Aliens in the Allagash

by Gary Striker

  “Hold on Jim, steady”, Steve whispered, “ready on the firing line, guys”.

  Bob and Gary took careful aim at the Correlator.

  “Easy, let’s see if the laser has any effect first”, Steve instructed as the creature appeared to get restless.

  “Now, Jim”, Steve commanded as the creature appeared to become active.

  Jim placed the green laser light dead center on the Correlator. The creature appeared to go into spasms as the device turned red hot and then disintegrated.

  Cheyenne pulled a bait net from his pack and took off after the space man that was standing in front of him, while brandishing his KBar combat knife in the other hand.

  “Cheyenne, get back here”, Steve ordered as they all jumped to their feet, “Let’s go, guys, move it”!

  Cheyenne jumped the creature from behind with his net in hand and the KBar ready for action. Before the guys could join in, Cheyenne had the creature wrapped up and subdued. He secured his KBar as the guys jumped in to help.

  “Somebody grab the rope out of my pack”, Cheyenne beckoned as Steve retrieved the line, “Watch out, he’s got some kind of things coming out of his fingertips. Let’s tie him up good”.

  “He’s a big guy, but light as a feather”, Steve said as he and Cheyenne hauled the creature up the access trail to the A.T.V.’s.

  Ron’s 4-place A.T.V. had a large equipment carrier mounted to the roof frame that was full of search and rescue gear, including everything from a stretcher to first aid and survival supplies.

  “Do you think we can squeeze him in there”, Steve asked while pointing to the rack?

  Ron began tossing the gear out of the rack until it was empty.

  “I think he’ll fit”, Ron said confidently as Gary retrieved as many of the supplies as he could fit into the other two A.T.V.’s.

  “We’ve gotta get outa’ here, and I mean Now”, Steve ordered as they closed the lid on their extraterrestrial friend, “Move it”!

  The recon team rapidly made their way up the old logging trail until Cheyenne clamped on the brakes.

  “Look, there’s some more of those guys, over there, by Mike’s A.T.V.”, Cheyenne said as he pointed into the woods where they had their first encounter and where Mike disappeared.

  “I think they spotted us”, Jim said as he alerted the squad and attempted to make communication with the relay team at the trailhead.

  Cheyenne took a position behind his cannon and loaded a soup can into the breech.

  “Get down guys, take cover, now”, he ordered as he launched the I.E.D. into the nest of creatures.

  “Jesus, Cheyenne, are you trying to kill us too”, Bob asked as the concussion from the explosion riddled the area with buckshot, “Is everybody ok”?

  All signaled thumbs up as they jumped back into their A.T.V.’s.

  “Move it”, Steve ordered, “put the pedal to the metal and stay close”.

  “Relay team, do you copy”, Jim queried as Ron floored the pedal?

  “We have a copy, Jim. What was that explosion”?

  “Never mind that”, Jim said, “Get ‘Duty’ on the line, now! Tell him we need everything he can get together and meet us in thirty minutes at Striker’s garage”.

  “What’s going on”?

  “Cheyenne caught a Martian! We’re bringing him out”.

  “I hope you guys haven’t been drinking?

  “Just do it”, Jim ordered, “We’ll be at your location in thirty minutes. Stand by on this frequency until we get there. Alert the team”!

  ‘Duty’ received the call at his office as the dispatcher looked puzzled with the request.

  “What’s going on”, she asked?

  “I’m not sure”, ‘Duty’ answered, “but we need to muster all assets to the Striker residence in Wallagrass”.

  “That’s out of our jurisdiction”, she protested!

  “Not anymore! Get everybody dispatched, now! Alert Chad. Move”, ‘Duty’ ordered as he grabbed his handgun and service belt, then headed for the door.

  Aliens in the Allagash

  Chapter 18

  Proof

  Jane and her rescue crew buddies were enjoying hot coffee and sandwiches when the radio message came in from the relay team. The message was mostly confusing, except that ‘Duty’ was notified and that the recon team was on their way out in a hurry. The rain had subsided to a mist with warmer temperatures.

  “Here comes Richard Gard”, Jane announced.

  “Oh great”, one of the crew members responded, “That’s just what we need, a nosey reporter”!

  “Old Blood and Guts Gard”, another member added, “He invented the term, ‘If it bleeds, it leads’”.

  Gard was a freelance reporter for the Fiddlehead Focus, the local newspaper in Fort Kent. He was known for enriching his pictures with Photo Shop to add a ‘more dynamic conveyance of information’, as he would say. He did it because it sold more pictures. A simple fender bender accident photo would show gallons of blood splattered everywhere.

  He put a picture of himself on the front page of the Focus holding a huge lake trout. As it turned out, the original photo, taken by a fishing partner, was of a small brook trout. The after effect idiom was parlayed from an old audio cassette tape advertisement, ‘Is it Live, is it Memorex, or is it Gard’? He never lived it down, nor did it ever bother him much.

  Radio reports relayed from the recon team indicated that they would be out of the Allagash in about fifteen minutes. Jane heaved a huge sigh of relief to hear that there were no casualties. Gard was busy setting up his recording cameras and audio equipment, as he appeared to be expecting something.

  “What are you doing here”, Jane asked with all eyes focused on Gard?

  “I heard the call to Chad when I was down at Eagle Lake”, Gard answered as he prepared to fire another question. “What happened at the lake? The place looks like Nagasaki after the blast”.

  All eyes shifted to Jane.

  “You can talk to the State geologist. He’ll be here tomorrow. He said we had a ‘geologic anomaly’”.

  “Here comes Chad”, one of guys announced as the State Police cruiser came to a stop near the garage entrance.

  “Hi Jane, guys, what’s going on”, Chad asked as he made his way through the mist?

  “We’re not sure. Steve took a team back in to Ben Lake on a reconnaissance mission”.

  “I heard about it. Is everybody ok”?

  “Yes, as far as we know”, Jane said, “They’re on their way out in a hurry and should be at the trail head in ten minutes”.

  “What’s Gard doing here”, Chad asked with an irritated expression?

  “He heard something on his police band monitor. We’re not sure why he’s here”.

  The relay team reported in at the trail head as ‘Duty’ and an entourage of vehicles arrived, including Jane’s E.M.S. group.

  “The guys will be here in five minutes”, the radio operator announced.

  Everyone cleared a path into the garage area and made room for the three A.T.V.’s as the recon squad screeched to a halt.

  “Does anybody need medical assistance”, Jane asked while surveying the condition of six men that looked like they just returned from Iwo Jima.

  “I think I got some buckshot in my arm”, Bob said, but that can wait for the moment. I’m ok”.

  The guys surrounded Ron’s A.T.V. as Steve was peering at the underside of the carrier.

  “What do we need to do”, Duty asked as he pushed himself in besides Steve?

  “Ron, can we unlatch your carrier from the frame”, Steve asked as he side-stepped ‘Duty’s question?

  “Sure, we just need to unscrew four clamps”.

  “Duty, we need to transport this carrier to a lockup”, Steve requested.

  “What’s in it”, Duty asked with anticipation?

  “We’re not sure what it is. What we do know is that the container needs to be carefully guarded in as safe a manner as we can m
anage until it is secured, before we attempt to open it”.

  Cheyenne was smiling as Gard had the cameras rolling. Everyone took part as the carrier was carefully hoisted off of the rack and cleared the A.T.V., before setting it on a pair of saw-horses.

  “What’s in it, Cheyenne”, Gard asked, as he directed the question in his usual annoying manner? He sensed that Cheyenne knew something.

  The entire group looked at Cheyenne as Steve shrugged and turned away to analyze his options for transport. Then Steve forced a new tact as he realized the truth could be his best friend, and Gard’s worst enemy.

  “Go ahead, Cheyenne”, Steve instructed, “Tell everybody what you did”.

  Cheyenne played it cagey at first, evading what Gard wanted to hear.

  “I broke rank. I disobeyed orders”, Cheyenne said with a smile as he looked at Steve.

  Jane and ‘Duty’ stood side-by-side trying to figure out this chess match.

  “Yeah? So what”, Gard asked?

  “Go ahead, tell them”, Steve requested again.

  The recon team huddled together in smiles as they knew Gard asked for more than he could handle, especially coming from Cheyenne.

  Cheyenne surveyed the entire group to confirm to himself that he had center stage.

  “I tackled a Martian and roped him like a calf at a rodeo”, Cheyenne said proudly as Gard’s look of victory turned to disdain. A brief interlude of humor overcame the group.

  “And now we have to get Cheyenne’s Martian transported and secured, if you don’t mind moving those cameras”, Steve addressed Gard with no further room for negotiation. Gard backed off as he realized that he had been messed with.

  “Way to go, maestro”, Jane said as she snuggled up to her honey.

  “And by the way, Gard”, Steve announced while getting everyone’s attention”, “Your big story of the day concerns our wedding plans”!

  The entire group hooted, hollered, and whistled congratulations and best wishes as Jane squeezed her man and planted a big kiss. Steve had sunk the U.S.S. Gard!

  ‘Duty’ and Jim looked at Jane with big smiles as Steve brought them back to reality.

  “We need to get this out of here now”, Steve said as he envisioned a trail of Martians on their own rescue mission.

  The carrier was loaded into the E.M.S. truck. Five officers accompanied the container as the doors were closed. Duty arranged with the remaining deputies to act as escorts for the trip back to the Fort Kent. Steve brought the rest of the group to attention as the trail of flashing lights made their way down the drive.

  “We all need to secure this place and leave as quickly as possible”, Steve instructed with an obvious commitment to everyone’s well-being.

  Steve and Jane were the last to depart. Everyone followed the convoy to town. Steve glanced back to observe nothing, as darkness set over the Striker household.

  “Ok, Rambo, what happened back there”, Jane asked while settling back for the ride?

  “And by the way, you look like recycled dog shit”.

  Steve glanced over at his honey to see that she was up to her old trick with her eyelashes.

  “Don’t flap those things at me, baby! I’m sitting on classified information and no amount of coercion or torture will make me talk”, Steve refuted with a straight face.

  Jane held up a paper sack, partially opened her window, and said one word; “Fiddleheads”!

  “Ok, what do you want to know? I’m easy. You can close the window now”.

  The thought of his favorite salad fixings flying out the window was no match for his security commitments. Jane once again displayed her victory smile and flapped her eyelashes.

  “I’m just a humble Allagash Commando with a death wish”, Steve said as he began his tirade, “You need to play by the rules of the Geneva Convention…”.

  He got cut off with more flapping eyelashes and a finger to his lips.

  “Me Jane…, lover boy”, was all that she said while hiding a smirk and suppressing a giggle.

  Steve relayed the events of the mission in detail as Jane sat wide-eyed in amazement”.

  “We had those guys surrounded. They had no idea that we could have whacked them upside the head without them ever seeing us”.

  “Isn’t that about what you did”, Jane asked with an air of curiosity?

  “Not really. Jim had his camera rolling and Gary was consulting some kind of electronic instrument that Darren provided. The other guys had sentry duty while poised with rifles and keeping an eye on the surroundings. My concern was being able to get us out of there without anybody getting killed. We were hunkered down and holding our breath”.

  “So what happened”, Jane asked? “Did you get scared and run”?

  Steve gave his woman a look of disgust and shook his head.

  “Don’t flap those things”, Steve ordered, “It won’t help your case”.

  Jane was watching the road for stray moose and broke into a laugh.

  “Did I hurt my big tough man’s feelings”, Jane asked contemptuously?

  “Do you see this”, Steve asked forcefully as he held up his fist? “You’re going to take an express ride to the moon, honey pie”.

  Jane grabbed his fist and put it on her chest.

  “You should take better care of it. You might need this dainty thing later for something else”, Jane advised with another mocking giggle.

  Steve was not about to fold.

  “You’re going in the cage with that Martian. They’ll be sorry that they didn’t pick Neptune instead of earth”.

  “Ok, big boy, so what’s the punch line”, Jane asked while again resisting a laugh?

  We were all down, buried in the leaves watching those things going through some kind of shape transformation. One of them took a ride out on the lake in a weird sort of space car that he must have borrowed from the Jetsons”.

  Jane smiled while trying to sort out absurdity from fact.

  “Then what happened”, she asked while waiting for the feature story to materialize?

  “Cheyenne sprung to his feet holding a fish net and KBar combat knife. He jumped on that spaceman like a duck on a June bug. That Martian dude found himself wrapped up in fish nets, ropes, and duct tape faster than I could count to zero”.

  Jane translated Steve’s metaphorical alien encounter adventure story with a languid look of hopelessness and apathy.

  “What’s wrong honey”, Steve asked with his wry smile?

  “Do you know, Steve”, Jane asked in her analytic mode, “If I stood in front of you stark naked next to a bucket full of fried chicken, and asked you to pick one, you couldn’t do it”!

  “This relationship must be a real pleasure for you, honey buns”, Steve said with a big smile as he pulled into the Fort Kent Police Station parking lot.

  “Holy crap”, Steve said as he looked for a space, “they’re gonna need a bigger lot.

  The E.M.S. truck was backed up to the prisoner entrance door with lights flashing along with several cruisers.

  “C’mon, Jane, let’s see what’s shakin’”, Steve said as he did a fifty’s hustle across the lot”.

  “I’m not sure that they locked up the right guy, honey”, Jane said as Steve’s extraterrestrial communicator device lit up with his favorite outer space melody.

  “It fits the occasion, yes”, Steve asked? “Hold on, it’s Cruz. I’ll take it out here”.

  Jane went indoors to survey the activities.

  “Hi Jane, where’s the old guy”, ‘Duty’ asked with his straight-laced face?

  “He’s out taking a call. I didn’t see this many people at the last potato festival”, Jane commented.

  “It’s a popular place to be, but they’ll all go home when I leave”, ‘Duty’ said vainly with a smile.

  “You men are all alike”, Jane exclaimed, “When God said that he created man, the second thing he said was that he could have done better”!

  Duty gave Jane a hug and led her int
o the holding area where everyone was gathered around the container. Steve found his way into the room through the crowds of milling people. ‘Duty’ brought everyone to attention.

  “Steve, what do we do now”, ‘Duty’ asked? “I don’t want anyone getting hurt”.

  All eyes were on Steve as he plotted the best course of action, if there was one. Richard Gard was busy recording the event with camera and microphone held high. The container was parked in a single holding cell.

  “Cheyenne, this is your baby. You caught this son-of-a-bitch. Now what do you want to do with him”, Steve asked?

  All eyes shifted again as ‘Duty’ signaled his deputies to surround the cell while clearing the bystanders.

  “Jim, do you have that laser light gun”, Steve asked?

  “I’ll get it, give me a second”, Jim affirmed as he left to retrieve his ‘Laser-Taser’.

  “Ok, Cheyenne, you’ve had intimate relations with this gorgeous piece of space meat”, Steve chided as the group lost it in boos and laughter.

  At that moment, the container shook and moved a few inches across the jailhouse floor. A multitude of profanity spewed as everyone jumped backed against the bars of the cell.