Infinity's Gateway, page 19
“Bannister,” Colton whispered, “you getting this?”
Like the rest of them, this had taken Bannister by surprise. He quickly started clicking away. The image held steady. For a hologram, it was extremely clear and detailed.
“Is that a map?” asked Colton.
“That would be my guess,” said Garrett. “This is amazing.” Then, as suddenly as it had appeared, the hologram went away and the blue light encasing the pillars slowly faded.
“Bannister, get these pictures back to the Eclipse as quickly as you can,” ordered Colton. Once again he closely studied the three pillars, trying to understand what the symbols might represent. “I wonder if you get the same image every time. Or does it make a difference as to which pillar you touch?”
Before they could experiment with this they heard Corporal Lee calling to them. Although he was keeping his voice as low as possible, there was an intensity about his tone. Reluctantly, they turned around and left the circled area. Private Diaz was standing there with the corporal. “Sir, I know this is an important find, but we may have a problem heading our way,” said Diaz.
“What is it, Diaz?” snapped Colton. Privates Diaz and Johnson had been tasked with guarding their flank.
“At first only Johnson noticed it, but then I heard it too. We held back for a few minutes and waited, but we didn’t see anything. For a little while we thought it had gone away, but now it’s back again,” explained Diaz.
“What’s back again?” asked Corporal Lee.
“That’s just it, sir, we don’t know,” said Diaz. “It’s big. You can tell by the sounds it makes moving through the trees and the bushes. But it hasn’t gotten close enough for us to get a look at it. Johnson has spent more time in the woods than I have, but we’re pretty sure something is stalking us.”
At that moment, Logan, who had been sent on up ahead to see if there was a village in the area, returned to the unit, moving as quietly as he could through the trees. “About thirty, forty yards ahead we got a very deep ravine. I tried, but with the mist and all the foliage I couldn’t see the bottom. The good news is that I did spot a tree growing out of the rock face on our side of the ravine, about twenty feet down. Sir, we may have found the drone.”
The radio Bannister was carrying beeped, and Bannister handed it to Colton. “Captain MacKay, sir.”
“I trust you got the pictures we sent to you,” said Colton.
“Sahir and his team are working on that now,” answered MacKay. “At first pass, Argos has come up empty. Considering how dense the jungle is where you are, it’s amazing how pristine that area looks. Have you discovered anything else?”
“Well, we have good news and we have bad news,” said Colton. “Private Logan thinks he may have found the drone just up ahead. That’s good. The bad news is that Privates Diaz and Johnson think something may be stalking us.”
“Stalked by who?” MacKay’s voice was not as clear as it had been earlier when they’d found the remnants of that plane up in the tree. Colton wondered if the circular area behind him was in any way interfering with the signal.
“At this point, we don’t know,” said Colton. “We’ll get back to you.” Colton handed the radio back to Bannister. “Any ideas what it is that you think is on our trail?”
“No sir,” replied Diaz. “But, as I was saying, from the sound of it, it’s bigger than you’d want it to be. It’s a good guess that it’s a predator.”
Garrett looked to Colton to see how he wanted to proceed. “Diaz, rejoin Johnson. Keep a sharp lookout, but stay close to the rest of us,” said Colton. “Logan, lead on. Show us what you’ve found.”
It took very little time before they arrived at the ravine. As Logan had described, due to the mist they could barely see the other side, which looked to be at least eighty to ninety feet across. The bottom of the ravine was as shrouded in mist as the rest of the area. The trees had somewhat thinned out near the ravine’s edge. To their left the jungle looked as thick and menacing as it had since they’d left the beach. To their right the ground rose up steeply, the foliage much thinner, and the ground covered with boulders of all sizes.
Logan motioned to Colton, and he and Garrett joined the private as he pointed down into the ravine. There was the tree he’d told them about, and it did appear to be growing out of the rock face. “Looks like the drone is wedged into the branches, but from here I can’t be sure,” said Private Logan.
Colton pulled out a small pair of binoculars from his pack and focused in on the tree. There was certainly something lodged in its branches, but the foliage was too thick, and the mist blurred his vision. “I don’t get it. In college I couldn’t keep a Wandering Jew alive. Here we have trees growing out of rocks.”
“Corporal,” said Garrett, “I want a defensive perimeter set up in those rocks.” Corporal Lee nodded and headed off, directing the men as he went. Garrett then took out some small binoculars and she too peered down at the tree.
“Are you seeing what I’m seeing?” asked Colton.
“Good job, Logan,” said Garrett. “There’s something down there, alright. Whether it’s our drone, or part of another plane from Flight 19, you really can’t tell from here. Shall I have Lee and Logan go down there and take a look?”
“No,” said Colton, taking off his backpack. “I’ll go down with Logan. If it is the drone, I want to get a close look at it.”
Private Bannister walked up to Colton while Logan was setting up the rappelling lines. “Sir, I have Captain MacKay for you again, but it’s a little broken up. I’ve tried boosting the signal, but it’s still in and out.”
Taking the radio from Bannister, Colton said, “Colton here. How are things back at the ship?”
The signal had weakened and Colton had to listen carefully. “We have new information. You and your . . .” MacKay went away for a few seconds. “. . . in serious danger if this information is correct.”
“Having trouble hearing you Captain, please repeat.”
Once again MacKay’s words were jumbled, but Colton was able to hear enough of what MacKay was trying to tell him to know that his team was in danger. Colton guessed that Argos had been able to decipher the symbols on those pillars. “Understood,” said Colton. “We believe we’ve located the drone. Once we examine it, we’ll head back to the Eclipse.”
The radio went silent and Colton didn’t know whether MacKay had heard him or not. A few moments later MacKay’s voice came through stronger and clearer. “Argos helped us to boost the signal. You said you’ve located the drone.”
“We think so,” answered Colton. “We’re getting ready to take a closer look.”
“Commander, the situation has changed. We are not under attack but believe your team may be in extreme jeopardy. Whether it’s the drone or something else you’ve found, it doesn’t matter. I strongly advise that you return to the ship now. Do you copy?”
“Loud and clear, Captain. I take it you were able to translate the symbols on those pillars.”
“No. Argos, Sahir, and even Meinhard’s team are still pounding away at that. Just get your team together and get out of there.”
“We’ll make short work of this and head back,” said Colton.
“What do you think that’s all about?” asked Garrett.
“No idea, but MacKay’s a pretty tough guy,” answered Colton. “If something has him spooked, then it’s probably a good idea to act with caution. Looks like Diaz and Johnson might be right about our stalker. Keep a tight watch while we’re gone.”
“Sir, the rappelling lines are ready,” said Private Logan.
Corporal Lee joined them and told Garrett, “Sir, the men have been deployed.” Then, looking at Colton, he said, “Begging your pardon, sir, but wouldn’t it be better if I accompanied Logan over the side to have a look at that thing? It’s what we do, and I’d hate to see you get hurt, Commander.”
Colton smiled at this, putting on the harness and attaching himself to one of the lines. “There you go again. Just how fragile do I look to you, Corporal?”
“No sir, it’s not that, it’s just that if anything were to . . .”
“It’s okay, Corporal,” said Colton. “I do appreciate your concern, but like you, I’ve done this before. Garrett, keep an eye out. Something took that drone down. Now, considering what Diaz and Johnson think is coming up behind us, along with the warning from MacKay, it’s no longer a question of whether or not we’re alone.”
Colton and Logan stepped back off the edge of the ravine and began to work their way down. Apart from their sidearm, they’d left their weapons and backpacks with Corporal Lee. This side of the ravine was nearly vertical, but the rock face was riddled with cracks and holes, providing them several good footholds as they descended.
They soon came to the tree. “Stay where you are, Private,” directed Colton. “I’m going to lower myself into the branches and see what we have.”
“Here. You might need this, sir,” said Logan, pulling a machete from its sheath and handing it to Colton. “Keep an eye out for critters. They like to hide in the top of trees, picking off unwary prey.”
“Comforting thought, Logan. Thank you for that,” said Colton, half glaring at the young private. “Keep your eyes open as well. You’re right, it’s hard to tell what kinds of creatures may call this rock face home.”
The machete was razor sharp and it didn’t take Colton long to open a space wide enough for him to enter. Slowly he lowered himself into the foliage and there, to his right, he saw where a few branches had been splintered and cracked in half. About twelve feet further down he found the drone, wedged tightly between two thick branches.
“Good eye, Logan,” called Colton. “It’s the drone. I’m going to look it over, then we’ll head back up.” Colton was careful not to get his line tangled in the mass of branches that surrounded him. The trunk of the tree was nearly covered with sap, and he did his best not to get it on his boots.
Colton carefully made it to one of the thick branches holding up the drone. It had come to its final resting place right side up, which would have helped Colton tremendously if he’d had the need to open it. Fortunately, that wasn’t going to be necessary. Colton could see the deep scratch marks across its top and one side had been completely smashed in. It didn’t take much in the way of deductive reasoning to see that something had attacked the drone and knocked it out of the sky.
“You doing okay, Commander?” asked Logan.
Colton snapped several pictures of the drone, then said, “On my way up, Private.”
Minutes later Colton climbed out of the tree and back onto the rock face next to Private Logan. “Alright, let’s head back up. We’ve seen what we came to see,” said Colton.
The words had no sooner left his mouth when a terrible screeching roar filled the air above them. Acting on reflex, both the men pulled themselves into the rock face, frantically looking around to see what was attacking them.
The roar was quickly followed by shots from automatic weapons. Diaz and Johnson’s stalker had arrived. Whatever was going on, Garrett and her team were clearly under attack. “I’ll lead, you watch our back,” said Colton, handing the machete back to Logan. He then started the vertical climb back up as quickly as he could.
Once again, the high-pitched roar drowned out everything else around them. The strength and intensity of the roar filled Colton with a dread he’d not felt in a long time. He couldn’t even begin to imagine the kind of creature that could make such a strong, bone-chilling sound. Visions of the lizard-eating flower raced through his mind.
As Colton neared the lip of the cliff, he could hear, off in the distance, other creatures roaring in response. Whatever it was, there were apparently more of them in the area. A herd, a flock? Cautiously, he pulled himself up and over the edge of the cliff, and staying close to the ground, scooted up behind the two trees they’d tied off on. Lying on his back, he released the climbing harness and rolled over to the small bush where Corporal Lee had left their packs and rifles.
For the moment, all was quiet. The shooting had stopped. The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder and smoke from the marine’s weapons. Colton reasoned that whatever it was that had attacked them had either been killed or fled the area. Logan lay next to him on the ground, his rifle in hand. Colton motioned for him to stay down as he slowly got to his knees to see what was going on.
He quickly spotted Garrett and her command. They’d taken position up in the rocks about twenty yards away from him. Colton could see the corpsman kneeling behind one of the larger boulders, frantically at work. The team had at least one man down.
Colton quickly surveyed the ground in front of the marines, leading away from them to the edge of the jungle. Off to the right, there was a fair amount of orange-red blood on two of the smaller rocks. Whoever had attacked them had paid a high price. Colton hoped that it had been enough and that the fight was over.
For the moment, the small clearing in front of them was empty, but the jungle bore evidence that something huge had been there. Several bushes, as well as a couple of small trees, had been knocked over and crushed into the ground. Many of the larger leaves, and a few of the trees, had been shredded by bullets.
Garrett caught sight of him and motioned for Colton to join them, but to keep an eye on the tree line. Before they could communicate any further, the quiet was shattered by multiple roars, the same bone-rattling sound that Colton had heard hanging from the rappelling lines.
Although their attackers were some distance away from them, the sounds of snapping branches and crunching made it clear that they were coming at them hard and fast. Colton still didn’t have a clue as to what they were facing, but he sure wasn’t going to stand there and wait to see what it was.
Grabbing their packs, Colton and Logan took off at a dead run to join the marines, now spread out amongst the rocks. Logan moved on over to help cover the corpsman, while Colton took cover next to Garrett.
Staring intensely into the forest, Colton cocked his rifle and shouted, “How big of a force are we facing?”
“In the first assault, there was only one of them,” said Garrett.
The fact that there’d been only one attacker took Colton by surprise. This did not line up with the area of devastation he was staring at. Once again, he studied the kill zone in front of him. Other than the ground being torn up, there was no sign of any enemy bodies. “Only one?” said Colton, trying to understand what had happened. “Where is it? I heard at least thirty shots. Not even marines can miss a target with that heavy of a barrage.”
“And that’s the bad news,” said Garrett. “We didn’t miss. Our bullets just didn’t seem to have much of an impact on it.” Garrett turned to her men and shouted, “Aim at the chest, dead center and pour it on. As soon as it breaks from the trees, launch grenades.”
“It?” asked Colton. “Captain, what exactly attacked you?”
Garrett’s voice broke. This tough, well-trained, intelligent woman could not find the words. Colton couldn’t believe the fear, mixed with un-spilled tears in her eyes. “I don’t know! Godzilla? Maybe dragons from the Game of Thrones? I’ve never seen anything like it. A monster, we’re killing monsters, sir.”
At that moment, the creature burst through the tree line, charging directly at them. Colton was stunned. He couldn’t move, his legs frozen to the spot where he was standing, his mind trying to comprehend the creature in front of him.
It was at least sixteen feet tall, standing upright on two legs. Its arm like appendages had curved claws the size of garden sickles, and it moved with the agility of a cat. Opening its mouth, it once again roared its challenge at them, revealing rows of dagger length teeth, each three to four inches long. Its skin, although bloodied in some areas, was a blend of colors that would easily keep it concealed in the thick jungle.
Colton’s mind tried to deny the nightmare bearing down on him, but the terrifying truth was that they were being attacked by some type of dinosaur. Impossible. Ludicrous. Horribly real.
The marines immediately opened fire, all of them targeting its chest. At the same time three grenades were thrown at the beast, two passing harmlessly by, exploding in the bushes behind it. The third one, however, fell short and the creature stepped on the grenade just as it went off.
The bullets had dug a hole in the creature’s chest and when the grenade detonated, the creature’s left leg erupted in pieces of flesh, blood, and gore. A scream of terrible agony erupted from its throat. The creature crashed to the ground, but continued to reach for them, clawing at the air.
At that moment, four more of the same type of dinosaurs burst from the tree line, one of which was very close to them, off to the right, having nearly flanked them. Garrett’s men immediately started to withdraw, tightening their position as the creatures charged their line. Logan and the corpsman dragged the wounded marine further up into the rocks.
The creature closest to them was smaller than the others, maybe ten feet tall, but just as aggressive, just as deadly. In three quick strides, it was almost on top of Corporal Lee, snapping at him with rows of nightmarish teeth. Lee dove out of the way, barely avoiding the snapping jaws, but when he hit the ground, the impact caused his rifle to fly from his hands. The creature’s hot and rotten breath nearly choked the young marine and he would remember it as the smell of death for the rest of his life.
The creature’s momentum carried it forward a few more steps and it now stood between Corporal Lee and the rest of the command. Lee stayed low, crawling away, desperately trying to find some place to hide. The other three dinosaurs had moved forward, pausing at the creature lying on the ground as if unsure what to do next. Fear and hunger ruled their big eyes, an expression no mammal ever wore.
