All was quiet in the ravine, and nobody came out to meet Mona. When she reached the ship, Lydia let her in. The others didn’t speak right away. They were all listening to the radio, and it seemed that the Aliens’ space ship was about to land. Mona shoved the box inside, again using her foot. Opening it, she held up one gun for Eric to see.
He was not happy. “We do not need those. We are peaceful people. I have been thinking about this, and I have changed my mind. I think the Aliens are just trying to bluff us. I do not believe they will really harm us.” His tone was less than convincing.
Mona felt that in reality, they all knew Torpi would attack.
The radio became full of static, and words were no longer distinguishable. The last transmission they heard was that the space ship was going to land, but where or when they could not tell. Torpi and his group were close, but how close?
The radio stopped working and there was silence, deafening silence. Mona turned on a police monitor she’d brought with her. She also spread out a city map and listened to see if there were any strange calls anywhere in the area. Nothing. Calls about space ships came in from all over town, but none were in the Wolf Road vicinity. After a second of squawking, the operator broke in.
“Signal twenty-eight on Wolf Road two miles east of Highway Twenty-five.”
“Ten-four. This is fifty-four and I’ll take that call. I’m on forty-five right now.”
“Ten-four, Fifty-four. I’ll assign it to you and send Fifty-three to back you. A man reported seeing a tan SUV Explorer swerving on Wolf Road. It pulled into some bushes near that big gully out there. They passed him going about eighty, then they slowed down and stopped and he passed them by.”
“Ten-four. I’m almost ten-twenty-three.”
A new voice came on the radio. “This is Fifty-three and I’m right behind you. If you pull off to the right, we can both fit in there and maybe nab them.”
Mona listened intently. What would happen now? If they were where she thought, they’d pull in right behind her car. She did not tell the others. What good would it do? She cringed when she heard cars.
Mona glanced out the window. At the top of the hill, the two police cars parked side by side. One officer nodded to the other and, with drawn guns, approached her car.
When she heard one policeman request a tag registration on her car, Mona did not know what to do. Should she go up and try to explain why she was there? Surely, they’d just take her off to the nut house if she told the truth. Or, if they investigated, then what? She could simply tell them the same story she’d told everyone else, but they’d still think she was crazy, wandering in the woods all alone at night just to look at property. Maybe it would just be best to let them come down and find out what was going on for themselves. She did nothing and just waited.
The two men were cautiously looking around. Then, one went back to his car to call in.
“Fifty-two.”
“Go ahead, Fifty-two,” the operator came back.
He gave the car’s make and model, then added, “New car. Two-thousand-five Buick Century. Deserted. Undamaged. Check this license number.” He called it out and waited.
“Ten-four, Fifty-two.”
“Ten-four. We’re going down to see if anyone is hiding in the gully. Keep us out of the car and apprise any other officers coming to the scene of what’s happening.” He was cautious because accidentally being shot by one of their own was a great fear of policemen.
Hearing those words worried Mona. The others heard, too, and they realized that the policemen were headed in their direction. Eric told the group, “We’re lifting off.”
Mona nodded agreement. She had no way to explain being there, so it was important that they get away now.
In an instant, they shed the camouflage and went straight up. Just as the policemen reached the bottom of the hill, they saw the cone-shaped object rise above the trees.
“God Almighty,” said the red-faced Irish cop. “I don’t believe this. Now I’ve seen one meself.” And as he crossed himself, he asked, “Did you see that Danny, me boy?”
Dan merely shook his head and remained frozen to the spot. He swore aloud as the object disappeared from sight, his mouth hung open. Both men came to their senses temporarily and ran to the bottom of the gully. They dug their way through the bushes to the spot where the ship had been. Shining flashlights around, they discovered nothing — only the ship’s landing place that was clean as a whistle.
“Now how in the hell are we going to explain this?” the senior officer asked. “You know what happens when these things are reported, Dan — nothing. That is, nothing except a lot of questions from the top. And I hate those damn investigations. I’m getting too old for that,” Mahoney told his young partner. In just two months he could retire. This incident settled it. He was going to turn in his papers along with this report.
“I agree, Sarge,” Dan replied, still in a state of shock. He scratched his head. “But we can’t just ignore it. What can we do?”
Before they had time to make a decision, it was decided for them. In the darkness behind them, another space ship slipped up on them. It swooped down and headed straight for the clearing. The men were caught in the force of it, crushed beneath its weight. They did not even know what hit them. Death was instant.
From headquarters, the police operator was frantically calling Cars 52 and 53. She had already dispatched other units to the area, but Car 50’s driver was new in the area, and he overshot the location and bypassed the two patrol cars. Finally, he found it and called in.
“Car fifty. I’m at that ten-twenty now. Thirty-two’s with me. We’re out of the car,” said Allen Brunson, a young cocky new recruit.
At twenty-six, he had just graduated from the Police Academy. After having tried two other occupations, he found the power of a policeman appealed to him. During his insecure childhood, his mother had always been domineering, and it left Allen with a sense of inability. He’d never known a father. Since being better than other people was so important to him, he chose enforcing the law for his career. Now, he could exert authority. Small-time crooks were considered quite inferior to him. That provided him with a deep sense of satisfaction to know that he was superior to many people. The fact that those he had contact with were in the criminal element did not lessen the boost to his ego in the slightest. This assignment looked like a big chance. As Allen and his partner, Dave, descended the hill, he felt a sense of elation.
“Dave,” he said, “this one’s important. Don’t be surprised at what we find down this hill. Might be a whole cache of junkies.”
Allen was proud to use the word cache — he’d learned that in the academy. It took him a week to learn to spell another word — paraphernalia — now, he might just get to use that, too, at least on a report. He would have to be sure to write that report when somebody was around to watch. The prospect thrilled him.
Moving in closer, they cautiously planned their course of action. “Okay, Dave,” Allen told his partner, “you take the right, I’ll take the left, and we’ll see just who is down here.”
The men moved apart, guns drawn with one finger on the trigger and another on flashlight switches in the other hand. They roamed around through the darkness until they completed a full circle.
“Nothing here, Allen.”
Allen held up his shoe. “Except dog mess.”
Ignoring that remark, Dave said, “Take a right.”
His partner took the lead, making Allen feel a little upstaged by the rookie of two months telling him what to do. Especially since Allen had six months of service behind him.
But when Allen’s light fell on a crop of red hair over a badly mangled bloodstained forehead, all those thoughts left his mind. He became violently ill and had to turn away to vomit. He’d never seen a decapitated head before, much less one that belonged to a fellow officer that he knew well.
When he regained his composure, he turned and screamed to his partner, but that
was totally unnecessary. His partner was right behind him, white as a sheet.
Dave shined the light full in his face and called out, “Allen, are you all right?” He’d never seen his partner speechless before.
Putting a hand on Dave’s shoulder to steady himself, Allen sucked in his breath. “Hell no, I’m not all right. Have you ever seen anything like that before?”
Unsure that he could hold Allen up, Dave braced himself. All he could manage to do was to shake his head, hoping that both of them wouldn’t collapse.
The worst was yet to come. Neither of them had seen Dan Mahoney yet. Then Allen bumped the light, and it fell from Dave’s hands. Its beam spilled out into the bushes where Dan had been thrown. Pieces of his body were strewn all over. An arm, leg, and parts of the torso were scattered about. If the men had not already been faced with one gory sight, they might have both passed out cold. Instead, they tightened up their self-control and faced the ungodly sight.
“My God, what could have happened to them?” said Dave, the first to speak.
Shaking his head in awe, Allen replied, “I dunno, but whatever it was we’re not safe. Let’s get the hell out of here and call for help.”
They scampered up the hill as fast as their legs would take them.
In disbelief, the operator took their report. She could detect the shakiness in Allen’s voice as he related the gruesome details. However, he did manage to give them in an orderly, matter-of-fact manner with professionalism. In the face of gruesome deaths, Allen showed the makings of a good policeman by remaining calm and doing his job.
Police cars and ambulances were dispatched to the area. The police photographer arrived and took pictures from every angle before the bodies were removed. The lieutenant in charge surveyed the situation, then came to talk to the men who were first on scene.
Chewing incessantly on the end of a cigar, seasoned police lieutenant Paul Ramundi hid his horror and questioned the rookies.
“Look, men, I’ve got to know what all this is about. Allen, Dave, one at a time from the beginning, tell me everything that happened. Don’t leave out even the most minute detail. Allen, you begin.”
“Well, sir,” he said respectfully, “we were dispatched here on a drunk — or drugged — driver call. But the call was for an SUV Explorer, and it’s nowhere to be seen. When we got to this spot,” he pointed to the bushes where the police cars were still parked, “the only car around was that brand new Buick there. We called in for a registration report, and while we waited, we reported out of the car and went down the hill to look around.”
Paul stopped the man right there. “Don’t you know you’re supposed to wait for that report before proceeding?”
“Yes, sir, Lieutenant.” He offered no explanation because there was none.
Ramundi gave him a glare and let it drop. Other things were more important right now. “Go on.”
“Well, we walked around but didn’t see anything. Then we spotted Sergeant O’Brien. He was dead.” Allen’s voice cracked despite all he did to try to control it.
For a minute, Ramundi thought he was going to cry. He waited patiently for the man to continue his story.
Allen cleared his throat. But it still felt as if he’d swallowed a golf ball. “I saw Dan Mahoney — or what was left of him.” He bit his quivering lip. “It was awful.”
Paul broke in with a question to relieve the tension. “Did you see anything else?”
“I know some animal was around. I stepped in some mess. The smell is still on my shoe. I’d forgotten about it till now. I didn’t think it was significant.”
“In a case like this, everything’s significant, Brunson. Give me that shoe.”
Allen took it off and handed it to the lieutenant. “This is from a small animal. Could be a dog.” He squinted. “The question is: where did a dog come from? There are no houses nearby.” He gave the shoe back. As Brunson slipped it back on, the lieutenant told him, “Include that in your written report.” He added, “Now finish your story.”
“There’s not much more. We went back to the car and called for assistance — to let the experts check the area.”
Paul nodded. Then he asked Dave to give his version. As expected, their stories were the same. Dave did have one thing to add. He’d received the report on the Buick, and when he found out Mona Stewart owned it, he recognized her name.
“She’s a reporter for The Times, sir. Could be she was out here on assignment.”
Looking at his partner with disgust, Allen interrupted, “You should have told me that first.”
Paul didn’t particularly like this new young cop. Allen reminded him of himself when he was a rookie, and he was not exactly proud of the way he’d flaunted his position in those days when many people went unprotected and their civil rights were often violated. He used this opportunity to put down Brunson.
“All right, since you seem to know about her, tell us what she was doing here and where she is now.”
Allen stammered, “I don’t know, sir. But shouldn’t her newspaper be able to tell us that?”
His remark irritated Ramundi even more. Why did he give Brunson the chance to upstage him?
“A good question, Brunson. Go find out.”
He deliberately left Brunson with incomplete instructions so that whatever he did would be wrong. If he went to the car and called in, he would tell the rookie, “I meant for you to go to the paper.” But if he left and went to the paper, Ramundi would say, “Brunson, what did you mean by leaving the scene without my permission?”
Dave sensed what was happening and stayed out of it. It bothered him that two fellow officers had died violent deaths and others were playing vengeful word games during the investigation. Mulling over that, he followed Brunson back to the car.
Elsewhere, other things were taking place. Out in space, Mona wondered what would happen next. As they ascended, they saw the Aliens’ ship readying to descend in the gully. They’d been found out. Now, they were seated at the ship’s round table discussing their options.
Sad-faced, Eric announced bad news. “Torpi contacted me,” he said. “He bragged that they’d killed two policemen and will kill other Earthlings. As your leader, I have to act in the best interests of all. We must go back and, if necessary, fight to keep our position,” he declared. He had done an about-face from his previous stand. “In acting like an idealist, I was wrong. My trust was misplaced. The Aliens came to Earth and destroyed human lives. That proves that they will stop at nothing to destroy us and, even more important, they have it in their power to destroy the world as it is today.” He turned to face Mona. “I have not told you, Mona, but I suspect that if they cannot get us under their control, they will change the past — the time of the atomic explosions — and with the technology available to them, they’ll see that everyone, all of us who survive except themselves — are destroyed in those atomic blasts. Do you understand?”
Mona nodded. “Yes, you’re saying they’ll take the best — or the worst — of both time dimensions’ technologies and use them to their own advantage, leaving only members of their own group as survivors.” She felt deflated.
She really was not of this world or this time, but she was becoming caught up in the workings of these space creatures’ lives. Now, her interest in their welfare and the welfare of generations to come was beginning to overshadow everything else. It was unbelievable. Just a week ago when her boyfriend dumped her, she felt she had nothing to live for. But the wreck changed all that. Now, she was in an interplanetary, interdimensional situation, and somehow life for all people, including herself, seemed vitally important.
Breaking into her thoughts, Eric said, “We cannot hover long. By tonight, we must go back and replenish our energy source. So now, we must decide our course of action. I wonder how many people the Aliens have on board their ship?” he asked, really thinking aloud. “I do not believe they would risk using up their energy too fast by carrying many passengers. They may have si
x, two more than we have. More than that, I doubt.”
Mona was slightly surprised at his next statement.
“I suggest that we load the guns Mona brought. We must be prepared to fight. But since we have never used guns on Svar, I cannot promise results. As you know, our bodies have become different. All of us, including the Aliens, may not suffer from bullet wounds. Perhaps we are now immune to them.” He had a pregnant pause. “But if Torpi went to the trouble to make weapons with pointed rocks, then he probably tested them. He would not be above killing one of his own people to see if those weapons worked. And if wounds of that nature do not heal fast enough, then neither would bullet wounds.”
Mona knew that Eric was qualifying what might happen and that he’d come to the conclusion that bullet wounds would be sufficiently effective. With the guns, they might have an edge over the enemy.
Chapter 3
AT THREE O’CLOCK IN the morning, when Frank Dees discovered that Mona’s car was abandoned and the she was nowhere to be found, he told the police that he was extremely concerned. The big-hearted editor really liked the girl. But as her boss, he kept his fondness concealed. From the time she’d come to work for the paper, he silently took her under his wing. Every chance he got, he gave her the encouragement necessary to boost a reporter’s confidence. Although he did not show favoritism, he would have done anything for Mona.
Now, she was gone. He had a queasy feeling about her sudden disappearance. In an intuitive moment of hopelessness, he bemoaned the fact that he’d never let her know, at least in some small way, that he had a fatherly feeling toward her. Maybe now it was too late.
Time Will Tell Page 4