Aliens in the Allagash

by Gary Striker

  “Only the bare crew needs to be in here”, Steve ordered, and in a few seconds, all but his recon patrol was left in the holding cell.

  “We have no idea what his thing may have transformed itself into by now”, Steve said to his crew, “this could be extremely dangerous. Do we want to continue or turn this package over to the federal authorities”?

  “Nobody’s touching my Martian”, Cheyenne said with a voice of authority, “If he gets out of line, I’ll kick his ass”.

  The group roared with apprehension as Cheyenne pulled his KBar, but this time not in jest.

  Jim positioned himself by the cell door with his Laser-Taser as the boys went to work on the latches.

  “Ready, Ron asked as they prepared to remove the lid?

  Duty signaled his deputies into alert mode as they drew their weapons.

  “Everyone else, get your ass out of here”, Duty commanded, “and that means you too, Gard”!

  “I have the right to be here”, Gard protested, as he recited his ‘freedom of the press’ speech.

  “Suit yourself, ‘Duty said, “But back off and stay out of the way or I’ll throw you out”.

  Gard retreated to a corner of the holding area.

  “Ok, Ron”, Steve said as he put everybody on alert, “Lose the lid”!

  They gently lifted the top as everyone was focused, peaked, and prepared to take action. All officers had their weapons on the container. Cheyenne was crouched in combat mode ready for action against his Martian wrestling partner.

  The boys gingerly removed the lid and placed it aside, should they be needing it again. Just as they had left it back at Ben Lake, the creature was bound and taped. The big difference now was that it had acquired definite features. A greenish-grey matted skin texture framed the black eyes.

  “The eyes! Look at the eyes”! Gary pointed out, “It looks like a three dimensional hologram”!

  The creature was motionless as everyone gasped at the sight before them. Two large egg-shaped discs looked translucent from one angle and appeared to have depth.

  “Look into the eyes”, Bob directed. “There’s something moving inside the eyes”.

  “They look like strings of tiny beads”, Jim observed.

  ‘Duty’ grabbed his flashlight and pointed it into one of the eyes. The creature reacted violently and rolled the container as everyone hopped out of the way.

  “Get back guys”, Jim ordered as he aimed the Laser-Taser at the creature’s eyes. It immediately went dormant. Everyone stood transfixed as Jim maintained Laser contact with the eyes.

  “Shut that off for a second, Jim”, Gary requested.

  The creature remained motionless.

  “Now what”, ‘Duty’ asked”

  “Cheyenne, can you cut the duct tape and ropes so we can remove this wrapper”, Steve asked?

  “You wanna cut him loose”, Ron asked, not believing what he heard?

  “We have to get a better look at this thing. We need to observe him”, Steve explained. “My scientist friend from the L.A. Crime Lab is heading this way on the redeye as soon as he can get a flight out. It would be a good idea if we could try to get our visitor settled down.

  “Sure, as long as he thinks he’s a visitor, and not a prisoner”, Gary pondered.

  “Yeah, and without getting us killed in the process”, ‘Duty’ added.

  “And maybe we got us a hostage”, Cheyenne said as he approached the container.

  Everyone paused and looked at each other thinking of Mike and the other victims, including Marie. There was no plausible denial that Cheyenne may have just encapsulated the entire purpose of the mission!

  “Let’s give it a try. Cheyenne, put that KBar to some use”, Steve requested.

  Jim stood by with the Laser-Taser as Cheyenne cut away the bindings. Everyone returned to peak mode.

  “He’s a big feller, ain’t he”, Cheyenne questioned his own observation with a grin? He worked the combat knife with surgical precision.

  The boys unwrapped their extraterrestrial visitor with some difficulty, as he apparently gained a few pounds since they loaded him onto the A.T.V.

  “This son-of-a-bitch needs to go on a diet”, Jim said as they hoisted it onto a bed rack. The creature remained motionless, except for the activity in the eyes.

  They cleaned up the mess and vacated the holding cell with a final clang as ‘Duty’ set the lock.

  “Where’s Gard”, Jane asked?

  “There he is”, Cheyenne said as he pointed toward the back of the holding area behind the cell.

  Everyone laughed as they observed Gard passed out against the wall with his camera equipment laying on top of him.

  “Jim, get some pictures of our combat war correspondent”, Jane asked with a laugh, and then added, “Will a First Responder please check to see if he’s dead”?

  “One can only hope”, Duty philosophized.

  The guys hoisted Gard to his feet and helped him shake off the trauma to his ego.

  “I can’t wait to see how much blood he dumps on this picture”, Ron added with a laugh as everyone tried to get themselves together.

  “I can see Gard’s headlines”, Gary envisioned, “Allagash Swamp Creature Captured by Local Reporter”.

  Everyone shook off another laugh as ‘Duty’ brought the party atmosphere to a close.

  “I want to see a forty-eight hour duty roster in the next ten minutes”, ‘Duty’ commanded as his Captain answered with a military-like, “Yes, sir”.

  “I want two sentries in the containment room at all times until further notice. If anybody sees so much as a twitch out of that space man, I want to know about it, and I mean now”! Call over to the hospital and make sure they have emergency services covered 24/7”!

  “’Duty’, we have to assume that they are out there looking for this guy right now”. Steve pointed out, “We also have to assume that they can and will use any means to get him back”.

  ‘Duty’ and Chad arranged for extra patrols in the area as well as around the police station and made sure that the curfew would remain in force. The whole undertaking was a very well-coordinated and unified effort that Steve thought was extraordinary! The Mainers considered it business as usual.

  Jane cozied up to her man and wished all the guys a safe night. They extended another round of congratulations. Jim brought everybody to a roar when he detailed the conversation with Elliot, one of the State Inspectors.

  “Elliot said he wanted us to catch a Martian and put it in a cage where he could poke it with a stick”, Jim recounted as he laughed hysterically, “Well, stick this, baby”!

  The group lost it as Jane led her man to the door.

  “You’re on my time now, mister, move it”!

  Aliens in the Allagash

  Chapter 19

  Reality Check

  Steve was doing his groggy morning stretch while gazing through the second floor bedroom window. Eagle Lake was an impressive sight as it stretched for miles with broken patches of mist dotting the surface.

  Ron was busy unloading scuba equipment and directing his Search and Rescue team in preparation for a deep water dive. The dive team was delayed as zero visibility conditions prevailed after the event, not to mention another priority engagement. Visibility was not great on a good day. The thought of Ricky Mills lying at the bottom the lake was disconcerting in itself and certainly no way to start the day.

  The sounds of kitchen chores echoed up the stairwell as Steve pondered the years he spent in his two-room flat overlooking the Fortune Cookie. He had already made the decision that he would never return to a life of frustration and poverty, at any cost.

  Steve slugged his way into the kitchen and collapsed in a chair while putting his head down on the table.

  “What’s the matter, Hungry Jack”, Jane asked sheepishly, “didn’t my big tough macho man get enough sleep”?

  Steve waved off any defense and smiled.

  “Partying is not for kids”,
Jane advised, “It takes years of practice and dedication”.

  “When I was sleeping with my Scotch bottle companion, it put me to sleep and never woke me up”, Steve mumbled to his babe.

  “Honeybun, sweetheart, dearest, am I too much woman for you”, Jane asked as she set breakfast on the table?

  “Can I take a rain check on your attitude adjustment clinic”, Steve asked while straining to open one eye?

  “Your breakfast is getting cold, my little Lotus blossom”, Jane said as she chided her man into submission.

  “I don’t need to see to eat, but why is it so dark in here”, Steve asked as he propped himself up on one elbow, “Did we forget to pay our electric bill”?

  “Why don’t you try opening your eyes”, Jane asked helpfully?

  Steve grimaced and put his head back on the table.

  “The light switch broke and I’m waiting for a masculine, beefy, handsome electrician to fix it”, Jane said while finishing the table settings.

  “I’ll take care of it right after breakfast, Warden”, Steve said with a smile as he went on the offensive.

  “You are my kind of guy”, Jane said, “Well-trained”!

  Steve was in the process of replacing a faulty light switch when his message alert sounded.

  “Darren’s leaving Chicago”, Steve informed Jane, “He’ll be in Portland in a couple of hours. He has some commercial operator going to fly him to Frenchville, wherever that is”?

  “We drove past the airport turnoff on the way to Madawaska, silly rabbit”, Jane said as she refreshed Steve’s memory. “Remember the arrow sign with the airplane symbol, huh? It’s a dead giveaway. In Maine, that won’t take you to a boat launch, Captain Bligh”.

  At that moment, a spark cracked from the light switch that he was working on as his screwdriver took flight.

  “Shit, I reckon I should have turned off the power first”, Steve rationalized.

  “Steve, sweetheart, lover boy, my dumbbell, have you ever asked yourself what’s black and stuck to the ceiling”, Jane inquired with her most innocent expression?

  “You’re going to tell me, aren’t you”, Steve asked while assuming defeat?

  “Yes, dim-wit, that black thing stuck to the ceiling is a two-bit electrician”!

  Steve finished his task with a resounding, “I see the light”, as he flicked the switch!

  “Way to go, Edison”, Jane applauded, “and I didn’t even have to call E.M.S.”!

  “I don’t want to do this”, Jane told her man as they made the short walk to the dock area.

  “No more than I do”, Steve said as they approached a safety diver standing on the shore.

  Jane and Steve decided to pay Ron a visit at the dive site next to the Eagle Lake dam where Ricky Mills disappeared. In addition, Chad was on site with his patrol car and a construction crew was surveying the damage.

  “Hi, Roger”, Jane said with a smile as she addressed the construction crew foreman”, How are you”?

  “Better than this dock is right now”, Roger replied with a raise of his eyebrows, “We built this dock five years ago. Now look at what’s left of it”!

  “It’s a mess”, Steve said in agreement as Jane introduced her man.

  “We don’t have much time to get this job done before the lake freezes”, Roger said.

  “As soon as Ron gives us the ‘all clear’, we go to work”.

  Surface bubble activity was the giveaway as to what was happening down below. The safety diver was tending to decompression tanks as he conversed with Ron on their aquatic radio communicator.

  “They found something”, the safety diver relayed to the group, “They’re at ninety feet. This doesn’t look good! Chad, can you get E.M.S. down here right away”?

  Chad and the safety diver spoke with Ron as they received instructions to pull up the line. Ron and his diving partner would be delayed ten minutes as they needed to stop at the decompression tanks fifteen feet beneath the surface.

  Chad and Steve helped to haul in the line with an attached package that nobody wanted to see. A crowd had gathered, including Ricky’s wife. Additional police vehicles arrived as the E.M.S. unit from Eagle Lake pulled into the dock area.

  The Safety diver was assisted by several officers and civilians as they pulled in the last few feet of line. The body surfaced as several bystanders gasped and turned away.

  “Oh, no”, Jane cried as Steve led her away from the rescue scene.

  “We don’t need to be here”, Steve assured Jane with his voice of unfortunate experiences, “there’s nothing we can do here except get in the way”.

  Ricky’s wife was helped into a car as she collapsed in a display of extreme distress.

  “I can’t imagine the grief she is going through”, Jane said as she watched the car pull away.

  “Let’s get back to the house”, Steve said as he kept his arm around his woman, “This time I’m going to make you a cup of tea”.

  Jane smiled through her tears and cuddled close as Steve closed the door behind them.

  Steve’s extraterrestrial communicator went off and managed to get a smile out of Jane.

  “It’s ‘Duty’”, Steve announced as he answered his phone.

  “I just heard about Ricky as well as the ‘geologic anomaly” at the lake. That quack geologist from the University of Maine just showed up. I have half a mind to put a bullet in this alien’s head. Nobody else is going down on my watch. As far as I’m concerned, this was a declaration of war”.

  “I’m just as upset as you are, if not more”, Steve said, “but we have to keep our heads in this or they’ll continue to pick us off”.

  “Yes, of course”, ‘Duty’ said begrudgingly as his cop instincts took command.

  “Darren should land in Frenchville this afternoon. Jane and I are going to pick him up. This is the guy that should be able to tell us what’s going on and what our options are. I believe our first stop is going to be your holding cell”.

  “I’ll be here with your Martian friend, if I don’t kill the fucker first! By the way, he hasn’t moved except for the traffic jam in his eyes”.

  Steve laughed at ‘Duty’s description of the microbial life activity present in their visitor’s eyes. He was also impressed by the level of personal commitment of the police chief.

  “Back home, this would be just another body bag”, Steve thought to himself.

  Steve and Jane were sitting in the Fixed Base Operations office at the Frenchville Airport waiting for Darren’s flight. There were no other people waiting. Steve was amazed, but not surprised, when the manager brought them two cups of tea and donuts.

  “I don’t like to drink alone”, he said with a smile and added, “Hi Jane”!

  “My son’s bringing in the flight that you’re waiting for. He just radioed from Caribou, his last checkpoint. He should be here in fifteen minutes”.

  The three of them were standing on the ramp as the twin engine aircraft made a smooth touchdown and taxied to the parking area in front of the F.B.O.

  “Hi Steve”, Darren greeted his long lost buddy as they both grabbed his bags and headed to the car!

  “And you must be Jane”, Darren said with a big smile as he focused his attention on an extremely attractive woman.

  “She’s Hot! What’s she doing with you”, Darren asked Steve with a frown”?

  “Oh God, another one”, Jane voiced frustration as Steve smiled and gave himself two thumbs up.

  The ride back to Fort Kent was mostly fun and boisterous as Jane provided the Welcome Wagon hostess amenities. When Jane apprised Darren of the morning events, the tone became sullen and foreboding. Jane held herself together, although the strain was visible. Hardly a word of business unfolded until civilization appeared in front of them.

  “I have reservations at the Northern Door Inn”, Darren said as he was rebuffed for a room at Jane’s hostel.

  “Oh no, thank you so much, but I want to be close to where the action is, and
that’s within walking distance”, Darren said as he mentioned his Google research activities.

  “Let’s head over to the jail. I wanna see this thing before we do anything else”, Darren requested.

  Steve parked near the Fort Kent Police Headquarters main entrance. The place was teaming with locals and strangers alike. They made their way to ‘Duty’s office.

  “Howdy, Darren”, ‘Duty’ said with a big smile! He extended his arm as he stood up and reached over his desk”, “It’s a pleasure to have you with us”.

  “I heard you put on quite a show last night, Officer Charrette”, Darren said as he looked at the desk placard.

  “Call me ‘Duty’ like everyone else does”, he insisted.

  “‘Duty’ it is sir”, Darren affirmed!

  ‘Duty’ led everyone to the containment room, punched in his cypher code and gained access. Two officers greeted their guests and appeared to be a bit uneasy.

  “Is everything ok in here”, ‘Duty’ asked?

  “Yes, sir”, one of the officers responded, “but…”

  “But what”, ‘Duty’ asked”, what’s going on here?

  “You’re gonna think we’re crazy, but that thing is watching us. I can feel it”.

  ‘Duty’ looked dubiously at both officers until Darren came forward with his own inquiry.

  “What about that thing makes you feel like he’s watching you”, Darren asked?