Infinitys gateway, p.29
Infinity's Gateway, page 29
MacKay nodded and continued to stare out the window. “Let’s step outside for a moment, shall we?”
He and Mercer stepped outside onto the small deck that encircled the bridge. “Over the last day or so, have you spent any time talking with Father Ryan?”
Mercer thought about that for a moment. “No sir, not really. I’ve seen him around, of course, and last night he was in sick bay working with Dr. Severin. We talked a little, but nothing really of any substance. Why do you ask?”
“Not sure if you know this or not, but Father Ryan’s more than just a priest. He’s military through and through. He’s been in combat, and in short, is one brave guy.”
“That’s good to know, sir. With all that we’re facing, it’s good having a man like that on board with us.”
MacKay fished around in his pocket, pulled out his pipe, but then changed his mind and put it back. “He and I spend a fair amount of time together. We talk about all kinds of things, ranging from issues with various crew members, to which distillery makes the best bourbon. Anyway, over the last few days he’s been acting different. I’d say it’s more in his mannerisms than anything else; the way he talks is different. I really can’t nail it down for you any better than that, but a change has come over him.”
“Sir, in all fairness, over the last few days a change has come over all of us,” said Mercer. “Look at where we are and all we’ve seen. Things like this would rock anyone’s world.”
“True, but this started before that energy wave washed over us. A couple of days before then we had a long talk about visions.”
“Visions?” said Mercer. “What motivated that?”
“Maybe I shouldn’t be sharing this with you, but under the circumstances, I think it’s good you know all this,” said MacKay. “He told me that at first he’d thought he was just having some really vivid dreams, until he started to have them while he was awake.”
“While he was awake?” said Mercer. “What would happen to him? Should we be including Dr. Severin in this conversation?”
“No, not yet. For the time being the good doctor has enough on his hands. Father Ryan wouldn’t go into a great deal of detail other than to say that these visions have him worried. He’s never blacked out or anything like that, but would be sitting at his desk, or in the mess hall, and then suddenly the visions would take over.”
“He didn’t tell you what they were about?”
“All that he would share with me is that he is worried he won’t be strong enough, won’t be able to do all that is being asked of him,” said MacKay.
“So, I’m guessing these visions are from God?” said Mercer.
“Oh yes, he was quite emphatic about that,” said MacKay. “I tried to assure him that when the time comes, that I have no doubt that he’ll be more than able to step up to any challenge given to him.”
“No disrespect intended to Father Ryan, but again, do you think it might be a good idea for him to talk about this with Dr. Severin? I’m not saying that he’s not having visions, that is his field, so to speak, but it could be something else.”
“Father Ryan’s pretty sharp. The thought crossed my mind as well, but before I could even start to suggest to him that he should have a talk with Dr. Severin, he laughed and told me not to worry, that he isn’t going crazy. On the other hand, he’s as close to being scared as I’ve ever seen him.”
“Those visions must be pretty rough,” said Mercer.
“Father Ryan said that he has found himself in a position of having to prepare for a very intense and potentially dangerous mission, a mission that he doesn’t think he’ll make it back from.”
“When’s the last time he’s talked to you about this?” asked Mercer.
“Yesterday.”
“How did that go?”
“It’s why you and I are talking,” said Captain MacKay. “He told me that he now knows he won’t be leaving this place. He’s not going to die, at least not anytime soon, but he will never leave here. I didn’t know what to say to him.”
“When you consider that he’s the guy who is supposed to minister to us, this is rather disconcerting.”
“Yes, I feel the same way. Let’s keep an eye on him.”
They were preparing to leave the stream and continue towards the beach when Corporal Lee and Private Logan approached Colton and Garrett. “Sir, we may have another problem,” said Corporal Lee.
“What would that be, Corporal?” asked Garrett.
“Step back over here, near the stream,” he said as they followed him. “It’s hard to see, but I want you to casually look downstream to where that huge flower is. Logan first spotted it a couple of hours ago, back when we stopped to rest. We had just made it out of the jungle and on to the game trail.”
“It blends in real good,” said Logan. “So much so that if it hadn’t moved, I know I would have missed it.”
“Private Logan came and got me, and told me what he saw, but when we went to look, it was gone,” said Corporal Lee. “The next time we saw it was just before we crossed the stream. It was standing a fair distance behind us, beside the trail we’d just come down.”
“Get to the point, Corporal,” said Colton. “What is it that you’re seeing?”
“Whatever it is, it’s back and it’s standing on the opposite shore down by that flower,” said Corporal Lee. “What concerns me is that we have no way of knowing if it’s the same creature or if there’s more than one of them.”
Colton and Garrett both turned and looked downstream. They could see the large flowery plant, floating on the surface of the stream, and it was still closed. Other than that, all they could see was thick, unending jungle. Garrett was getting ready to ask Corporal Lee if it was still there when Colton spotted it.
“I think I see it,” said Colton. “Look to the right of that flower, about ten yards or so, next to the tall palm. As best as I can tell from here it’s about five-and-a-half feet tall.”
“That’s it, sir,” said Logan. “No idea what it is, but it’s real interested in us.”
“That thing really does blend in, doesn’t it?” said Garrett. “It’s solid, but I don’t see any features. There’s no head. I don’t see any legs. How does this thing move?”
“We’re not close enough to see its features, not with it being that well camouflaged, but that can be fixed,” said Colton. He walked over to his pack, took something out, and then rejoined them. Keeping his back to the creature, he pulled a small pair of binoculars from their pouch. Colton then turned and zoomed in on the creature.
Colton only got to look at it for a few seconds before it quickly moved away, disappearing behind the palm, back into the jungle. Lowering the binoculars, he said, “Guess it’s shy.”
“What did it look like?” asked Garrett.
“I’m not sure. At first glance, I’d say it looked like someone had draped a perfectly camouflaged sheet over its head, except the camouflage was too perfect. When it moved, it looked more like skin, a little oily, but skin that instantly adapted to the plants and trees around it,” said Colton. “That thing would put a chameleon to shame. My congratulations to you, Private Logan, you’ve got some sharp eyes. It’s amazing you were able to spot it.”
“Not so sure I’m glad I did,” said Logan. “That thing looks a whole lot like the monster that used to hide in my closet when I was a kid.”
“How do you know it isn’t the monster that hid in your closet?” asked Colton. Smiling, he winked at Logan and walked off.
“Good work,” said Garrett. “If either of you spot it again, especially if it gets any closer to us, come and get me.”
Garrett left her two men and walked back over to Colton. “Anything else you want to share about what you just saw?”
“No, I didn’t leave anything out,” said Colton, “but I’ll tell you this, of all the things we’ve seen today, this has put me more on edge than ever.”
“Why? It’s probably nothing more than just another strange lizard, or plant, or whatever else that lives in this forsaken jungle.”
“You’re probably right,” said Colton, “but unless I’m mistaken, that creature may possess more in the way of true intelligence than anything else we’ve encountered, excluding, of course, our friends up there.”
“Then I must be missing something. I didn’t see anything extraordinary about it,” said Garrett.
“If Logan and Lee are right, it’s been stalking us for some time. Although it doesn’t seem to be aggressive, we don’t know its purpose. Is it a creature that lives alone and is just as curious about us as we are about it? Or is it a scout for a whole horde of those things, learning as much about us as it can before its buddies arrive?”
“What’s your gut telling you?” asked Garrett.
“My gut is telling me that we just saw someone hiding under some of the most advanced camouflage I’ve ever seen. That alone puts it one up on us, which adds to the tension that’s now racing between my shoulders.”
“So, you think it was a person? How could you tell?” said Garrett.
“Slow down, I’m not saying that it was a person,” said Colton. “I didn’t see anything that would support that conclusion. But I do believe that it was something that could reason, hiding under some incredibly advanced material that keeps it well hidden in this jungle. That makes it a threat. More and more I think we are lab rats. If you wanted to break people, hard military folks, what better than with fear followed by relief, followed by commands? We’re to follow lights in the sky. Did you know the Air Force originally investigated UFOs not as an alien menace, but wondering if they were Russian psy-op devices?”
“So, you think it’s a human spook?”
“I don’t know about human.”
Garrett sighed and rested her hand on her sidearm. “Terrific, I’ll add it to the list of things potentially out to get us. One more pleasant resident of this place that we have to watch out for. Let’s go, I’ve had all the fun I can stand.”
The heat and humidity grew more oppressive as they continued down the game trail. Private Hill had the point, Corporal Lee right behind him, both men watching closely for the spot where they’d left the jungle yesterday. From that point on it would be a straight shot to the beach.
The men were worn down, but there was no alternative for them except to press on. Garrett checked with the corpsman a few times regarding Lockridge. The trip back wasn’t helping him at all and the corpsman voiced his concern that they might lose him. Even the “magical” gel had its limits.
They finally came to the point where they would leave the game trail and head back into the jungle. The only good news about this was that it meant they were almost back to the beach. They were ready to move out when Private Bannister called out, “Commander Colton, I need you over here, sir.”
Colton quickly made it over to Bannister. “Do you have good news for me, Private?”
Bannister handed him the radio, smiling from ear to ear. “Yes sir, I have the Eclipse standing by to talk with you.”
It was midafternoon, and the crew’s morale had been handed yet another disappointment. The drones had finally been recalled. Despite an exhaustive search, they had not been able to find any sign of the shore party. The pictures of the clearing where Colton’s team had been attacked gave clear evidence that there had been a terrible fight. But, for better or worse, there were no bodies, which didn’t make sense. The only thing they could see was the ravaged carcass of a huge animal that had died there.
Sahir, along with Meinhard’s team, poured over the pictures being sent back. Argos came up with the most information, identifying several plants and dinosaurs that lived there. It also created a special file of the things that it couldn’t identify. Not surprisingly, this file was the largest one they had.
Dr. Brennan was able to identify the dead creature lying in the middle of the clearing. He stated that he was 90 percent sure that it was a Tarbosaurus, also called the “dreadful lizard.” Based on fossil findings, it was believed that Tarbosaurus could weigh as much as three tons, if not more, and mature adults could be more than thirty feet in length. It was believed to be a very aggressive dinosaur.
Further, he explained that the condition of the body was due to the scavengers that had feasted on the dead creature. It didn’t appear to have been there very long. MacKay asked if they could tell what had killed it, but there was no way of knowing. But everyone did the math. If scavengers could eat three tons of dead dino in only twelve hours, there wouldn’t be any human remains to be seen in an hour.
Father Ryan had decided to join MacKay up on the bridge. It was easy to see that the stress of everything was eating away at MacKay as hard as, if not more so, than everyone else. Patting his friend on the shoulder, he said, “Not to be too harsh, but you’re acting like an ensign fresh out of the academy. Callum, it was a sound plan. None of us had any idea what was facing them in that jungle. You’re being too hard on yourself.”
MacKay cast Father Ryan a dark look. “Command doesn’t have the privilege of walking away from the responsibility, Father. I could have stopped them from going ashore. I could, and should, have made them wait at least one more day until we had more information.”
Father Ryan smiled and said, “Are you sure you’re not Catholic? Because you’re taking on a mountain of guilt that doesn’t even belong to you. If you’ll remember, Admiral Fairfax put it in writing that Colton was to be in command in the event we encountered hostilities, and Callum, things couldn’t get much more hostile than this.”
Taking in a deep breath, MacKay half smiled. “Thank you; guess that’s one little detail I’d forgotten about.”
“Besides, men like Colton typically don’t let much stand in their way.”
“What are you saying?” asked MacKay.
“I’m saying that even if we had known what we know now, prior to Colton leaving, he probably would have gone anyway. The only difference is he probably would have gone alone.”
“I’ve always admired men like Colton, but I couldn’t do their job. It is my own strong opinion that people like him have a very special streak of crazy running through them,” said MacKay.
“Could be, could be,” said Father Ryan, nodding his head. “Whatever it is, it’s good to know they’re part of our team.”
More than ready to change the subject, MacKay asked, “How have you been doing? Are those visions still giving you trouble?”
“Not too bad,” said Father Ryan, his whole demeanor instantly changed to a defensive posture. “If I only knew what . . .”
“Captain MacKay!” shouted Petty Officer Briggs. “I’ve got Colton on the radio!”
The entire bridge shouted in relief as MacKay nearly knocked Father Ryan over to get to the radio. “Colton, this is MacKay. Where are you?”
“We’re maybe six to seven hundred yards from the beach,” replied Colton.
“You’ve had us a little worried, Commander. What is your status?”
“It’s been a rough trip, but we’re coming in. It would be helpful for you to let Rabbi Ryan know that his services will be needed,” said Colton.
Father Ryan, who was standing next to MacKay, looked at him and said, “Rabbi Ryan?”
A grim look had replaced the smile on MacKay’s face. “It was Colton’s idea, a code.”
“What’s it mean?” asked Father Ryan.
“It means they’re not alone.”
CHAPTER 22
The men held their positions, constantly scanning the jungle for any kind of threat, but a surge of renewed hope and energy flowed through each one of Colton’s team. Not only were they close to the shore and would be escaping this hellhole of a jungle, but the Eclipse was also there waiting for them. It had been roughly twenty-four hours since they’d had any contact with the ship, but it felt like it had been days. Years ago, they were on a planet called Earth with reruns and Facebook and fast food and knowing where they would be buried.
Colton moved into the center of his team, his plan to talk as loud as necessary so that everyone of them would hear what he was going to say to MacKay. The team was coming in, true, but the circumstances were very different from when they’d left. They were returning with new acquaintances that were as much of a mystery to them now as when they’d first appeared.
Colton and Garrett had talked about how MacKay and the rest of the crew would react to the glowing light hovering above them. However, it wasn’t until that moment that Colton realized what he hadn’t taken into consideration. He hadn’t really given any thought as to how the craft would respond to a large, well-armed ship. Although he felt reasonably sure that the craft was already aware of the Eclipse, he couldn’t take anything for granted. He was hoping the glowing one was reading his mind. More and more he realized he was falling into the trap that their benefactors were all-powerful. How would Argos take this? A sign of his madness, or a rival AI to play chess with?
“We’ll get word to Rabbi Ryan immediately,” said MacKay, following Colton’s lead. “Mr. Mercer will have three launches and a medical team waiting for you on the beach,” said MacKay. Fortunately, it was loud enough, and the signal clear enough, that most of the men could hear the ship’s captain.
“It will be best for you to hold off on sending the launches over until we get to the beach,” said Colton. “At that time, we’ll be in a better position to assess exactly what is needed.”
“Very well,” said MacKay, his face darkening, “we’ll hold off until then.”
“We do have wounded, one seriously,” said Colton, “and I’m sorry to report one casualty. The good news is that we are being escorted back to the beach. Our escort not only saved our lives yesterday but also has helped to prevent further acts of violence against us.”
“Are you escorted by one or more?” asked MacKay.
“We see only one glowing light in the sky. It is difficult to judge correctly, but I would guess it is a 110, 120 feet tall, and close to fifty feet in diameter. I don’t think it is a drone because it moves silently. Remarkably it seems to calm humans, beasts, and plants.”
