In the Arctic (9 page)

“Yeah, you’re right,” Archibald answered. “Maybe they’ll be able to figure out how to use it. Anyway, I’m tired of being cooped up in here. Let’s get Meatloaf and go outside.”

Archibald was telling Meatloaf about what they’d just seen when Adams came aboard the chopper. The SEAL emptied a small duffel bag that contained some C-Rations and then told everyone to stay put until he came back.

“We saw it,” Archibald said, holding up a pair of binoculars.

“You saw what?” Adams shot back.

“The head, we saw it,” Archibald answered. “And we need to talk to Dr. Henderson and Zenda. There’s something important they need to know.”

“Alright,” Adams replied, “but give me a few minutes before you come out. Just so you know, seeing Lynch’s head up close is much worse than viewing it from a distance.”

Major McColl decided he’d go outside with Adams, so he left Captain Williams in charge of the Chinook. Before leaving, he patted his co-pilot on the shoulder, saying, “I want you and Jones to stay put while I’m gone.”

Adams had already bagged Lynch’s head and was headed back to the chopper by the time Meatloaf and the teenagers approached Zenda and Dr. Henderson. “I’m sorry you had to see that,” Dr. Henderson said apologetically.

“We’ve seen worse,” Archibald replied.

“I understand there’s something important you need to tell Zenda and me,” Dr. Henderson said.

“This may take a while,” Archibald answered, “so maybe we ought to go back to the chopper.”

“We can use the transport pod,” Zenda offered. “It’s big enough for all of us, and I can adjust the temperature so you can take off your outerwear.”

Once Adams returned to the transport pod, Archibald and Jockabeb began to recount the high points of what had happened at the secret cave in the forest and then over the last three years. While Zenda, Major McColl, and the two SEALs sat quietly, the three scientists peppered the two brothers with questions, particularly after hearing how the blue feathers and the words “Nito, Vito, Samu” had been used to destroy a host of supernatural creatures.

Seeing more than a few skeptical looks, Meatloaf stepped in and added some much needed credibility to the boys’ story. “I know it all sounds too farfetched to be true, but I witnessed first-hand what happened to the Ratweil. And let’s not forget that there was a reason why your top secret agency selected the four of us to come on this crazy mission.”

“There are many things that happen in this universe that are very difficult to explain,” Dr. Watanabe finally conceded, “and what we’ve just heard may be one of them. I am willing to accept what the young men have told us. And if what they say is true, the question now becomes how we use this knowledge to defeat Malum.”

“We have only until tomorrow morning to devise a plan,” Zenda warned. “I know Malum well. Even though he has tasted his first human blood, he will not strike at night. He will take that time to rest so he is fresh for what he thinks will be an even larger kill tomorrow. He also knows that we will not go back into the tunnels after what happened to Lynch. Yes, my friends, I am certain he will strike tomorrow morning.”

For the next hour, the ETF members, Zenda, and Major McColl discussed the best way to handle the attack that Zenda predicted. While there was no consensus among the group of eleven at the beginning, the skeleton of a plan finally began to take shape. Throughout the discussion, Dr. Watanabe took copious notes.

Zenda believed that it was important that Malum not be able to return to the transport pod since the craft was armed with directional laser beams that could be used as weapons. She said that the entrance to the transport pod could be locked from the inside, but correctly pointed out that she or someone else would need to remain inside.

Zenda also divulged that she and Malum had taken a solemn oath not to harm each other. When either one or both of them returned home, an interrogation would immediately take place. The interrogators would use sophisticated lie detection technology to ensure they heard the truth. If either Zenda or Malum violated their oath, the other race would be declared the victor.

“As much as Malum may want to kill me,” Zenda added with a smile on her face, “he would never risk losing this contest by violating his oath. And as much as I may want to see him lose, I cannot risk destroying him myself. My oath, however, does not preclude me from helping you destroy him.”

When the SEALs asked Zenda if bullets could take down Malum, she sighed and replied, “I fear your weapons by themselves are not enough. He has an outer layer of scales that will withstand any metal object.”

“Will my flamethrower do the trick?” Adams asked.

“Sadly not,” she answered.

“Well then, how in blazes can we kill the beast?” Meatloaf barked back, his temper rising.

“There may be a way,” Zenda replied in a calm voice. “All Lues have a small circular spot at the back of their necks which if exposed, leaves them vulnerable to attack. However, there is one scaly flap that protects it. But if that flap is raised, and a sharp object is then inserted, it is possible to temporarily disrupt all motor skills. In other words, it is possible to immobilize a Lues.”

“But would it kill him?” Meatloaf pressed.

“That I do not know,” Zenda answered truthfully. “I have never seen a Lues die that way, but it may be possible.”

“Great,” Meatloaf exploded. “All we need to do is ask Malum to lie on his belly while one of us peels back his little flap and sticks a big needle in his neck. Then we say a prayer and hope he dies. Because if he doesn’t die right then and there, the poor sucker whose on top of him is a goner. I think—”

“Wait a minute,” Jockabeb interrupted, “If we could somehow ram the quill of the blue feather into that spot and say ‘Nito, Vito, Samu,’ it might work the way it’s worked before. What do you think, Zenda?”

“Based on what you’ve told me, you just may be right,” Zenda replied, nodding her head in agreement. Then she added, “The person with the blue feather still has to get close enough to Malum in order to, as you so eloquently put it, ram the quill in.”

“Listen,” Major McColl announced as he began to put on his cold weather gear, “while you all talk about how we’re going to get one of us in a position to see if Jockabeb’s theory works, I’m going back to the chopper. We haven’t eaten for a while, and I think we could all use some C-Rations.”

Not more than five minutes had passed when Major McColl returned empty-handed. When he took off his facemask, his skin was ashen.

“They’re gone,” he said, his voice rising. “Williams and Jones are gone, and there’s blood splattered all over the Chinook’s cabin.”

As Zenda and the nine remaining humans stared at Major McColl, there was no doubt in anyone’s mind which side had taken Round Two!

Since the Chinook’s incoming and outgoing transmissions had been jammed, no one at Checkpoint Zulu knew that the Command Centers in both Thule and Langley had gone on high alert the moment radio contact was lost. They were also unaware that weather conditions had continued to deteriorate above ground. Heavy snow and strong winds gusting to over ninety miles per hour had created blizzard conditions that made any immediate air rescue mission from Thule impossible.

Director Blair was sitting at his desk being briefed by Special Agent Quade when he was handed the three-day weather forecast for the regions around Thule and Checkpoint Zulu. Recognizing that it would be more than twelve hours before conditions would improve enough for a backup Chinook to land safely at Checkpoint Zulu, he slammed his fist down and barked,
“We’ve lost touch with our ETF, and we can’t do a blessed thing about it until sometime tomorrow!”

Hoping to calm down his boss, Quade said, “Well, sir, one thing’s for sure, Lynch will keep everyone safe.”

“I hope you’re right,” Director Blair fired back. Then second-guessing his original decision, he added, “We probably should have waited for the weather to clear before sending them in. Those extraterrestrials up there aren’t going anywhere until they’ve made contact with us. And for the record, I’m wondering how I let you talk me into including three teenagers on the team.”

Quade was clearly defensive when he replied, “You saw their records, sir. Those three kids had first-hand experience with a hostile alien, and we know they disposed of it without anyone getting hurt. They—”

“I seem to remember reading in your report that three men were killed that night,” Director Blair interrupted, his temper rising.

“My mistake, sir,” Quade said, correcting himself. “You’re right. One was a gangbanger wanted by the NYPD. The other two consisted of a drug-dealing murderer and his zombie bodyguard. All of whom, I might add, were trying to kill those kids.”

The conversation ended when Director Blair once again slammed his fist on the table and issued a direct order. “Special Agent Quade, I want you on a plane to Thule ASAP. You’ll stay there for however long it takes to get a backup Chinook airborne for Checkpoint Zulu.
And one more thing—you’ll be on that Chinook. Now, unless there’s something else, you’re dismissed.”

As much as Major McColl wanted to take the SEALs and head into the tunnels to search for his crew, he knew he couldn’t do that for two very compelling reasons. First, it was almost certain that Williams and Jones were both dead, and if they weren’t, they were being held hostage in a place he’d never find. Second, if anything happened to him, the chopper would never be able to leave the subterranean chamber.

Looking around at the shocked humans, Zenda offered an apology. “I feel terrible,” she began. “While I am certain that Malum won’t attack at night, I forgot that while it is dark day and night, it is not yet technically nighttime. I should have known better.”

“One thing’s for sure,” Dr. Henderson announced, “we’re spending the night locked in this transport pod. I hope Zenda’s right, but if she isn’t and Malum does come back before morning, he won’t be able to get at us. Before we lock ourselves in, we’ll need to get some things from the Chinook.

“Major McColl, we’ll need the C-Rations transferred over here. Flint and Adams, you bring all the weapons. Dr. Watanabe, I want you to write down the list of various radio frequencies Major McColl uses to communicate with Thule and Langley. The rest of you will need
to grab the sleeping bags. Oh, I almost forgot to ask who has the blue feather.”

When Willow raised her hand, Dr. Henderson nodded and said, “Okay, let’s put on our coats and get cracking!”

Fifteen minutes later, everyone was back inside the transport pod shedding their coats and other cold weather gear. Zenda was just about to activate the locking mechanism when Dr. Watanabe slapped his forehead and blurted, “I left my notebook back in the Chinook cockpit when I was copying the radio frequencies. In addition to the frequencies, I’d jotted down some ideas that I think you’ll find interesting when we finalize our plans. I have to go back and get it.”

“Okay, but make it quick,” Dr. Henderson replied. “Adams, you go with him.”

After Adams had put his coat back on and picked up his M240, Dr. Watanabe said, “I thought Zenda told us that machine gun bullets were useless against Malum.”

The SEAL tried to be polite when he answered, “No offense to Zenda, but she also said we didn’t have to worry about Malum until tomorrow morning. Anyway, I’d like to see just how well that alien stands up to this baby’s ammo.”

Adams and Dr. Watanabe hadn’t been gone for more than a few minutes when the sound of muffled machine gun fire erupted outside. Jumping to his feet and grabbing his coat and M240, Flint yelled, “Open the hatch!”

The five seconds that it took for the hatch to be lowered seemed like an eternity to Flint. His adrenaline
was flowing as he tore out of the transport pod with his weapon raised. However, his heart almost stopped when he caught sight of Malum dragging Adams and Dr. Watanabe into one of the tunnel entrances. The scientist wasn’t moving, and even though Adams was bloody and had dropped his gun, he was still fighting.

Dr. Henderson was frantic as she saw Flint dash toward the tunnel entrance. “No! Don’t go in there!” she screamed at the top of her lungs.

Even if he had heard her, and he hadn’t, Flint wouldn’t have stopped. Navy SEALs didn’t leave any of their own behind, whether they were dead or alive.

Another burst of machine gun fire was heard soon after Flint raced into the tunnel; then another; then another. After the fourth volley, there was dead silence. When ten minutes had passed, Dr. Henderson turned to Zenda and reluctantly, but decisively said, “Let’s lock up for the night.”

“What if he comes back?” Professor Eberstark asked.

Dr. Henderson was somber when she replied, “Listen, I know that some of you may think I’m heartless to shut the hatch while Flint’s still out there, but he’s either dead, or he’s still after Malum. If he somehow manages to survive, he’ll be back banging on the door, with or without Dr. Watanabe and Adams. There’re only seven of us humans left, and we need to figure out with Zenda what we’re going to do when morning comes. Okay, I’m open to any and all ideas.”

Even though no one felt very hungry, Major McColl insisted they break out the C-Rations, saying, “Whatever we decide to do, we’re going to need as much energy as we can muster. Taking on that monster isn’t going to be easy, and it’s nothing we should try to do on an empty stomach, so eat up.”

Since Malum could easily thwart any attempt Zenda would make to send an SOS transmission, or to escape in the Chinook or transport pod, the group discussed whether it was better to just stay locked in the pod and wait him out.

After listing the pros and cons of what Meatloaf called the “sit and wait” option, Zenda unhappily said, “Even if your people send help, they will never find you down here. As I told you before, Malum can shut down the transport pod’s computers that operate the panels you passed through when we brought you here. Eventually your food will run out. No, my friends, I am sorry to say that time is not on your side. Escape is possible only if you destroy Malum.”

It was near midnight when the plan finally came together. Step one of the plan involved a necessary but very risky move on the part of Major McColl. Trusting Zenda’s judgment that Malum would not strike again before morning, the pilot made a quick dash back to the Chinook in order to lower its rear door. Fortunately, he made it back safely.

When Major McColl returned, Dr. Henderson agreed to review the plan one last time in the morning
before proceeding with step two. Her final words were, “Okay, let’s all get some sleep. I’d say tomorrow’s going to be a big day, but you already know that.”

Archibald and Willow took their sleeping bags to the most private part of the transport pod they could find and laid them out. After Zenda turned down the lights so that only a green glow of the instrument control panel could be seen, Archibald leaned over and kissed Willow.

“I’ve wanted to do than since I left you in New York,” he said.

“I’ve wanted you to do that since you left me in New York,” she answered, kissing him back. Withdrawing her head a few inches, she then whispered, “Do you think we can move these sleeping bags really close together?”

“You bet,” he whispered back.

Overcome by exhaustion and the events of the day, it wasn’t more than ten minutes before the two teenagers fell asleep. Before nodding off, Willow yawned and said, “Be careful tomorrow.”

Sadly, Flint didn’t return to the transport pod during the night, and it was just past nine o’clock the next morning when Dr. Henderson called the group together and said, “Well, Zenda, you predicted that Malum wouldn’t attack at night, and he didn’t. So, tell me, when do you think he’ll make his next move?”

“That depends on what we do,” Zenda answered. “Should we review what we agreed upon last night?”

“I think that would be in order,” the Mission Commander replied. Then she turned to Major McColl and said, “Before you say it, I know we all need to get started on our C-Rations.”

As all the humans ate their breakfast, Dr. Henderson outlined the dangerous plan that she thought just might work. With the first step of the plan having been successfully accomplished the night before, step two involved drawing Malum out of the tunnels.

It wouldn’t be out of character for Zenda to try to convince her adversary to spare the remaining Earthlings’ lives now that he’d demonstrated his superiority by killing six of them. She knew her pleadings for mercy would be futile, but that wasn’t the point because the meeting was simply a diversionary tactic.

Dr. Henderson had been shown how to raise, lower, and lock the transport pod’s hatch, and she would secure the hatch after Zenda had departed for her meeting with Malum. Positioning herself far away from the Chinook, and at a point where Malum’s view of the transport pod’s hatch would be blocked, Zenda would then call out his name.

Zenda would be carrying a transmitter that, once activated, would set off a buzzer back in the transport pod. Once Malum arrived, she would begin to beg. She would also activate the transmitter, signaling that step three of the plan should commence.

After the buzzer sounded, Dr. Henderson would lower the transport pod’s hatch. Deciding on which three people would then exit and sprint to the Chinook had been a particularly contentious issue the night before because there was a very real chance that some, or all of them, might not survive!

One of the three leaving the transport pod was, as Meatloaf had said, “the bait” that would distract Malum while the other two attempted to drive the blue feather home and say the magic words. Even though there was risk to all three, the bait’s life was in greatest danger.

Professor Eberstark had argued that since he was the oldest and had the shortest time to live, he should play the role of bait. While there was some logic to his argument, the old professor was turned down because he couldn’t move fast enough. Major McColl had also volunteered to play that role, but he was rejected because he was the only one left who could fly the chopper.

“I played that role once before,” Meatloaf finally said, “and I played it pretty well. So I’m your bait, like it or not.”

With the bait decision made, it didn’t take long to agree that Archibald and Jockabeb would be the other two accompanying Meatloaf. Archibald was given the blue feather, and his brother was asked to repeat “Nito, Vito, Samu” one more time, so everyone could hear the words that would hopefully end Malum’s life and save everyone else’s.

Once Meatloaf and the two brothers were aboard the chopper, the last and most critical step in the plan would begin to unfold. Meatloaf would position himself in the cockpit where he could see Malum approach. It was also a cramped space that would restrict the alien’s mobility once it attacked. Archibald and Jockabeb would hide under blankets in the main cabin and wait for Meatloaf’s signal.