Darkest Night

by James Cherry

  Ayako blanched and said, "I sent the evidence to fifteen scientists."

  Ron nodded and replied, "Yes, they are all dead now and all the evidence has since been confiscated or destroyed.”

  Ron turned to Doctor Burch and said, “I destroyed the tape from Loch Ness in order to keep the general's confidence in me, as he was beginning to suspect that I was helping you. So I tried to discredit you and have you committed to a mental institution in order to save not just your life, but all of your lives. Had I been successful, then the general would have left you all alone. It almost worked until . . ."

  Ayako interrupted, "What about Doctor Shelia Stacey."

  Ron looked down at the ground and said, "I am sorry, but she died of an apparent heart attack a few days ago.”

  At the news, Ayako fell to her knees, sobbing in despair. Doctor Burch squatted down next to her, put a reassuring arm around her, and whispered something into her ear.

  Ron, ignoring the scene said, "When Doctor Burch busted Carter out of the mental hospital, well, that took me completely by surprise. And that escape ruined my plan to keep you all alive, as I knew that would put General Crowell right back on your asses. As I predicted, the general ordered me to capture all of you and place you somewhere where he could keep an eye on you. He then devised a plan to fly everyone that was involved with the dragons on a C-141 cargo plane, which was rigged to crash. That crash killed all of the scientists that were at the lab and all of the soldiers that were involved at the Cable, Wisconsin fiasco. You are the only survivors, the only ones left that know of the dragon’s existence outside of the generals own hand-picked men. And I intend to keep you alive as I need you all to testify against the general for numerous crimes, to include murder."

  Carter stared in disbelief and said, "Just who are these hand-picked men?"

  Ron answered quickly, "The Project Raptor team. The general’s highly secretive operatives are fiercely loyal and very well-funded. And with dragons under their control, they believe themselves virtually unstoppable.” Seeing the incredulous looks upon the team members faces, he explained, “They could hit any world leader without fear of repercussions upon the United States. With no witnesses to point the finger, how could any country blame the United States if a large flying thing suddenly ate their leader? These dragons could sow chaos and dissent in countries, completely destabilizing them. They could even hit members of our own Government without anyone having a clue as to whom or what was behind the attacks."

  Doctor Burch cleared his throat. Ron tipped his head towards the doctor and said, "Yes, Doctor Burch?"

  "So, why is it that the general is so confident that a flying lizard could be such an effective weapon?"

  Ron replied, "These dragons have an intelligence surpassed only by humans and can actually coordinate and communicate with each other to some degree.”

  Marty, ever the disbeliever, scowled and said, "You mean to tell me that dragons can talk to each other?"

  Ron nodded and replied, "Sort of. Now they don't have a complex language like we do, but they can communicate in some form or fashion, we just don't fully understand it yet.” He paused and thought for a moment before continuing, “Take dolphins for example. They have a large brain, have complex problem solving abilities, and have an ability to communicate. And even though dolphins aren’t dangerous, the Navy uses them very successfully, in many different capacities. Now place dolphin traits within a creature as deadly as a dragon . . ."

  Marty got the point and he didn’t need Ron to finish his sentence. The thought of a trainable creature that was as intelligent as a dolphin and capable of some level of communication, scared the living crap out of him.

  Just as Marty was going to ask another question, Carter yelled, "Hold on, you mean that the general’s operatives have already trained some of these creatures? What about those two dragons that escaped? You said that they were un-trainable."

  Ron made a chopping motion with his right hand and growled, "Enough!” He then said apologetically, “The pair of dragons that escaped was part of the generals breeding stock and they weren’t trained.”

  Marty interjected, “Wait, breeding stock? I thought you said the general had only captured two adults?”

  Ron nodded and said, “And I also said he had captured seven young. The dragons mature quickly, and now he has several adult dragons, some of which are trained killers.”

  Carter looked around in panic and asked, "So the soldiers in this camp are all the general’s operatives?"

  Ron shook his head and said, "No, they are my men. The general and his men will soon be here though. He wants to personally supervise the extermination of the last wild population of dragons.” Ron turned to Doctor Burch and added, “And he wants to personally supervise the deaths of you and your team. You really made things hard on him, and he took it personal.”

  Doctor Burch bowed his head and said, "I am glad that I could be of service."

  Ron laughed and said, "Now, I will need to get all of you out of here before he arrives."

  "How are we getting out of here?" Marty asked.

  "I have a Blackhawk coming this way, it will be here soon,” replied Ron.

  Marty asked sarcastically, "You expect the whole team to board that chopper and fly out of here? How do we know that the chopper won't fall out of the sky, with us in it?"

  Ron nodded and said, "Fair question.” He smiled as he answered, “Because I am going with you."

  Marty sighed and threw his hands into the air. "Fine! But I still have a few more questions though, things that just don’t make sense.”

  Ron replied, “Go on.”

  “Those troops back at the Cable, Wisconsin battle were a mix of Marines, Army, and National Guard. Why did the general use those soldiers to kill the dragons and then turn around and kill all of them? Wouldn’t it make more sense to just use his operatives to take down the dragons? I don’t understand why he would kill all those innocent soldiers and risk inquiries from their families,” asked Marty.

  Ron scratched his chin and said thoughtfully, "His operatives were stretched pretty thin at that time as they were busy destroying wild populations of dragons all over the world. Because of the shortage of his men, he put together a large force of soldiers from several branches of the military. Soldiers that had no family and would not readily be missed. Men he deemed disposable.”

  Marty fumed with anger and said through clenched teeth, "He does not have the right to determine who deserves to live or die. Who does he think he is anyway? God?"

  "I am God." A voice called from just outside of the tent and the entire team jumped with surprise. Their heads swiveled in unison to stare at the figure striding through the tent opening.

  Marty stared in hatred at the large man who wore the single star of a Brigadier General. The general was flanked by a half dozen combat ready men adorned in black. Their faces were covered with black facemasks and their weapons were at the ready, their posture indicating hostile intent.

  The general eyed Colonel Haymond in obvious disdain. He leaned forward until his face was inches from Ron's and said, "You were scheduled to die next week in a horrific car accident. Now it appears I will have to accelerate that schedule."

  The general turned his head and scanned the team until his eyes came to rest upon Doctor Burch. He moved quickly to the doctor and said, "You." He pointed a large meaty finger into the doctor's face. "You have been a royal pain in my ass. It will be a pleasure to watch you die."

  The general spun on his heel and stalked out of the tent. His operatives reacted quickly and they moved to surround the team.

  Ron looked at Doctor Burch apologetically and said, "I am sorry, he arrived earlier than I anticipated. I have failed."

  Ron hung his head dejectedly as a black clad operative grabbed him by the arm and shoved him roughly out of the tent.

  ***

  The doctor was slammed hard against a large boulder and he slumped forward in pain. Through blea
ry eyes, he watched helplessly as the rest of his team, including Ron’s Special Ops, were lined up beside him. The Special Ops soldiers had all been disarmed, with some appearing to have been roughed up a bit. Numerous cuts on their faces were seeping red, and nasty angry purple bruises were evident.

  As the black-clad operatives lined up and raised their weapons in preparation to fire, the doctor closed his eyes and steeled himself for the expected impact of a bullet.

  A figure suddenly emerged from the dark, barreling into the operatives, and the black-clad soldiers quickly reacted by scattering and diving away for cover. Carter and the Special Ops soldiers reacted just as fast and joined the melee, plunging into combat with the confused black-clad soldiers.

  Doctor Burch opened his eyes and looked around in confusion. He was momentarily stunned by the sight of the skirmish, but quickly recovered and motioned for Doctor Chin, Ayako, and Marty to retreat for cover behind a stack of metal drums.

  The team quickly scrambled to get out of the way, and dove behind the cover of the stack of drums. They landed in a haphazard pile, and it took a moment for the doctor to remove himself from the confusing tangle of arms and legs.

  Once free, the doctor raised his head to peek over the top of their concealment. He immediately spotted the familiar figure of Bo savagely attacking the black-clad operatives with his bare hands.

  Doctor Burch excitedly turned to his bewildered and frightened teammates and said, "Its Bo. Bo saved us." He turned back around to watch the combat.

  Bo kicked a black-clad soldier squarely in the jaw and jumped on top of the man as he fell to the ground. He grabbed the man's weapon hand and twisted sharply, and the audible snap of bones caused the man to scream in pain. Bo continued to twist the man's hand back into an impossible angle until the man lost his grip on his weapon. Bo snatched it up quickly, reversed the barrel, and shoved it into the man's face. Without a moment's hesitation, he fired and the man's face exploded into a shower of crimson and bone.

  Carter punched an operative in the throat, quickly dropped low to the ground, and swept his leg out in a wide arch. The man was knocked off his feet and he hit the ground heavily. Carter then snatched a large rock from the ground and brought it down upon the man's head. The resulting impact sounded much like an exploding melon, the sickening crunch of bone indicating that the man would breathe no more. Carter then disengaged, crouching low, as he looked around warily for more targets.

  Doctor Burch, catching movement out of the corner of his eye, turned and yelped in surprise as a black-clad figure appeared from his left, his weapon leveled at him.

  Carter apparently heard the doctor’s yell and whirled. He was still holding the large rock and he quickly hurled it at the operative, the impact causing the man to stumble backwards, his rifle discharging harmlessly into the air. As soon as the rock had been released, Carter had rushed forward in an all-out sprint. Before the man could recover, Carter had covered the distance, tucked his head low, and hit the man headfirst in the solar plexus. The man quickly crumpled under the force and fell heavily to the ground.

  Carter rolled upright, snatching up the man’s rifle and standing in one fluid motion. He leveled the gun at the man's chest, squeezed off two rounds, and the man slumped back on the ground, his eyes frozen wide in death.

  A loud report of a rifle stopped Carter in his tracks, and he blinked in surprise. He looked down at his chest and stared at the growing crimson blossom of blood as it soaked through his shirt. He turned to the team and mouthed an apology before falling to the ground limply.

  Another rifle barked, and the black-clad operative that had shot Carter keeled over in pain, and a second round put the man down for good. The doctor glanced up and noted that a Special Forces soldier, one of Ron’s men, had been the one to take out Carters attacker.

  The soldier turned and signaled into the darkness, and several more soldiers filtered in from the gloom. They quickly rearmed themselves from the fallen bodies, and then rushed off into the night in pursuit of their fleeing black-clad foes.

  Doctor Burch scrambled out from cover and slid to a stop at Carter’s side. Sitting on the ground, he gingerly picked up Carter's head and cradled it in his lap. Reaching forward, he grabbed the man’s arm and felt for a pulse. He turned to his companions and yelled, "He is alive, pulse is weak, but he is alive!"

  Ayako joined the doctor, taking a position on Carter’s opposite side. She gently turned the body in order to examine his back and pointed to where the bullet had entered the shoulder blade, passed clean through his body, and exited his right chest cavity.

  Ayako ordered, "Take off your shirt, quickly."

  The doctor complied and handed his crumpled and dirty shirt to Ayako. She quickly ripped it into pieces and formed a compress. She placed the compress on the wound and pressed down hard.

  She looked at the doctor and said, "I need you to keep pressure on this wound. We need to get him to a hospital fast or he will die."

  The doctor looked at the wound, and he hesitated at the sight of all the blood.

  Ayako grabbed his hand and guided it to the makeshift compress. She held his hand down for a long moment before she released it. The doctor nodded in understanding as tears flowed freely from his eyes.

  ***

  Bo crouched behind a large rock and scanned the campsite for more targets. He glanced over the bodies that lay strewn about the battlefield, both friend and foe, but more of the latter he noted with satisfaction. As he remained motionless and silent, coiled and ready to spring upon his prey at a moment's notice, he looked in the direction of his companions and noticed that Carter was down, and his concerned friends were huddled about him.

  Then he saw the figure approach.

  General Crowell advanced toward the companions with his pistol drawn. He was shaking with rage and a terrible inner fire was burning within his eyes. He stood over the friends, pulled back the hammer, and leveled his weapon at the back of Doctor Burch’s head. The click of the hammer quickly raised the attention of the team, and they all looked upwards in shock.

  Bo wasn’t going to let that asshole kill his friends. Without any thought to his own life, he leaped from his position and fired his assault rifle. Apparently catching movement from the corner of his eye, the general suddenly spun away, but Bo noticed that at least one bullet found its mark as the general staggered from the impact. He remained on his feet, however, and hastily fired back, hitting nothing.

  Bo took a steady aim, and just as he was about to squeeze the trigger, an enormous black shape suddenly appeared, swooping in out of the dark. Bo dove aside as dust swirled and churned in the air from the frantic beating of the gigantic bat-like wings. The figure gently snatched up the general in its talons, and swiftly melted away into the night sky.

  Bo stared upwards into the inky void in disbelief. He knew that shape.

  It was the shape of a dragon.

  The sound of an approaching helicopter seemed to breathe new life to the team and they watched in excitement as a single Blackhawk emerged from the darkness. Bo picked up the unconscious Carter, threw him over his shoulder, and rushed towards the landing helicopter, not waiting for it to land. As the helicopter touched the rocky ground, Bo was already loading Carter on board.

  Bo then turned to Ayako to help her climb inside, but she waved him away and yelled, "Where is Doctor Chin?"

  Without a word, Bo turned and raced to the metal drums, which the team had taken shelter behind. Behind the barrels he found Colonel Haymond nursing a wounded and frightened Doctor Chin.

  Ron looked up, his eyes filled with pain, and he spoke in gasping breaths, "He has a minor bullet wound in his arm. Get him to the bird."

  Bo nodded, picked up Doctor Chin, and raced back to the waiting helicopter. He placed Doctor Chin inside and ran back to the barrels in order to retrieve Colonel Haymond.

  The Colonel lay in a small pool of blood, his eyes closed tightly in pain. Bo nudged the man with his foot and Ron’s ey
es fluttered open. He coughed and a small bit of blood flew from his lips.

  Ron said, "I've been hit. Stomach wound."

  Bo picked up the heavy man, threw him over his shoulder, and he raced back to the chopper. After he loaded the Colonel, he started to climb aboard but a wide-eyed Ayako placed a hand on his shoulder and yelled, "David and Marty are gone too!"

  Bo cursed his misfortune and jumped back out of the helicopter. He signaled for the pilot to take off, and he sprinted into the brush after Marty and the doctor.

  Chapter 20

  Bo hurriedly scrambled over jagged rocks and waded through thick brush in search of Marty and Doctor Burch. With only a sliver of moonlight to help him along, the way was treacherous and confusing. And something else nagged at the back of his mind as he noticed that the air had grown mysteriously warmer, and the acrid stench of decay permeated the air.

  He caught a quick glimpse of a human silhouette, some distance in front of him, and he struggled to catch up. More than once he slipped on a sharp rock or banged a knee as he moved a little too swiftly in the hazardous terrain. He kept going with determination, and out of fear for his friend's lives. The dragons were obviously about, and he did not want his friends to become a meal for the devilish serpents.