Earth borne, p.12
Earth Borne, page 12
part #4 of Star Man Series
Mine security knew the soldiers were coming so might look harder. With the coffee ready, the team settled for a few minutes to drink. They intended a three-hour hike, infiltrate the target and find somewhere to hide until the next night. They planned to leave calling cards and exfiltrate, with no one seeing them.
The team traveled light, taking care to repack their gear, so nothing rattled as they moved. They brought only essential equipment for this mission, the rest, they buried for later retrieval. The terrain near the soldier's destination is harsh with low cliffs along the shore. They walked a comfortable four kilometres, following a slight downhill grade toward the beach. As they neared the coast, the men encountered an increasing number of small streams.
They’d mapped the trip out, to avoid streams at night. Crocodiles infested the waters this far north, and nobody wanted to become a reptile’s meal. They even camped well away from streams because crocodiles traveled across the land sometimes. An unfortunate side effect of that choice was it limited their lines of approach. If the mine security staff knew their business, they might guard the choke-points.
The local aboriginal people had continued their affinity with the land and made skilled trackers. If they discovered signs of Fanning’s team passing, the mission might become impossible. This made it more interesting.
The soldiers reached their first way-point and stopped for a ten-minute break. They timed the walk in, to arrive at 0200 hours. Syd looked up as a shooting Star streaked across the night sky. Whatever it was, the thing remained visible longer than usual. It disappeared after passing behind a nearby hill.
Syd shook his head and shrugged, probably a piece of Space junk burning in the atmosphere. He’d seen dozens of falling Stars during his time in the bush over the last few years.
The men hiked for another hour when Rod Carver made a bird call to attract Fanning’s attention.
Carver whispered, “Hey Boss, I reckon someone’s tracking us.”
Syd whispered in reply, “Why’s that Daffy?”
Rod whispered, “I heard twigs snapping twice. The noise came from the south.”
Syd Fanning considered this and signed to Cameron Butcher and Harrison Barber to drop back and move right to see who followed the party. Butch and Harry stepped into the surrounding scrub while Syd, Daffy and the remaining team members continued the hike, each making more noise to hide their missing team members. If somebody stalked his team, Fanning wanted their adversaries focused on him and the others so Butch and Harry could get eyes on them.
Butch and Harry watched their mates disappear along the track and waited. Another twig snapped, and grass rustled as something passed. Although neither man saw the stalker, they both heard him.
Butch noticed a faint odor, one he didn’t recognize, and that scent didn’t belong in the bush. He glanced at Harry and realized his partner smelled it too. Neither spoke as they followed in silent pursuit. These men spent years developing skills which allowed them to move silently through this rough country. They felt the surface through their feet before putting weight on the ground. Both took care to avoid brushing leaves as they passed the shrubby trees.
A new moon hung in the sky and little light penetrated the forest canopy. Butch signaled Harry, and they stopped to don their Night Vision Goggles (NVGs). With the NVGs, the two men detected heat sources in the surrounding bush as animals came within range.
The NVGs showed faint traces on the ground where the stalkers walked, so Butch and Harry set out stalking the stalkers. Although they carried maps in their packs, both had memorized the terrain and navigated without aids, through this country. They walked faster hoping to bring their quarry into view. None of the SAS men realized the danger they faced although they would have continued if they did.
After another half hour, the tracks became clearer so Butch and Harry knew their quarry must be close. Then the faint outline of a bipedal creature appeared through the trees. He thought it a man but later realized the creature had the wrong proportions, and it only showed a weak infrared trace. At this range, an ordinary man, or animal radiated more heat.
Then something emitted a slight buzzing sound and Butch fell to the ground. Harry reacted, diving for cover but this only bought him seconds before he too lost consciousness. The entire attack took less than thirty seconds.
Fanning, Carver and their companions continued through the bush, unaware somebody had captured their teammates. The advance team resumed their stealthy movement and diverged from their old path. The soldiers hoped to loop back toward Butch and Harry then reconnect. When they judged themselves far enough from the old track, they crawled under thickets to the track’s side donned their NVGs and waited. Fanning expected his mates to pass soon.
He waited for thirty minutes, then the NVGs detected a faint infrared signature moving through the scrub. Fanning realized nothing made sense. Whoever these people were, they had odd proportions and emitted too little heat.
The team members took shallow breaths while they waited. One creature turned toward Fanning’s thicket and raised a rod. Syd perceived a faint buzz and lost consciousness. Daffy and the others followed seconds later.
Gaven woke on a hard floor in dim light. He was nauseous and his suffered from a pounding headache. He lay for a few moments with his eyes open, not sure what happened. Memories flooded in and Gaven started.
A nearby voice said, “Easy there. I don’t know what’s happening, but you need time to regain your equilibrium.”
Gaven waved his hand in acknowledgment and waited while his stomach settled, and headache eased. Five minutes later, he felt well enough to sit. He looked around in the dim light at a large compartment. A low hum surrounded him, and a gentle breeze caressed his cheek. At least they had air, for now. Other bodies lay scattered in the room, so he searched for Sandy.
He found her a few metres away, but she remained unconscious. He saw her chest rise and fall as she breathed and sighed with relief.
The voice said, “Hi, I’m Sergeant Syd Fanning, Australian Defense Force.”
Gaven replied, “Gaven Samuels, I have a Station in Western Australia.”
Syd prepared to ask what Gaven remembered, when an American accented voice asked, “Where are we?”
Syd replied, “I don’t know, yet. We have ninety-seven people here, most unconscious. The last I remember, I was in the bush in Cape York, then I woke here. Never saw who attacked us. Where’d they catch you?”
George said, “They took me in Christa Alaska. I saw them. A house was on fire, so we had light. I even shot one, but the bullets bounced off the bastard. Whoever they are, the proportions are wrong.”
Gaven said, “They came from a plane, one I didn’t recognize. It had short stubby wings and emitted a low hum. It was different to any aircraft I’ve ever seen. I tried to run, but next thing I knew, I woke here.”
Fanning considered this information. They arrived by air, at least in WA, proportions are wrong, and bullets bounced off them. Add his observations, and the conclusions made no sense.
He couldn’t act, without more information, and people lay unconscious. He’d found his teammates, but they hadn’t woken. As if the thought triggered them, Daffy and Harry stirred.
Fanning said, “Wake up, you sleeping beauties. Easy, you have a headache and are nauseous. Trust me that’ll pass soon.”
Both men groaned but didn’t move, opting to follow Syd’s advice.
To one side, Amanda moaned as she too woke. George moved to her side and placed a reassuring hand against her arm.
George said, “Lay still, Amanda, the headache, and nausea will pass soon. We aren’t alone, I’ll check the others.”
Amanda gave a feeble nod but didn’t move. George recognized many people on the floor from Christa. Whoever brought them here, dumped them, so George tried to make his companions more comfortable. He placed each one in the recovery position so if somebody vomited, the airways should stay clear. He noted the soldiers followed his example, first with their own, then with others.
Amanda sat up after her nausea and headache faded and looked around the compartment. She saw people helping others and moved over to lend a hand. More woke. Amanda told each one the headache and nausea will pass before moving to the next.
Whatever knocked everyone unconscious wore off and the rate of waking increased. The environment seemed strange.
Butch woke, and Fanning rushed to his side to tell him to wait. Sandy Samuels regained consciousness soon after and lay groaning. Gaven reassured her then continued helping others.
As each person recovered, he or she asked the same questions, “What happened? Where are we?”
George, Gaven, and the soldiers ignored the questions, they had no answers.
Butcher asked, “Hey Boss, where’s our gear?”
Fanning replied, “No idea Butch, not here, I looked.”
Butcher said, “Aw shit. I’m hungry and thirsty. I want a brew.”
While the soldiers moved through the compartment helping people, they used peripheral vision to find surveillance devices and assess their environment. They found a hatch on one side when a light flashed. Fanning heard several clicks above him, and something resembling weapons dropped from compartments in the ceiling and pointed toward the occupants.
Loud enough for everyone to hear, Fanning said, “Whatever happens, don’t move, someone trained weapons on us.” The soldiers and George moved to place themselves between the people and the hatch. Fanning noted George’s movement and thought, ‘He’s a veteran. That explains plenty.’
The hatch opened, and two alien creatures wheeled a cart into the room then backed out. It closed once they passed. The light stopped flashing, and the weapons retracted into the ceiling.
Fanning said to Butch, “I never expected that. What are those things, aliens?”
Butch shrugged, unable to answer.
Fanning walked to the cart and found it contained water, several vats of thick gruel, dishes to eat from and a few cups. Beyond one large spoon, it held no eating utensils they might use as weapons. People must eat with their fingers. Fanning picked up a dish and took a helping of gruel. He sniffed and then sampled the stuff. It smelled edible, just, and tasted like cardboard but Syd supposed it was whatever passed for food around here.
People came forward for food when they noticed no side effects on those who ate.
Over the following weeks, life for the humans became humdrum. They had little to keep themselves occupied unless their captors brought food and water.
A few days after they woke, Fanning, asked George, “Are you retired military?”
George replied, “US Marines. Didn’t help when these guys attacked Christa. My bullets bounced off them. I saw sparks, but these guys didn’t miss a beat.”
Syd Fanning replied, “Let’s not cause trouble just now. As far as I can tell, we aren’t on Earth. The gravity isn’t right, and the air smells wrong. Before we act, let’s understand the environment and people, both theirs and ours.”
George said, “Christa has a few retired vets beside me. We moved there to escape. If you’re right, we may have enjoyed more success than we wanted.”
Fanning replied, “That’s true enough. It’s better we don’t share our conjectures, people might panic.”
George nodded and moved to spend time with Amanda. She’d lost weight, everybody had. The gruel wasn’t enough to sustain them. George realized he liked Amanda’s company more than he expected. The danger drew them closer. Christa’s people had each other and welcomed the Australians as honorary Alaskans.
The SAS team examined every square inch of the room. Despite careful examination, they found nothing to use as a weapon. While not evident, a second, much larger hatch existed on the opposite side to the other one. After he found the second hatch, Fanning wondered what lay beyond but found no way to assuage his curiosity.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Mysteries
George Fallon gravitated to the Australian soldiers as their time in captivity passed. He’d met Australians before, when on deployment in Darwin and liked their easy-going attitude. These Australians had a calm, no-nonsense quality he appreciated.
This prison made life hard, nobody knew where they were, and their captors weren’t human. That realization hit everyone hard. While plenty on Earth believed in aliens, nobody ever expected to meet one. Regardless of expectations, these aliens wielded total power over George’s welfare. In his opinion, those aliens cared little for their prisoners.
Two weeks after waking in this hellhole, the hatch opened, and six aliens stepped into the compartment and arranged themselves against the bulkhead. The prisoners had yet to understand these creatures, and one, a woman from Christa confronted them. She demanded they explain who they were and return everybody to Christa.
This was her mistake, an alien stepped forward and touched her with a tube-shaped object. She stiffened, then screamed in pain before collapsing to the ground, whimpering. The prisoners froze, unwilling to risk the same fate.
In broken English, the creature with the tube said, “You are our slaves; our property. We can do what we please when we please. We can beat or kill you with impunity, nobody will save you from our justice. Follow orders without question, you will live longer. This one will recover in a few hours, but I warn you, we’ll be less lenient next time. You’ll learn to follow instructions without delay in time.”
The alien examined his prisoners for a moment and pointed to Sam Freeman and Rodney Carver.
The creature said, “Bring these, they shall serve us today.”
Four aliens strode forward and grabbed the men, then dragged them from the compartment. Sam and Daffy didn’t resist, but their captors still gripped hard enough to cause pain. After they’d gone, the other aliens followed with a horrible laugh.
Syd struggled for control during this episode but opted to wait until they returned before deciding his next move.
He whispered, “Butch, wait until they return Daffy and Sam. Let’s see how the aliens treat them, and how our people describe the outside environment. If the bastards hurt Daffy, we’ll kill them, but at the right time. Continue looking for an escape route, but take care, our jailers are watching.”
Butch nodded and whispered, “Can Harry help?”
Fanning returned the nod and walked to George Fallon. Syd’s men were a close-knit team who often used non-verbal communication.
He whispered, “George, I appreciate your help. Nobody knows much about our prison, and we need the knowledge to escape and return home.”
George nodded, he’d come to the same conclusion. They had no chance of escape without outside help, but whatever they learned improved the odds. The scant evidence suggested these creatures had taken them from Earth. If so, going home became much harder.
The creatures hadn’t stolen jewelry or clothing but took everyone’s guns and knives or other items they might use as a weapon. This loss caused little concern for Syd. Someone with SAS training could make everyday objects into arms if needed. Fanning checked his watch then continued searching the compartment.
Ten hours later, the hatch opened. Sam and Rod stumbled through the opening to collapse on the floor as the hatch slammed shut behind them. Syd, Gaven and Sandra Samuels, and Larry Spring rushed to help. Cuts and bruises covered both men, and the clothing hung in tatters from their lean frames.
Daffy said, “Watch these goons Boss, they enjoy inflicting pain. If one tells you to do something and you’re too slow to comply, they lash out with whatever comes to hand. I reckon we’re in a ship although I never saw a porthole. Turn right outside the hatch, and the humming gets louder. I reckon that direction leads to the machinery spaces. I classified the right as leading to the rear. Turn left, and the sound levels decrease as you move further away, so left leads to the front. They took us thirty metres to the left at first and then over time we worked for different goons, each time moving further aft. We reached a point twenty metres aft of our hatch. I reckon they imprisoned us in a hold Boss.”
Fanning said, “So we’re in an enclosed vessel. A submarine?”
Daffy replied, “If this thing is a submarine, it’s the biggest in the world. Given our captor’s appearance, I suspect we’re no longer on Earth. I saw two distinct physical types; both bipedal, with two arms and legs, but other differences suggest they’re not human. One is tall and slim, like the ones who took us. They have smooth skin, angular faces, cat’s eyes, and no hair. The others are shorter, and thicker with wide-set dogs eyes. Their shoulders have a steep slope ending near the top of their heads, so they have no neck. The skin is scaly. Neither is human.”
Fanning asked, “Are they equally cruel?”
Daffy replied, “Oh yeah. Maybe the squat creatures are nastier. They used sharp knives and such to punish us. One of the tall creatures stopped a squat creature from sticking his knife in me. I’m uncertain but suspect the taller ones are in charge. They stopped the others from torturing or killing us several times.”
Fanning said, “Thanks, Daffy. Let’s get you cleaned up so you can rest. Our immediate problem is to stay healthy, and I’m not sure we have adequate food. I doubt these beasts care if we live or die. If anyone becomes sick, medical help isn’t available.”
This pattern continued. Each day, the creatures arrived and picked two prisoners. They returned beaten and bloodied without exception. The room became harder to keep clean with each passing day. The compartment had no running water and nowhere for people to wash. Everyone used part of their water ration to clean the worst of the filth from their bodies, but as each day passed, the pungent odor of unwashed bodies increased.
Weeks after first waking in prison, the humans felt a slight jolt. Armed guards entered soon after and drove them from the compartment. The prisoners found themselves herded into large cells then left alone.
