants. It was like nothing he had ever seen before, morbid and scientifically wonderful at the same time.
Norwood stopped the Sno-Cat near one of the largest skeletons and they climbed out, one at a time, mouths agape. Before them was a graveyard of gargantuan proportions. Tall ice heaves served as headstones for the skeletal remains of what looked like giants. Rib cages fifteen feet tall shot into the air, built like jail cells. Giant skulls lay still, mouths open in perpetual screams. Vertebrae were scattered everywhere, like short stools, big enough for a man to sit on comfortably.
Steve summed up what most of them were thinking. “What the hell is all this?”
“Whale carcasses,” Eve said, as she examined some gouges on the exterior of a rib, which was as thick as her leg. “Several different species, but most are blue whales. Big ones.”
“But how did they get here?” Steve asked.
“Probably hunters,” Eve said. “They must have stripped off the meat and left the bones on the ice. Perhaps even on a yearly basis. During the summer, this area is probably very close to the water.”
“That would account for so many skeletons,” Eddy said.
“I don’t like it,” Kevin added.
&
nbsp; “Could have been the Inuit,” Paul said.
“Inuit?” Steve asked. “As in our Inuit? The evil dudes chasing us?”
Paul gripped a tall rib and leaned back, letting the bone hold his weight. It was as strong as steel. “No, the real Inuit. Hunting blue whales was made illegal a long time ago.”
“The International Whaling Commission declared them to be a protected species in 1966 because their population had dramatically decreased over several years of over-hunting,” Norwood said with an arrogant smile.
“Right,” Paul said. “But the Inuit have continued hunting whales anyway.”
“So these Inuit guys break the law?”
“Sort of,” Paul said. “But the law doesn’t apply to them. They hunt the whales because there isn’t a whole lot else to eat. They get food, oil and weapons from the whales. They kill only what they need and make very little impact on whale populations. And they do it by hand.”
“But why would they leave so many whale carcasses behind?” Eve asked.
“I don’t know,” Paul said. “Maybe there’s something defective about these.”
“Maybe they were left as a warning?” Kevin said.
“I noticed that several of these skeletons have scratches in them, and puncture holes, like they’ve been bitten by something huge,” Nicole said.
“Killer whale?” Eddy asked.
Eve inspected a tooth mark. “Could be. Packs of killer whales have been known to attack and kill blue whales. It’s not unheard of, but the bite radius and puncture depth would suggest something smaller.”
“Polar bear,” Paul said. “They probably feed on these remains when they’re left. Now that I think about it, I’ve heard that if a polar bear defeats the men hunting it, the bear is seen as being godly—Nanuk, the great lonely hunter.”
Norwood raised an eyebrow to a lofty position on his forehead. “You’re saying that these Inuit fellows killed all these whales and left them here for a godly polar bear to eat?”
“Just that it’s a possibility,” Paul said.
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