Harris fired his handgun at a few that were beginning to gnaw on the wood again, but then in their revolting peristaltic wave-like motion they moved away across the ground. The bulbous and slimy-looking moving carpet had scoured the Earth and continued on.
And then they were gone. Mike saw that the jungle had been cleared of everything organic as effectively as if it had been swept clean. He continued to look for a moment more and then allowed his hands to loosen. For a few seconds nothing happened as his fingers were swollen like fat, purple sausages. Then he fell back and collapsed to the ground that was only four feet below them. Alistair, still clinging to his back, cushioned his fall.
Mike lay there sucking in huge breaths and holding up his ruined hands as he watched the others slide down their bamboo poles. Harris sent Bull, Hitch and Ally out to scout the area and he came and crouched beside Mike.
He grinned. “Bravest and dumbest thing I’ve ever seen.” He nodded and then turned to Alistair. His expression hardened. “Son, you won’t live long unless you learn to do the basic things right. Next time, Mr Monroe might not be there to pull your ass out of the fire.”
Alistair just nodded.
Jane came and squatted beside Mike. She leaned down to kiss his forehead, and then handed him her canteen. “Having fun yet?” she asked.
He took the canteen in two hands, as his fingers still wouldn’t bend. He sipped. “That was close.” Mike held out a throbbing hand and Jane took it and rubbed it for a moment to try and push more circulation into his throbbing fingers. Then she used it to haul him to his feet.
“What were they?” Harris asked. “Looked like giant maggots.”
“Maybe they were,” Jane said. “We never encountered them when we were down here. Maybe we encountered the adult form, but…” She shrugged.
“Could have been a lot of things,” Alistair said, dusting himself off. He got to his feet and looked to Mike. “Thank you, Mike. I, ah, kinda froze up there.”
Mike nodded, but felt he needed to repeat Harris’ warning. “You can’t do that here. You can’t just freeze up. You just have to act.” Mike patted the young guy’s shoulder. “Do better next time.”
“All my life when I get scared everything just stops working properly.” Alistair shared a lopsided grin with them. He then turned in the direction of the horde. “This, swarm, is not unprecedented; there’s a carnivorous caterpillar in Hawaii called Eupithecia, from a large genus of moth. Those things looked like some sort of beetle larvae, and there are plenty of those on the surface that are meateaters as well, but…” He looked up.
“But we’re not in Kansas anymore,” Jane finished for him.
“Exactly,” Alistair replied. “It’s undoubtedly something new, and they could grow into something very different from what we know or expect.” He grinned. “It was amazing.”
“Oh yeah, you looked like you were having the time of your life.”
“Okay people.” Harris slid his rifle over his shoulder. “That’s enough excitement for now, and we’ve still got a job to do; let’s keep moving.”
Jane turned to Mike and then snorted softly. “We’ve only just begun.”
CHAPTER 14
Dmitry waited and watched as Chekov pointed the receiver’s antenna toward the flaming red ceiling. The information squirts were super compressed but still took up to an hour to arrive. As usual, they would be short and to the point.
In another moment, Chekov’s brow creased as he read the short sentence. He turned, his smile wide.
“Complete success.”
Dmitry exhaled and closed his eyes. A complete success, he repeated the words in his mind. Very few soldiers get to play such a significant role in their country’s future. And his role may well be to see Russia become the world’s new leaders.
Chekov quickly turned back to the device as more words started to appear. “New target being assigned.” He held up a hand and slowly his eyes widened and then he whistled softly. He sat back and turned to Dmitry again.
“Kosovo… Camp Bondsteel.”
Dmitry worked to keep a straight face. He simply nodded and turned away. He knew Bondsteel very well; it was the largest US base in Europe and their bulwark against any threats in that area: namely Russia.
The huge camp held nearly fifteen hundred soldiers: six hundred and fifty of America’s best from North Dakota Army National Guard and more than eight hundred regular soldiers from across the states in Task Force Falcon.
In fact, the site was so large it was basically a small, militarized American city with the best hospital in Kosovo, three gyms, recreation facilities, football and softball fields, a film theatre, and its own police and fire stations. In addition, it even had a Taco Bell and Burger King.
Dmitry exhaled slowly through his nose. Taking that out would render the Americans weakened to the point of irrelevance in that theatre. And they would never know where or how it happened.
He rubbed his chin making a rasping sound against the stubble. And if they managed to destroy that, then what would be next: Fort Bragg, Eglin Air Force Base, or even USSTRATCOM itself?
He smiled; they, he, would change the power dynamics in the world for a generation. Or perhaps forever.
Major Dmitry Varanov straightened his spine and checked his bearings. The distance between Estonia and Kosovo was thousands of miles and would take months to reach. But that was only in surface distance time. Down here, it would only take them around a week, if Dmitry pushed them.
He turned, his eyes alighting on the old woman. He knew he didn’t need her anymore and wished he could somehow send her home. A more ruthless leader would simply abandon her. Or mercifully, put a bullet in her head.
But Dmitry was a man of honor, and he would do his best to get her home. He clapped his hands once.
“Rest time is over. Heading is south-southeast. And we will be moving at double time.”
EPISODE 08
The globe began with the sea, so to speak; and who knows if it will not end with it? Jules Verne
CHAPTER 15
The group emerged from the bamboo thicket, and Harris spread his team either side of him without venturing out from the overhanging growth.
“Well I’ll be damned.” The ex-soldier snorted softly. “It’s like a sea of blood.”
Jane looked out over the vista and inhaled the scent of brine, drying weed, and baking sand. She placed a hand over her eyes and looked over the near-endless expanse of water.
Harris was right, it did look like blood, and she had thought the same thing when she first saw it.
There were vapors rising from the glassy water like tiny wraiths, and it lapped in little waves on midnight-black sand. She already knew the water was tropical warm, and other than the vapor ghosts there was nothing above the surface: no boats, no floating debris, and no reefs. But she knew that below that calm facade, things lived, big things.
“You brought us here because you wanted our counsel,” Jane said. “So here’s some real strong counseling: avoid the water.” Her smile was flat.
Harris nodded. “I remember your notes.” He looked back at Mike. “The sea spider thing.” He turned back to the sea. “We can follow the shoreline, staying close to the cliff face.”
“What happens if the land runs out?” Mike asked. “We get to the end of the coast, and it simply ends at the water?”
Harris nodded. “Fair question.” He grinned. “But that will all depend on where the Russians have gone, won’t it?”
Harris suddenly put his hand over a pouch at his waist as it vibrated. “Got a blip.” He retrieved the small box from within a pouch, and he began to access the data. “Coming through now.”
The group waited and watched him as his brows came together.
“What the f…” His eyes began to blaze and he growled deep in his chest. He slowly looked up, his gaze almost volcanic. “Ämari in Estonia… it’s gone.”
Ally frowned. “Say again, boss?”
He tu
rned back to the screen. “Command says our base there has been completely destroyed. Some sort of underground and targeted destruction through vibration waves.”
Harris stared for a moment more, just a small vein pulsing in his temple now. He spoke softly. “Now do you see?” He stared into Mike’s eyes. “Now do you see why we are here?”
“How many dead?” Mike asked.
Harris shrugged. “There were over two hundred military and civilian personnel at Ämari base. No idea how many lived or died. But assume all of them died.”
“Those sons of bitches.”
“Thank you, Ms Baxter and Mr Monroe.” Harris lifted his eyes to them. “If not for your work, we would have no idea why or how this occurred. It would have been a mystery.” He spoke through his teeth. “But now we do.”
“How are they able to do that?” Penny asked.
“Some sort of new technology,” Jane replied.
“We’ll find out, what and how.” Harris’ jaw was set as he turned to look along their faces. “This is what they’re doing down here. And this is why we are here. They are obviously planning more than scouting for sites or performing scientific explorations; they are enacting their covert war plan. Right now. That means our observe-and-report mission also needs to adapt and evolve. Our job is to stop these guys and if possible, capture that technology.”
“So we are going to war?” Alistair said. “At the center of the Earth.”
Harris’ eyes slid to the scientist. “They’ve already declared war with the destruction of our military base. They just don’t know that we know yet. And that is our biggest military advantage right now.” Harris’ jaw jutted for a moment. “And in fact, sir, our job is to stop a war.” Harris looked from Alistair to the rest of the group. “Does anyone here think for one New York minute that these guys will now all just go home?”
“No sir, they’re goddamn going to move it up the scale.”
“That’s what I expect, Hitch,” Harris replied. “They’ll already have another target in mind, and Estonia was just a test run. Next site will be bigger, more destructive, and even more deadly.”
“Oh my…” Jane whispered.
“They think our military leaders don’t know what’s going on. But they do. And that means, if we can’t stop their next act, then our military will respond. With everything they’ve got.”
“World War,” Mike said.
Harris just stared for several seconds. “Now do you see why we need to find those bastards and stop them?”
“Do you think we can capture them?” Penny asked.
Ally burst out laughing. “Lady, these guys just killed around two hundred Americans, probably without giving it a second thought. You really think they’ll let us take them prisoner and walk them out of here with their hands on top of their heads?” Her face hardened. “We kill ‘em all. Or they’ll kill us.”
Harris turned away and lifted his field glasses to his eyes for a moment. “I estimate they’ve got a week’s head start on us. We need to close that time and distance lead, run ‘em down.” He lowered the glasses, and then paused. He turned to Ally. “They’re headed southwest; what bases have we got in their path?”
“Dozens,” she replied. “Italian, German, and shared NATO bases in most countries.”
“Now tell me the biggest and most formidable.” Harris waited.
“No question, Bondsteel, in Kosovo,” Ally replied.
Harris exhaled slowly through his nose and began to nod. “Yeah, that’ll be it; one of our largest and most advanced bases in Europe.” Harris’ mouth turned down. “Plot me a course, and we’ll see if we can get in front of them.”
Harris looked briefly at Alistair. “Time to stop a war.”
CHAPTER 16
Dmitry turned and clicked his fingers to get Katya’s attention, but she ignored him.
“Pavel, bring her,” he said to his soldier and then waved Katya to the front. Pavel tried to help the old woman toward him, but she swiped his hands away.
He grinned; even with her advanced age and her illness she still seemed athletic and feisty. He leaned forward.
“Are you okay, Ms. Babikov?” Dmitry asked.
She nodded, but under her veil he saw she was sweating profusely, and even though they had been instructed to give her cortisone to boost her metabolism and appetite, and he was personally making sure she got plenty of food and water, he still saw she was wasting away. There were ulcerated cancers covering her exposed skin, and he just hoped they weren’t spreading inside her body to then destroy her internal organs.
Dmitry took her hand. It felt like a small bony bird; he patted it. “Do you remember this place?”
“My team… never came this way.” She coughed for a moment and then shook her head. “But I don’t like the look of it.”
“I don’t either.” Dmitry smiled and turned back to the gloomy path forward. “Then it seems we are the first. Unfortunately.”
The area of forest he stood before was so dense it was dark as night just a dozen feet in. And worse, between them there were barbed vines with hooks like cats’ claws, and woven so tightly together, they were near impassable.
There was one way through them, and disconcertingly the tunnel-like pathway was covered in some sort of webbing; not the gossamer of spider silk, but thicker and glistening like veins of spilled varnish. And it coated everything.
Dmitry reached out to break a piece off. It was only slightly sticky and was a little like fresh amber. He called over his shoulder to his senior scientist.
“Oleg.”
The man came to the front of the line. Dmitry held out the substance to him. “Your opinion.”
Oleg took it and held it up, worked it in his hands a moment, held it to his nose for a second more, but then just shrugged.
“Like Iriska, toffee,” he said.
“Yes, but could it be from the plant, like hardening sap or resin?” Dmitry asked.
Oleg rubbed his thumb hard against it, looked at it and then sniffed it. He frowned and then sniffed again. In a flash he drew his long knife and slashed the end of a tree branch hanging close to them. Milky sap ran like blood and dripped to the ground. He dipped a finger in it, and then sniffed that as well. After a few seconds he wiped his hands on his pants and looked to Dmitry.
“I don’t think it’s from any plant. At least not this plant. If I had to guess, I think it’s something that was excreted. Biologically.”
“Excreted?” Dmitry asked.
“Like bees make the wax for honeycomb, or the lac beetle creates something very similar to this that is turned into shellac – hard but also smooth.” Oleg handed it back.
Dmitry looked around slowly. “So, maybe from a bug, huh?” He exhaled. “Either a very big bug, or a lot of bugs.”
Dmitry knew that going around this section of jungle would cost them a full day. He didn’t want to do that, and besides, the sooner they got their job done, the sooner they’d all be home.
He turned to the group, all watching him, and he pointed at his eyes with two fingers and then to the trail through the dark forest. He then circled a finger once in the air and led them in.
Dmitry watched his foot placement, because some of the resin mixture crackled when he placed his weight on it. Looking up, he saw it was woven right throughout the tree limbs, creating tunnel-like structures, or simply hanging from branches like huge amber shawls. Once in amongst the web tunnels he could smell the overpowering scent and understood why Oleg said it was not resin; there was no sharp tang of sap, but instead a chemical sweetness that was cloying and unpleasant. It made him a little queasy and reminded him of something from his childhood but he couldn’t quite remember what.
Chekov eased up beside him. “You notice? There’s no sound.”
“Quiet as a tomb.” Dmitry half-turned. “But we’re being watched, I can feel it. Can you?”
Chekov nodded. “Ever since we entered.”
The group eased forward,
carefully placing one foot in front of the other. There were nine in the Russian team, including Katya, who was like a small ghost in amongst the bigger men and women.
He had placed her in the center of his group, and Pavel and Sasha flanked her. Also toward the middle of the group were his scientists, Mila Golobev, Nadia Zima, and Oleg Krupin, and Viktor at the rear. His friend Chekov walked at his shoulder.
The air became thicker and more cloying the deeper in they traveled. The resin-like matter glistened in places, and where it was still wet it was sticky, reminding Dmitry of Oleg’s comment about it being like caramel toffee.
Also, in amongst the tree limbs and resin webbing were things that looked like dark balls all crowded together like massive puff balls or grape bunches except they were easily four feet across.
“What are those, some sort of fruit or fungus?” Chekov asked.
“Like big mushrooms, maybe?” Dmitry replied in a hushed tone.
Up ahead there was something else. A long bundle of something stuck to one of the enormous tree trunks. Dmitry held up a hand to stop the group and he carefully crab-walked forward. When he was within a few feet of it, he saw that it was some sort of creature, swaddled up inside the resin netting.
He leaned forward and saw the thing was roughly twice as big as a man, and looked like a giant cockroach except with an elongated face like that of a horse with jagged teeth. It would have been a formidable animal when it was alive. And yet, it had been subdued.
Dmitry reached for his flashlight and shone a light on the thing. He could then see that all along its body there were holes roughly the size of his fist, and by the way the carapace of the animal seemed to have been broken open, the holes looked like they started from within the creature. Dmitry turned and waved Chekov closer.
He lifted his light again. “What do you make of this?”
Chekov frowned. “Looks like something came out of it and punched its way right through the exoskeleton.” He turned, looked around and then up. “Look.”
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