The guards ignored Colbrick’s greeting. One of them pulled out a hand radio, and clutched it to his chest.
“There a reason my favorite fishing access road is blocked?” Colbrick asked, the tenor is his voice lowering with impatience.
The guard puffed out his chest. Bishop couldn’t help but notice the 9mm holstered to his belt.
“Yes sir,” the guard said. “The road is blocked for public safety. There’s been a fire hazard. Falling timber up ahead.”
Bishop shrugged. He’d heard worse lies.
Colbrick stepped up to the bigger guard. “That’s a load of horseshit,” he said. “A wheelbarrow full.”
“Sir, please step back,” the other guard said as he drew closer to Colbrick.
“Jesus Colbrick,” Angela said. “Always so damn blustery. You ever try asking?”
Angela stepped forward. “Hi,” she said. “I’m Angela. This is my husband Bishop, and unfortunately for you, you’ve already met Colbrick. May we pass? We live in the valley, and we’d like to know what’s going on.”
The big guard stepped forward. “Sorry, ma’am, but we have orders.” The guard pointed to the north. “Other areas of the national forest are accessible. If you backtrack to Forest Road 312, you’ll—”
“—ah fuck it,” Colbrick said as he walked away.
The sound of tires crunching gravel arose in the woods, and a black SUV with tinted windows approached the gate from the forbidden side. The bigger guard opened the gate, and let the SUV through.
“That’s an awfully shiny car for a nowhere-forest-road,” Colbrick said.
The SUV braked, and pulled over onto a narrow shoulder cut into the pine forest. Four men got out, two wearing military uniforms. Bishop recognized one of the men as Major Connelly. Bishop had met him previously, right after the initial invasion when everyone was cooperating to help repair the damage.
“Hey,” Bishop said, holding out his hand.
The major grinned. He was a handsome man, aging well and fit. He carried himself as if he was the most confident man in Montana.
Maybe he was.
“It’s great to see you all again,” the major said, shaking Colbrick and Angela’s hands after Bishop’s. “What you people did for this country cannot be understated. You saved our asses.”
Colbrick frowned. “Yeah yeah,” he said. “Maybe you can get us one back. We’ve been hearing all kinds of stories, and Bishop here saw a flashing red tag up near his place. Mind fillin’ us in, sir?”
Angela put her hands on her hips, and kicked one foot forward. “We’d really appreciate it.”
“I’m sorry, that’s classified,” the major said.
“We’ve seen it all,” Bishop said. “There’s not much to hide.”
“You’d be surprised,” the major said.
Another black SUV passed through the gate, and parked next to the major’s. Two men emerged, one of them with a receding hairline, and the sharp eyes of an owl. Bishop knew right away this was the man in charge of whatever the hell was going on up here.
“Is there trouble?” the owl-eyed man asked as he adjusted his black North Face jacket.
“No, Doctor,” the Major said. “Just having a pleasant conversation.”
The doctor grinned, and his eyes lit up. “Aren’t you three the ones who saved this place?”
Angela blushed. “In a way, you could say that. We were hoping you’d have some answers for us.”
The doctor and the major stepped back from the group, and conferred with another military man. Heated words were briefly exchanged, and the two men returned to the conversation.
The doctor extended his hand. “Doctor Werner,” he said. “Due to the extraordinary circumstances of your part in ceasing the spread of the invasive species, I’d be happy to show you around a bit, and answer some of your questions. But you’ll need to sign a few papers before we do a thing.”
“Well damn,” Colbrick said. “Appreciate it, Doc.”
“Don’t mention it,” Dr. Werner said. “We appreciate what you did.”
Dr. Werner turned and headed to his SUV. “Follow us to the main office in Elmore. We’ll do the paperwork, and we’ll take an official vehicle back to the lab.”
“The lab?” Bishop asked.
But Dr. Werner had already closed the SUV door.
“I have a weird feeling,” Angela said.
Bishop felt it too. And as he stared back up the national forest road, he caught a glimpse of a Hoodoo spire, miles away. The old familiar feelings of a year ago brewed in his chest, the way storms brew up in the Hoodoos. In a way, he knew it would eventually come. He just wasn’t prepared.
Angela took Bishop’s hand and squeezed, and then they followed Dr. Werner back to Elmore.
Colbrick glanced at Bishop in the rear view as he drove.
“Just like old times, right slick?”
Bishop didn’t laugh.
Apex National Forest (8 BPM)
After signing the confidentiality papers, Dr. Werner, his driver, Bishop, Colbrick, and Angela drove through the national forest gate that had previously blocked their passage. The road winded and dipped and climbed its way through thousands of acres of blackened snags. The air tasted bitter in this part of the valley, and they occasionally passed a massive bomb crater, now filled in with lush green grasses and shrubs.
Dr. Werner gestured to the national forest with a single finger decorated with a thick silver ring. “Will you look at that,” he said. “Despite the damage, nature finds a way. Much like our friends harbored amongst the Hoodoo Range for millions of years.”
“I wouldn’t use the word ‘friends,’” Angela said. “Depends on which invasive.”
“Perhaps a poor phrase,” Dr. Werner said.
Bishop shifted in the backseat. “Why are we getting the grand tour?” he asked.
An awkward silence wedged between the occupants as the SUV plodded over potholes and ruts.
Dr. Werner smiled. “I’m a biological engineer,” he said, “but I’m also a politician and pragmatic. I won’t waste your time, or mine with formalities or dishonesty. You three have certain luxuries in this valley that I do not. For example, the extremely positive press coverage. As rumors fly like they always do, and the leaks create mini-hysteria, I want you three to put in a good word in regards to our efforts. What we’re doing isn’t bad. And it isn’t necessarily good, either.”
Dr. Werner turned back to face Bishop and grinned like a coyote. “What we’re doing is core science. And science will provide her own answers, in ways she sees fit beyond our human constructs of the socially acceptable.”
The truck took a hard right, rose up a shaded pine forest bend, and met another guarded gate. The driver showed his ID, and the guards let them pass. Bishop was relieved to enter a living forest again, with lush green trees and ferns shading the SUV.
A moment later they pulled up to a research station that to Bishop, was surprisingly blended within the forest. Camouflage outfitter tents lay everywhere, bordering an enormous concrete dome with numerous nearby outbuildings constructed of glass and steel.
“How in the hell did you all build this so fast?” Colbrick asked.
“You’d be surprised at what the Department of Defense is capable of,” Dr. Werner said.
Bishop wasn’t surprised actually. He’d seen what they were capable of, good and bad.
Mostly bad.
Bishop couldn’t help but feel a tinge of irritation. He’d left Chicago for the beauty and superior natural balance of Montana, and here was this government concoction sprawling across his favorite national forest. It seemed development followed him everywhere.
The black SUV pulled into a larger camouflage tent, and the group exited.
“What are the tents for, other than parking?” Angela asked.
“Major Connelly’s battalion is stationed here,” Dr. Werner said.
Bishop frowned. “Why are so many soldiers needed?”
Dr. We
rner held up a metallic-looking key card to a scanner at the first steel and glass building, and the door whirred open.
“Welcome to Quadrant 6,” Dr. Werner says.
A wave of cool air refreshed Bishop, and the soft click-click-click of shoes on tiles echoed through the complex.
“Quite the fancy setup you have,” Angela said.
Dr. Werner sighed. “It’s rather utilitarian.”
The group traveled up a staircase, and then proceeded through several more security scans, the final electric scanner accompanied by an armed guard.
“Good afternoon, Robert,” Dr. Werner said as he gestured to Bishop, Angela, and Colbrick. “These are the fine folks who staved off the original attempt at ecosystem replacement.”
The guard looked them up and down, and said nothing.
“Okie dokie,” Angela said.
Bishop chuckled, then realized his sarcasm was premature. The enormous room they’d just entered wiped away his grin. A series of yellow biological protection suits lined the far wall, each in its own self-contained orb of plastic. Beyond the glass and steel partition was a tunnel which Bishop couldn’t quite make out. Two armed guards, both in protective suits, stood at either side of the door.
Several other scientists milled about the room holding clipboards or instruments. Occasionally, one of Dr. Werner’s peers glanced up, but didn’t seem to be alarmed at the new blood in their research facility. The walls were lined with instruments of all shapes and sizes. Some were still unopened in boxes, while others lay half set-up, ensconced in bubble wrap or Styrofoam.
Colbrick pointed at one of the suits. “I ain’t getting into one of those,” he said.
“There’s no need,” Dr. Werner said as he waved the group over to a monitor console.
Bishop studied the monitors, then froze. On each IPS monitor was an invasive. A rotten leaf on Monitor 1, a baby pigra with flashing red tag on Monitor 2, a frequency seal on Monitor 3. The seal’s monitor flickered and distorted, then recovered…only to flicker and distort again.
Dr. Werner grinned. “Amazing specimens, aren’t they? The seal’s frequencies are disrupting the monitor feed.”
“Cute,” Angela said. “But not really.”
Bishop watched with a queasy stomach as the frequency seal shook and raged. The monitor flickered the more the seal shook, and then restored function. On Monitor 4, a secapod kept knocking into its Plexiglas cage, its red tag blinking at 8BPM.
Bishop’s heart sank when he saw the last IPS monitor. The weird bird species that had saved his and Angela’s life stared back at them, its tag blinking.
“Bishop,” Angela said, her brow furrowing. “This is awful.”
“It’s probably not the bird that saved us,” Bishop said.
Dr. Werner flicked off the monitors with a metal switch on the console. “I’m disappointed,” he said. “You three, of all people, should understand the danger these invasives pose to the valley.”
“Not all of them are bad,” Angela said.
“Like I explained earlier,” Dr. Werner said, “there is no good or bad in this project, just science. And science is quite clear on the effects of these invasives on Apex Valley. And potentially for mankind.”
Bishop thought back to the first day of the invasion, and how Angela had been yanked through the glass patio door of their rental cabin by an invasive eel.
Bishop cleared his throat in an attempt to shake the bitter memory. “You’re right, of course,” Bishop said. “When the entire ecosystem is being uprooted by non-natives, there’s not a lot you can do. Where did you find these invasives?” Bishop asked.
“The Defense Department created a containment program that swept through the national forest,” Dr. Werner said. “And any remnants were quarantined in temporary facilities until this facility could be constructed. Eventually, we got them all.”
“Not all,” Bishop said. “A pigra hunted and bit me the other night.”
“North valley?” Dr. Werner asked.
“Yes,” Bishop said.
Colbrick tapped Dr. Werner on the shoulder and glared at him. “You planning to let any of these buggers loose?” he asked. “This doesn’t seem like such a great idea.”
Angela stepped forward. “What do you hope to learn, Dr. Werner? What’s the end game?”
Dr. Werner paused for a moment, then tapped a pen on the console table. “I explained before that I wasn’t going to sugarcoat this. Or be deceptive. The goal is to let science run its course. That means various experiments, some more easily tolerated than others. For starters, we’re in the process of manipulating the invasive’s tags, both organically via habitat and feeding improvement, and inorganically here in the lab with frequency charges.”
Bishop could feel Angela’s anger pressing at his flank. There was nothing he could do.
“You’re WHAT?” she asked. “Please freaking tell me you’re not messing with the tags.”
“‘Messing’ is a poor choice of words,” Dr. Werner said. “We’re applying methodical testing, to the benefit of local stakeholders such as yourself, and frankly, the world.”
“Oh hell no,” Colbrick said. “Too many things can go wrong. These invasives have a funny way of squiggling away from tricky situations, then poppin’ back up again.”
Bishop couldn’t believe it. “You’re aware of what happens when their tags reach 100 BPM, right?”
Dr. Werner frowned. “That was when the main console to receive the collective tag signal existed. We’re confident that unit has been destroyed, because YOU destroyed it. Therefore, communication with their master species is ineffective. Also, it appears the destruction of their main relay center has reset the tags, if you will. In isolation experiments, the tags are capable of reaching 175 beats per minute without any repercussions or communications with their apex species.”
Colbrick glared at Dr. Werner. “You better be real confident,” he said. “‘Cause the main species that sent their entire ecosystem here, those boys ain’t messing around.”
“Obviously,” Dr. Werner said. “By the way, have you seen what’s behind Monitor 7?”
Bishop shook his head. Dr. Werner flipped a console switch, revealing a creature so humongous, it was contained within its own concrete dome…the dome they had seen when first arriving at Quadrant 6. The invasive had to be as long as a brontosaurus, but with a much thicker head and neck. Not to mention gigantic, yellow-stained teeth. A series of vibrant green and red stripes flanked its sides, and pulsed a slightly different shade each time the invasive breathed.
“Say hello to Vastus,” Dr. Werner said. “We picked him up at the base of the Hoodoos in an old growth cedar rainforest. Vastus cost us many men. And a fortune in elephant tranquilizers. The specimen is under sedation around the clock.”
“Jesus,” Angela said. “It’s enormous.”
“It took us months to capture him,” Dr. Werner said. “He’s a magnificent creature. But his size is most certainly a disadvantage.”
“How’s that?” Bishop asked, staring in awe at the monitor.
“Well, he’s too slow. But he evolved on his home planet to overcome that. You see, Vastus has a keratin-forked tail capable of gouging-out boulder and trees, which he then hurls at his prey. When the prey is knocked unconscious or disabled, Vastus can then lumber over and eat the unconscious prey alive.”
A sick feeling churned in Bishop’s stomach as he watched Vastus in his concrete dome. First, he was glad they’d never encountered this particular species a year ago. Their odds of survival would’ve been even lower. And second, Vastus must be the only one of its kind in the valley. This invasive was just too big to not be spotted.
“So,” Dr. Werner said. “You three are respected in this valley. By the mayor, by the Chamber of Commerce. By the school. By the newspaper. And nationally, you are considered heroes whether you care to admit it or not. I expect you’ll put on a good front for us, if the need arises.”
“So a swap of sort
s,” Bishop said.
Dr. Werner nodded. “One could label it as such.”
“And if we don’t?” Bishop asked.
Dr. Werner shrugged. “I’m good either way.”
The doctor turned away from the group, and motioned to one of the guards. “It was great meeting you all,” he said. “But I have much work to do.”
Bishop watched as Dr. Werner unzipped one of the protection suit bubbles.
“He’s going to get us all killed,” Angela said as the guard gently escorted them from the lab.
Colbrick grunted. “Maybe we deserve it,” he said.
Deep down, Bishop knew that “deserve” had very little to do with it.
Elmore (11 BPM)
Colbrick, Bishop, and Angela passed the apartment building where Yutu had been rescued. The owners had never recovered from the financial loss, leaving the gaping roof and charred structure remaining. A couple bulldozers were parked in the lot.
“It’s coming down,” Angela said. “Sad, in a way.”
“Progress,” Colbrick said.
Colbrick turned onto the highway and headed back towards Big J. Angela gripped Bishop’s hand when they passed Brownie’s Bakery and Hostel.
“Poor Sue and Bill,” she said.
Bishop squeezed back, and kissed Angela on the forehead.
So many had been lost in the initial invasion. But the valley, despite the suffering, stood strong. Most repairs had come quickly, and what was left of the community bonded and strengthened.
As the SUV sped along Highway 18, Angela reached into her pocket, and unfolded a piece of napkin.
“Check this out,” she said. “When I used the women’s room as we exited Quadrant 6, I overheard two employees chatting.”
Angela handed the napkin to Bishop. “They said that ‘Experiment 25’ had begun, and that Quadrants 3 and 4 were to be sealed.”
Colbrick grunted. “I knew it,” he said. “They’re moving their mad scientist capers north. They couldn’t just leave well enough alone.”
Bishop handed the napkin back to Angela.
“That means there are even more remnant invasive near Big J,” he said. “Which means we need to get our asses up there and do some scouting.”
The Invasive 2: Remnants Page 2
