by David Wood
The woman lay alone, sleeping to one side of the large space, thankfully far from any of the dozing guards. Dig carefully crept around glowing stalagmites and crouched beside her. He would not be denied now, not when he was this close. He pressed one hand over her mouth and the other tightly around her throat. She startled awake, eyes bulging wide in shock. Dig leaned close, almost near enough to have kissed her if he wanted.
“Quiet! Don’t make a sound, okay?”
Eyes still wide, tinged with panic, she nodded rapidly.
“Tell me everything you know about what lives down here! Tell me what you left out!” His voice was an urgent hiss.
Her brows scrunched together and she shook her head.
Dig lifted his hand slightly from her mouth. “Why not? Tell me!”
“There’s nothing to tell,” she said in a harsh whisper. “I don’t understand, I told you everything.”
She drew a breath, as of she were about to scream, and Dig slammed his hand back over her mouth, felt her lips grind against her teeth. She grunted in pain. “I’ll kill you if you raise the alarm, you hear me?”
She nodded again, tears in her eyes.
“You must know more. Tell me.”
She seemed to think for a minute, then nodded again. Dig gently lifted his hand, ready to slam it back if she screamed. He wasn’t lying. He was more than prepared to kill her. A kind of ecstatic rage rushed through him, made his heart pound.
“I swear, I know nothing more about the creatures than what I already told you,” she said tightly, quietly. “But there’s a shrine, with weird pictographs. Maybe you can understand that better than we could? We didn’t have long to look at it before we were attacked.”
“Where is it?”
Jen raised one hand, pointing across the lake to one of the tunnels on the far side of the cavern. “That passage. After a long way, maybe ten minutes walking, it forks. Take the left fork.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yes. I remember.”
Dig smiled, a new certainty rising in him. Yes, she was right. That’s what he needed, of course. He was being tested. He needed to prove himself, unravel the clues, prove himself worthy. Then another thought occurred to him as he looked down at Jen’s terrified face. As soon as he moved away from her, she was certain to scream for help. He wouldn’t make it more than five paces. Well, no matter, he had what he needed. Before she could react, he put one leg over her body and sat heavily on her, pinning her arms to her sides with his knees. He was twice her size, covering her easily, trapping her legs down with his feet. He leaned his weight forward, one palm over her mouth and with the other he squeezed her nose shut. Her eyes bulged further, panic in her darting eyes as muffled screams erupted from her. He lay over her more heavily, constricting movement, air, and sound alike. She thrashed against him, tried to buck, but he was twice her weight as well and, weakened as she was, she had no chance of dislodging him. Her struggles became weaker, her eyes rolled up and closed. She tried one last time, then fell still.
“Diiiggbyyy...”
Dig startled, sat up, looked frantically around. But everything remained still, the team still slept. Jen was inert beneath him. The guards dozed.
“Diiiiiiiggbyyyyyy...”
The voice was in his head. It was happening! He called.
Elated, dizzy, Dig rose silently and crept across the cavern on silent feet, heading for the tunnel to the shrine.
21
Alex Wong was wondering if he should call another base camp staff meeting, just for something to do, when the screaming started. Still no trace of Steele, the guard now officially reported as missing. Still a massive storm coming in, getting too close for comfort. Still no report from the team down below. And now shrill screams from the front lounge. Or somewhere outside it.
He dashed from his office and before he got to the front of the building he caught sight from a side window of two large all-terrain vehicles and a swarm of soldiers. “What the hell?” he managed, staring incredulously at the heavily armed squad moving towards the base. The screaming came from Priya Yardley, a decent enough security guard in Sydney, but who clearly fell to pieces at the first hint of a real threat. Alex had no time to wonder what she was doing outside before the lead soldier whipped the butt of his assault weapon around and silenced Priya viciously. She collapsed and lay still, scarlet stark against the white snow from her nose and mouth.
“Shit!” Alex barked, and sprinted for his office. There was a contingency option to lock down the base with triggers strategically placed in various locations. The nearest was right on the desk he’d just left.
He skidded on the polished floor as he took the corner through the door at full pelt and slammed his hand down on the lockdown button. Red lights in the ceilings of all the rooms and corridors began to flash, a siren whoop-whooped from hidden speakers, and all the doors closed and locked. Wherever anybody happened to be, that’s where they would stay for now.
What the hell were military types doing here? Should he call Arthur Greene? Maybe Priya Yardley and her sudden screaming had saved them after all. Those guys would have waltzed straight in unchallenged if she hadn’t raised the alarm with her fear.
Alex sat at his desk and called up the base CCTV. He flicked from screen to screen, making a quick mental inventory of the whereabouts of all the staff. Bemused faces occupied most rooms, some people in angry conversation, others banging on doors in frustration. Alex keyed the public address system to try to calm everyone down.
“This is Alex Wong,” he said, cursing the tremble he heard in his voice. “The base is under attack from assailants unknown and currently on lockdown. I don’t know what’s happening, but you’re safe in here, so don’t panic. Sit tight while I get some answers.”
He flicked the CCTV to an outside view and watched the soldiers milling around by the main entrance. The man who appeared to be in charge gestured left and right, sending his minions jogging off. Presumably in search of another way in. But the base was secure.
Then someone else approached across the white expanse. Large, heavily-muscled in olive green combats. With a pulse of shock, Alex realized it was one of the scientists returned from below. Anders Larsen, the unlikely looking geologist. The man would meet the same bloody fate as Priya Yardley, surely? But Alex had no way to warn him.
Then Larsen approached the leader of the attackers with a broad smile and an outstretched hand. They greeted each other like old friends. What the hell was going on? Well, more fool Larsen, because Alex certainly wasn’t letting him in now.
After a moment of conversation, Larsen moved towards a small shed to the side of the main entrance. Alex knew it contained power relays, over-rides, fuse panel, and other associated paraphernalia for the maintenance of the base. It also contained a user console like the one on his desk. Alex’s face sank into a frown as he watched Larsen unlock the shed with a key from his pocket, then crouch just inside the door. It was really no surprise when the sirens and lights all went still, the sudden silence sinking over the base like a cloak.
“Well, that’s us screwed,” Alex said with a shake of his head. He quickly rose and headed for the main staff lounge where the majority of the others were gathered. Perhaps safety lay in numbers.
“There you go,” Larsen said with a smile.
Jasper Olsen slapped his shoulder. “Good work!” He barked some orders and the majority of his squad swept into the base.
“Don’t hurt anyone unnecessarily,” Larsen said. “Those guys are just working stiffs.”
“I know. They’ll only get hurt if they resist. If they co-operate we’ll see them looked after until all this is dealt with.”
After a few minutes, a large man with curly hair came back outside. “All secure, sir.”
“Any casualties?”
“One guy tried to be a hero, but he found the floor pretty quickly. The boss in there, a guy called Wong, has told everyone to do as they’re told. They’re all together
in the largest lounge area.”
Olsen looked at Larsen and gave him a smile. “See!” He turned back to his officer and gestured to the woman lying on the snow, bleeding and crying softly. “Take her inside, fix her up, and tell Alpha Squad to regroup with me. You take command of Beta Squad and hold the base.”
“Yes, sir!”
When the man had jogged back inside, Olsen said to Larsen, “Once my men have returned, you can lead us directly into these mysterious caves, yes?”
Larsen grinned. “Of course.”
22
“Aston! Sam! Wake up!”
Aston blinked, dragged up from a deep, dreamless sleep. He was surprised at just how far under he had fallen. He must have been more exhausted than he realized. Slater sat beside him, head cocked to one side.
“Listen!”
He sat up straighter, wincing against stiff muscles, and strained to hear. A soft croaking sound came from the other side of a cluster of stalagmites. “That’s where Jen Galicia is lying,” he said, scrambling to his feet.
The croaks turned into pained coughs as Aston and Slater rounded the rocks and dropped to a crouch beside the biologist. She writhed weakly on the ground. Another commotion started on the far side of the cave, distant and muffled. Aston chose to ignore that for a moment.
“Are you okay?” Slater asked, helping Jen into a sitting position.
Jen gasped, her throat rasping. Slater grabbed a canteen and let the woman drink deeply. “O’Donnell,” Jen said at last, water dribbling off her chin. “He choked me. Tried to kill me!”
Aston was bemused. “What? Dig?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. He wanted information about the creatures, kept saying I had to tell him everything I knew. I was scared, so I told him about the shrine and the pictographs, but he tried to kill me anyway.”
“Wait,” Aston interrupted. “What pictographs?”
“Something I saw not far from here. I took photos, I found the whole thing pretty fascinating, but then the attack happened and I forgot all about it. It came back to me in a panic because I was desperate to come up with something, anything to tell him. To try to distract him.”
“Then what happened?” Slater asked.
“He choked me!” Tears breached her cheeks. “I thought I was going to die, I blacked out. I don’t why I’m still alive.”
Sol Griffin had approached from behind and made them jump when he spoke. “He’d have had to keep choking you for a good three minutes to actually kill you. Most people don’t know that. First you fall unconscious, but if the person stops throttling then, your body starts to breathe again. Thankfully he didn’t choke you long enough to cause brain damage, at least by the look of things.”
“Well, that might be useful knowledge at some future point,” Aston said sarcastically. “Meanwhile, what the hell is Dig up to?”
Sol shrugged. “Having heard this, I can only assume it was Dig who got Gates, too.”
“Got?” Slater said, aghast. “Is he dead?”
“No, sorry. Not dead. But hurt. I’m guessing Gates woke as Dig tried to sneak past, but O’Donnell belted him with something, right upside the head. Gates has a hell of a bruise, probably a mild concussion.”
“Do you think he’ll be okay?”
“He’s wobbly, but I’m sure it’s not the first time he’s been knocked out.” Sol grimaced. “I think he’ll rally soon enough, but not without a hell of a headache. He said he didn’t see who hit him and we were just trying to take account of everyone. Dig is indeed missing.”
“What the hell is he up to?” Aston asked again.
“Don’t know and don’t care,” Sol said, turning back to survey the cave. “Screw him. And screw this. We’re going back now. Jen, if you’re not strong enough yet to walk, we’ll take turns carrying you.”
Activity filled the cavern after Sol’s shouted order. Packs were organized, equipment put away. A hasty meal was eaten cold and then everyone gathered by the large pool. Larsen had already gone AWOL, now Dig had become strangely violent and gone who knew where. Aston looked around the small remaining group and wondered how safe they were. He and Slater were fit and strong, as was Marla Ward, though the young woman had the look of a rabbit about her, like she might bolt on her own for safety at any moment. Sol Griffin was a bear of a man. Terry Reid and Ronda Tate were badasses, as was Mike Gates notwithstanding the slight glaze currently in his eyes. Jahara Syed looked frightened, but she was smart. He assumed she would be fit and capable too. That just left Jen Galicia, still weak and unable to stand or walk without aid. Nine of them, one pretty much an invalid. He chewed his lower lip in frustration. If it was as simple as walking back the way they had come, it shouldn’t be too hard. They could take turns helping Jen and it would be a long slog, but nothing more. However, his gut told him nothing was going to be that simple.
“Before we start,” Aston said. “There’s something you all need to know.”
Sol frowned. “Go on.”
Aston pulled from his jacket the journal he and Slater had read. “I found this on the first body we encountered. You guys need to know what he reported in here.”
He didn’t read all the entries again, but summarized the contents to the increasingly uncomfortable group. Aston was pleased that they seemed to accept the presence of strange gray hominids, and of the creatures the Professor called mantics. Really, they didn’t have much choice but to take everything on face value at this stage.
“Sounds exactly like what attacked us,” Jen said quietly when he got to that bit.
“So I think we need to be prepared,” Aston said. “I think we’ve been lucky so far that we haven’t actually run into these things. Or perhaps they’re watching and biding their time. But Larsen is missing, Jeff Gray is missing. We’ve all seen the blood, right? Let’s stop pretending. We might not have faced a frontal assault, but I think we are under attack.”
“Then we treat it like so,” Terry Reid said. “Tate, you take point. Gates, you’re dizzy, but capable. Stay with the group. I’ll bring up the rear. We move as fast as we comfortably can, but we don’t rush. We stay quiet. We stay alert.” He looked to Sol Griffin. “All ready?”
Sol gave a nod and Ronda Tate moved ahead to take point as instructed. Her face was set in grim determination, and she had her assault rifle held loose but ready, not casually slung as it had been all along until now. Everyone was clearly on edge, not just Aston. They started to move out, heading down the long, twisting dark passage back to the next cavern, headlamps swinging left and right, striping the walls. Sol half-carried Jen, one beefy arm around her back. She walked unsteadily beside him, her face hard, eyes narrowed with the effort. Bruises were already beginning to show on her throat.
Aston ground his teeth. Damn that Digby O’Donnell. What had got into the man? Too many damned H. P. Lovecraft horror novels, no doubt. But was that really enough to send him over the edge? Aston wasn’t fool enough to think that a book could drive someone to murder, but it must have triggered something that led to Dig’s deadly actions. Big Terry Reid took their six, his dark face lost under the headlamp he kept dialed down low. His weapon was also held at ready, panning slowly back and forth as he moved.
Distinct tension rippled through the group. Aston couldn’t tell if it were due to fear of being attacked by the creatures they’d heard about or perhaps eagerness to pay O’Donnell back. Probably a bit of both. Maybe even fear that O’Donnell may attack them again.
Aston’s own tension surely included all of those things to some degree, but also more. He remained deeply concerned by what he’d learned, and what he hadn’t yet had the chance to ascertain. The mysterious hominids, the glyphs, the odd plant and mineral life, it all pointed to more questions than answers. And none of that even took into account the door he had found in the pool and the new cavern that led to.
It pained him to flee without having finished the job. Irrational as it might be, he
wanted answers. He supposed they would answer a few questions in the lab when they got back topside, assuming they made it safely and with their samples intact. Perhaps another team... he shook his head ruefully. How ridiculous it was that he would even consider being part of another SynGreene team after they’d hidden the story of the previous one. He’d be a fool to have anything more to do with the company, despite his aching need for answers. Perhaps he would have to learn to live with the mystery. To hell with them. He’d collect his pay and return to a somewhat normal life, the burden of his debts to Chang completely lifted.
Yes, despite everything else, having that monkey off his back would make all this worthwhile, even if he spent the rest of his life wondering about the strangeness under the ice. That was the ticket. Buoyed by this thought, he picked up the pace, moving up right behind Tate, hoping to help the whole group move more easily. She glanced back at him, about to speak when he saw something ahead. He grabbed her forearm, motioning for quiet, and then pointed.
She squinted into the darkness. “What is it?”
Aston took a deep, trembling breath, his momentary elation deflating. He whispered, so as not to panic the group. “I think I spotted one of the mantics.”
23
Jo Slater moved with the group, feeling like she couldn’t trust a soul. Aston had managed to redeem himself somewhat in her mind, but she was still cautious of his motives, concerned about what else he may not have told her. And she hated that she had gone from grief to mistrust with nothing in between. She wanted to trust him again. She wanted her friend back. She shook her head. The man was a freaking goofball, a typical guy. In some ways she couldn’t hold that genetic programming against him. At least he was trying to be a better man, however much of a terrible job he made of it. She moved beside Jen, on the other side to Sol, and offered an arm. “Can I help?”