Infinity's Gateway, page 31
“What if our radio isn’t all that they were blocking? In addition to protecting us, I never stopped to consider that they might be protecting themselves as well.”
“I’m not sure I’m following you,” said Colton. Then it hit him. MacKay wasn’t reacting to the craft simply because he couldn’t see it. That had to be it. MacKay, the crew, even Argos didn’t know it was even there.
“Captain, stay with the men,” said Colton.
“Where are you going?”
“Just out there,” said Colton, pointing out towards the water. About ten feet from where the waves were rolling up on to the sand, he stopped and turned around. There was the craft, Garrett, and the team. The craft wasn’t shielding itself from him.
Colton waved both hands in the air, doing his best to get their escort’s attention, making the biggest and wildest gestures that he could manage. Nothing happened. Taking things to the next level, he then added jumping up and down while waving his hands and arms. For the men on the beach with him, as well as the crewmen from the Eclipse watching, it had to look as if he’d finally lost it.
“Let them see you,” shouted Colton at the craft. “It is okay; let them see you!” After about five minutes of this, he decided to stop and try a different approach. He shut his eyes and he kept his hands raised high above his head. Concentrating as hard as he could, he screamed the words in his mind. It is okay; let them see you. It is okay; let them see you. It was his version of how they’d communicated with him the first time. Maybe it would work now. It would work on a TV show.
Back on the Eclipse, Colton’s attempt at telepathic communications looked a little odd.
“What is Colton doing?” asked Father Ryan. From their vantage point it looked as if Colton had decided to leave his team and dance around on the sand. On closer inspection, Father Ryan could see that it wasn’t exactly dancing, but close enough.
“I have no idea,” said MacKay. “Commander, are you all right?” Colton did not respond.
“Should we do something?” asked Gallo.
“Probably,” said MacKay, “but I have no idea what that would be.”
They watched closely as Colton stopped his frantic jumping around. He now stood completely still, with his hands still raised above his head.
“My guess is that someone has a gun on him,” said MacKay. “Quick, study the tree line. See if you can spot anyone pointing a rifle in his direction.”
It was at that moment the air changed. For the crew on the Eclipse, the air seemed to ripple, briefly affecting their vision. The men and women on the Eclipse suddenly saw a shining ball appear in the sky. Bright white, like a sun of new hope. Argos (along with many of the other systems on the ship) lit up like a Christmas tree. For the first time Argos actually hummed as it pulled in so much energy to decipher what it was seeing. Later Argos would remember this moment as it became conscious, stimulated by the great Unknown.
MacKay had the presence of mind to grab the phone and hit the button for the ship’s intercom. “Hold your fire,” he shouted. “Stand by. Do not open fire.”
He then hit the call button on his radio. “Colton, this is MacKay. Are you there?”
“Sir, Captain Garrett here. Commander Colton didn’t take the radio with him.”
“Are you okay? Are you under attack?”
“No sir, we are okay. Repeat, we are okay.”
“What is that thing?”
“I’m guessing that you can now see the craft that has been escorting us. We don’t know who they are. There’s been very limited communication, but they saved us when we were under attack.”
“It’s like trying to look at the sun,” said MacKay.
“Sir, here’s Commander Colton.”
“Colton here. Garrett figured out that they were somehow shielding their presence from you. As you are now able to see them, they’ve obviously stopped doing that. To repeat what Captain Garrett was telling you, they are on our side, at least in so much as they’ve been protecting us.”
“Who are they?” asked MacKay.
“We don’t know. However, believe me, if they were hostile in any way, we’d already be dead. Sir, I do not believe that they represent a threat to the Eclipse in any way. It is imperative, though, that we get my team back to the ship. I have some wounded men in desperate need of medical attention,” said Colton.
“Sir,” interrupted Petty Officer Briggs, “I have Sahir. He says it’s urgent.”
“Understood, Commander. We’ll get you back on board. Stand by,” said MacKay, taking the phone from Briggs. “Sahir, what have you got?”
“Argos is still scanning and analyzing that craft, but the preliminary reports are not good,” said Sahir. MacKay could hear the commotion of Sahir’s team in the background.
“Tell me what you’ve got.”
“That thing is putting out a tremendous amount of energy,” said Sahir. “We have not been able to identify the source, but we have been able to eliminate nuclear energy as a possibility.”
“Okay, not nuclear, I understand. What I don’t understand is what Argos has found that has you so upset?”
“It’s the energy itself, sir. The energy readings we are taking from that thing are all but identical to the energy wave that washed over the ship and brought us to this place. Sir, the people in that craft, the ones controlling that energy, they’re the ones we’re up against.”
CHAPTER 23
MacKay was trying to come to grips with what Sahir had just told him. Was he truly staring at the enemy? Had Colton been befriended by the very people who had, for all intents and purposes, kidnapped them and brought them to this strange land? Still holding onto the phone, with Sahir on the other end, MacKay turned to Briggs and said, “Have Mr. Mercer get to the bridge as quickly as he can. Also advise Lieutenant Tanner to be ready to launch at any moment.”
Directing his attention back to Sahir, MacKay asked, “Are you telling me that the craft that is hovering over our team on that beach is the same craft that brought us here?”
“No sir,” said Sahir. “While it is true that the energy levels from that craft are high, in fact they’re extremely high, they’re not nearly as high as the levels from the energy wave that washed over us and brought us to this place. What I’m trying to say is that we believe the source of the energy, whatever it is that they’re using to power that craft, is the same source for the energy wave that hit us. So, based on that, it stands to reason that the people operating that craft are probably the ones responsible for our being here.”
“Alright,” said MacKay, sighing deeply. “Keep at it. Are Meinhard and his team helping you to look over all of this data?”
“Yes sir,” said Sahir. “They had been working with us on the drones, so when that craft revealed itself, they were already down here in the labs. Also, Argos is showing a new level of functionality.”
“What does that mean?”
“Um. He may have just gotten smarter.”
MacKay decided that this was beyond his weirdness threshold for the day.
“I’m guessing Sahir didn’t have good news,” said Father Ryan.
“No, he didn’t,” said MacKay. “He had very confusing news, and I’m doing my level best not to overreact.” Picking up the radio, he said, “Mr. Colton, are you and your team ready to come aboard?”
The response was almost immediate. “Yes sir, ready when you are.”
“We’re preparing to send Lieutenant Tanner and a team over now to pick you up,” said MacKay. “Due to some of the marine life that lives in these waters, it could be somewhat of a dangerous trip. We’ll have teams of riflemen ready to open fire on anything that may come your way.”
“Understood. We’ve had our own encounters with some of the more unusual creatures that live in this jungle,” said Colton. “We’ll do what we can to help cover Lieutenant Tanner and his team.”
Lt. Commander Mercer entered the bridge as MacKay was putting down the radio. “Tanner’s ready to go, sir. All we have to do is give him the word.”
“Sahir gave me a preliminary report on that thing out there,” said MacKay. “According to Argos, it appears to be using the same kind of energy as the wave that washed over us. In short, Sahir thinks that the people operating that craft could very well be our enemy.”
“Has Colton been able to share anything about them with you?” asked Mercer.
“According to him, they not only rescued his team, but also have been protecting them ever since,” said MacKay. He proceeded to fill Mercer in on all that he and Colton discussed. “For obvious reasons, our communication has been somewhat guarded, but other than ‘Rabbi Ryan,’ he hasn’t used any of the other code words we worked out to signal that they are in any kind of jeopardy.”
“Glad to hear that. What are your orders, Captain?” asked MacKay.
“Getting Colton and his team back on this ship is our priority. That said, it would be foolish of me to ignore what Sahir has reported. Therefore, I want you to quietly bring this ship to battle stations,” said MacKay. “Make this crystal clear to everyone, especially the senior officers. We do not take any kind of action that could potentially provoke whoever is operating that craft, especially with our people sitting directly under it. However, they may not be as friendly as Colton believes them to be, and I want us primed and ready to respond to whatever may occur.”
“Wait a minute, battle stations? You can’t do this. You’re not planning to attack that craft, are you?” asked Father Ryan. “I appreciate Sahir’s findings, but according to Colton, they’ve been helping his team. Colton’s field experience alone, not to mention his training, automatically gives him better insight into these people than anyone else here. They’re not attacking us. Even if the energy they’re using is like what brought us here, that doesn’t mean they’re responsible. And with that kind of energy they could have easily blown us out of the water by now.”
“Father Ryan, you just heard me explain this to Mr. Mercer. We’re going to do everything we can to first get our people back,” said MacKay. “Then, after I’ve talked to Colton and Garrett, we’ll determine exactly what our next step will be. But if it turns out that Sahir is right, and they are responsible, then I’d say that they’ve already committed a hostile act. Bringing us here against our will is not a peaceful gesture. If they’re behind this, then they’ll be held accountable.”
“Captain, they may also be the only ones who can help us to get back to where we belong,” said Father Ryan. “We may just have to be a little forgiving.”
“This is exactly why I’m taking things one step at a time and trying to avoid any rash actions. Mr. Mercer, carry out your orders.”
As Mercer left the bridge, Father Ryan said, “My apologies for my outburst, Callum. If you’d rather I leave the bridge, I’ll understand.”
“Briggs, let Lieutenant Tanner know that he is to launch in ten minutes,” said MacKay. “Seaman Hatfield, I want your eyes glued to those screens. You know what to look for. The second anything that could be a threat starts to head towards Lieutenant Tanner, you let me know.” Turning towards Father Ryan, MacKay tried to give a small smile. “No Father, I want you right here beside me. Before this is over I’m pretty sure we’re going to need all the help we can get from your boss.”
“They’re getting ready to send Lieutenant Tanner over with a team to pick us up. Get three of your best marksmen down by the waterline. It seems that there are just as many big nasties swimming in the water as there are walking around the jungle,” said Colton.
“Excellent, just what I wanted to hear. Now I’m not so sure how I feel about getting into one of those boats. Those things don’t offer much in the way of protection,” said Garrett. “Unless, of course, our babysitters come along.”
Colton smiled at her. “It’s little things like this that’s going to make it a lot harder to get volunteers for the next shore party.”
Garrett directed her men to be ready to board the boats that Lieutenant Tanner was bringing over to them. She gave Corporal Lee the role of choosing two other men to take with him to give Lieutenant Tanner cover if necessary. Having done all that she could do, she turned her eyes to the Eclipse and waited.
The three boats being brought over by Lieutenant Tanner crested a wave and were now visible from the beach. Colton felt relief, which was different than the comfort field. Tanner was gunning it. Colton looked up at their escort. Holding its position, the light that it gave off was as strong as ever. Colton smiled to himself, knowing that Father Ryan would be proud, as he said a silent prayer that their escort wouldn’t let them down.
The two corpsmen, following Tanner’s directions, had securely tied themselves to the side of the small boat, and it was good they’d done that. Tanner was wasting no time getting them to shore, and the boat was bouncing from wave to wave. Looking behind them, they could see the other two boats, keeping pace, flanking them on either side.
Tanner knew from firsthand experience the dangers facing them as they headed towards the beach. What concerned him most, however, was that he knew the trip back would take considerably longer as they’d have to battle the surf, being even more exposed to the predators that hunted these waters.
Seaman Hatfield kept his eyes locked on the screens in front of him. His eyes moved from one to the other, carefully watching for any indication that the creature that had attacked them prior to the storm was returning to strike again. What made this difficult, and he’d explained it to Lieutenant Gallo, was the abundant amount of marine life that lived in these waters. At almost any point in time, there were hundreds of creatures swimming in and around the ship, some of which were quite large, but so far hadn’t proved to be dangerous.
Fortunately, the creature he was on the lookout for gave off a very distinctive signature. Its shape was almost completely different from the other fish, which made it easier to spot. Hatfield knew that there was the possibility that the creature could end up being shielded by some of the larger schools of fish in the area. On the off chance that occurred, the creature would then be in the kill zone and could quickly rise from the bottom and attack, giving the crewmen in the boats almost no chance to defend themselves. Besides, who knew about the other hundred life-forms he could see? Dr. Brennan had made some guesses.
Tanner continued to skim across the water, pushing the small boats as hard as he could. He was now about halfway to the shore. Captain MacKay turned and asked Hatfield for another update, roughly his twelfth one, and Hatfield gave him the all clear. It was at that very moment that something appeared on the far edge of one of his screens. Despite the oppressive heat, Hatfield felt a chill run down his back. He sat up straight in his chair, his nerves on fire, his stomach churning. Although it was not the creature he’d originally been looking for, Dr. Brennan had given him details on a few other likely creatures that they had to watch out for. This was one of them. No, there were two.
Dr. Brennan had called it a mosasaur, and then told him another name for it that Hatfield had absolutely no prayer of remembering. What he did remember, primarily because Dr. Brennan made him write them down, were the creature’s vital statistics. Although still about a mile and a half away, the two dark signatures that he was looking at fit the description Dr. Brennan had shared with him.
For the moment, they were moving along slowly on a course that would have them pass by the Eclipse, but at a range safely away from the ship. Still, Hatfield was amazed at their size. The smaller one was at least thirty-six feet long, the larger one well over forty feet in length.
When Dr. Brennan had been telling him about this creature, he’d asked him if it was some kind of prehistoric whale. To his embarrassment, Dr. Brennan found his question to be amusing. No, he’d assured Hatfield, they were most certainly not whales. Mosasaurs were dinosaurs, and they were easily the largest and the most aggressive predator in the late Cretaceous sea.
Dr. Brennan told him how these things ruled the oceans and had rows of teeth, each two to three inches in length. He said that comparatively speaking, the great white sharks that we all fear would look like guppies next to these things. Hatfield shuddered at the thought of being in the water and having one of them coming at him. He wasn’t wild about getting in the water in the first place, but chalked up one more reason why he’d never go swimming in the ocean again.
Whatever these two creatures were, they suddenly swerved and were now heading on a more direct course towards the Eclipse. They had not picked up speed, but they were on their way. “Captain, you need to see this,” said Hatfield.
MacKay moved over to Hatfield’s station so fast that he nearly knocked Lieutenant Gallo out of the way. “What have you got?” snapped MacKay.
“I’m not entirely sure, but these two creatures just changed course and appear to be heading our way,” explained Hatfield. “These are not like that dinosaur that attacked us yesterday, but if they’re the creatures Dr. Brennan told me about, then we definitely have a problem.”
“Briggs, get Dr. Brennan up to the bridge immediately,” said MacKay. Turning his attention back to the screen, he asked, “How far away from us are they?”
“Just over a mile, sir, but they’re heading directly at us. Even at the relatively slow pace they’re moving at, they should get here about the same time Lieutenant Tanner starts to head back with Colton’s team.”
“At what depth are they running?” asked MacKay.
“Like their speed, that’s holding pretty steady too,” said Hatfield. “They’re roughly 150 feet down, sir.”
“We could lob a couple of shells over there,” said Gallo. “It may not kill them, but it might chase them away.”
Father Ryan started to object, but MacKay cut him off. “We can’t risk it, Mr. Gallo. If we did hit them, the end would result would be putting blood in the water, which is the last thing we want to do. Also, we don’t know how Colton’s new friends will respond to our shooting at things. Hatfield, don’t take your eyes off them, do you understand?”
