The Pilot

by Michael Cole

  Covered head-to-toe in charcoal-colored dust, the soldier cleared the cloud. He raised his rifle and turned around. Yelling in Korean, he fired several shots into the cave. After emptying his mag, the soldier turned to run down the stream.

  Despite the chaos and confusion, Seymour was not going to let the soldier get away. He raised his rifle and placed the soldier in his sights. His finger began squeezing the trigger.

  A high-pitched whine filled the air. The cave illuminated in a blinding mixture of green-and-yellow. From its mouth, a ball of rolling light ripped through the air into the creek, inches ahead of the soldier’s path. On impact it burst into a fiery explosion. Its force launched the soldier several feet into the air.

  All of the mercenaries dove for cover, as smoke enveloped the surrounding jungle.

  “What the freaking hell is this?!” Rex shouted.

  “Everybody keep back!” Seymour called out. As he spoke, he saw Agent Hawk crawling toward the creek. “Agent! What are you doing?!” He saw the agent bring herself to a firing position, looking down the sights of her weapon.

  He pushed up and moved after her. As he reached to grab her by the shoulder, his eyes went to the mouth of the cave.

  As the smoke thinned, another figure stepped into the creek. Clearing several feet with a single step, it cleared the cloud of smoke.

  “What the…”

  For the first time in any of their careers, each member of the team did something they swore they’d never do in a combat zone.

  They froze.

  It stood eight feet tall, humanoid in basic form. But it was not human. Seymour gazed at the strange being as it marched from the cave. Its arms were elongated, twisting like twigs. Its right hand had three fingers, like a tripod, each of them knuckled. Smoke rose from a metallic gauntlet attached around its “wrist”.

  Its other arm was entirely different. Although equal in length, the hand was completely what Seymour could only describe as a metal glove. At the end of this clove were two appendages. Each was crescent shaped, with edges sharp enough to split rock. A pincer.

  Its legs were double jointed, like an insect. Covering its dark grey “skin,” the lifeform wore armor. A dark murky green color, it was ribbed at the torso, and extended down to its clawed boots. Though appearing solid, it seemed to bend to the creature’s will, allowing for freedom of movement.

  What struck a rare fear into Seymour was its face. He saw no eyes; just a dome over the top of a bald, scaly head. Its mouth was nothing other than two enormous fangs. Black and curved, they resembled a tarantula’s, only twelve feet in length, pointing downward at slight, inward angles. Attached to small, fleshy pedipalps, the two fangs quivered in slow, tiny motions.

  After landing several feet away, the Korean soldier rolled onto his back. Looking up, he saw the humanoid approaching. His eyes opened wide, and he tried crawling back. It pinned him down with its boot, smashing several ribs.

  The soldier gurgled as he attempted to scream. The creature pointed its right arm toward him. The fingers extended completely outward like flower pedals, exposing a rounded palm. The flesh creased and folded back, as a large pointed barb protruded from the palm.

  Seeing the barb dripping with a slimy substance, the Korean yelled.

  The creature jabbed the barb into his stomach. A momentary cry of pain followed, and immediately ceased. The soldier’s muscles contracted to the point of tearing. Foam spilled from his mouth, and blood from the wound.

  Having cleared the debris and destruction, Terrie and Nagamine rushed to the edge of the hill. Looking out into the creek, they saw the creature.

  A wave of terror hit the sniper. Feeling the instinctive urge to scream, she cupped her own mouth.

  On the opposite side of the creek, the remaining mercenaries remained frozen from a combination of fright and astonishment. Even Ivan and Rex were perplexed, unsure of whether to retreat or engage.

  The humanoid turned, feeling vibrations coming from the nearby jungle. Seymour watched as its eyeless face “gazed” at him. Somehow, though there weren’t any visible eyes, it still ‘stared’ as though it could see him.

  “Boss..? BOSS?” Ivan grunted.

  “Sir, what do we do?” Sutton said. He was already backing away.

  “That’s no fucking Korean!” Rex yelled.

  Seymour focused his mind, driving out the sensation of shock. “Everyone, fall back into the jungle.”

  “NO!” Hawk suddenly called out. She stood to her feet, weapon raised to her shoulder. “Kill it! Kill it!” Hawk squeezed the trigger, firing her weapon in full auto.

  An ear-piercing hiss echoed from the horrific fangs, as the barrage of bullets battered its armor. One after another, each bullet burst into a thousand pieces after crushing against the alien material. The creature lifted both arms, shielding its exposed face with its gauntlets.

  Hawk’s firearm ran empty, and she scrambled for another one. Seymour rushed toward her, snatching the weapon from her grip.

  “Are you insane, we don’t know what the hell we’re dealing---”

  Hawk drew her Beretta and started firing. Seymour looked at the beast. Its screeches grew louder and more intense. Its hand opened up again, and the barb once again emerged. Arms lashed out, the creature sprang toward them.

  There was no choice now. “ENGAGE!” Seymour yelled as he discharged his H&K. The entire team opened fire. Hitting a wall of gunfire, the beast sprang backward.

  Bullets pounded its armor. Several rounds struck exposed flesh in its shoulders and neck, spewing orange bubbling fluid into the creek.

  A bright yellow color illuminated from its right gauntlet. Small mechanisms unfolded from the sides. The barb retracted, and the hand clenched into a fist. The creature pointed its arm to the jungle, and the light suddenly took physical form. A loud electric whirring sound rang from the device.

  Seymour instantly realized what it was.

  “TAKE COVER!” he yelled, grabbing Hawk and throwing her to the ground.

  The ball of green light shot into the jungle, erupting into a huge explosion. Fire and smoke encompassed the area. Seymour pulled himself to his knees. Grabbing Hawk by the vest, he pulled her backward, while the rest of the team retreated.

  Several more balls of energy blasted the canvas, spewing fire in every direction. Explosions bursting in every direction, the team quickly became disoriented.

  The creature fired several more shots into the canvas. It ceased, and its mechanism quickly returned to its normal shape. The barb protruded from its hand again, and it started marching toward the jungle.

  Another series of gunshots rang out, striking it from behind. The creature whipped itself around. Two more enemies were perched above the cave, and were engaging with their primitive weapons.

  Primitive or not, they were effective. Though most of the bullets were stopped by its armored vest, some of them found their way into exposed flesh. With several injuries detected, the beast reacted.

  Nagamine and Terrie continued firing as the gauntlet began to glow. Seeing the beast aiming its device, they both sprang back into the jungle. A ball of energy zoomed in-between them, the resulting explosion throwing both of them several meters into the air.

  Terrie hit the ground hard on her shoulder. Groaning in pain, she pushed herself to her feet, and pulled her rifle from its strapped position. She checked the mag, and pressed the butt of the weapon against her shoulder.

  “Let’s see how you like this in your face,” she growled. She limped as fast as she could back to the exposed hillside, pointing her weapon down to the creek.

  The creature was gone. Terrie continued looking, keeping her rifle pointed. The soldier’s body was missing, and a trail of orange fluid led down the creek.

  Surrounded by a huge cloud of smoke, Terrie lowered her weapon. Pain and fatigue suddenly overtook her, and she fell on her rear. Sitting up, she panted hard, looking at the blood trail. Nagamine walked up beside her. Bleeding from a gash in his fore
head, his normally expressionless face now displayed astonishment and shock. Terrie looked up at him.

  “What the hell was that?”

  Nagamine silently shook his head. Like everyone else, he did not know.

  CHAPTER

  23

  Like sand in the desert, small grains of dirt crumbled from the tunnel walls, forming a soft layer over the cave floor. A vast stream of sunlight poured in from above, through the gaping hole in the roof of the cave.

  Stepping from the dark tunnel, Cassie Hawk entered the light. Astonished, she gazed at the burn marks throughout the tunnel. Though it had cooled, the singed area around the newly formed opening was still smoking. Looking up through the opening, Hawk could see the remaining root segments, still attached to the fallen tree, pulled up from the earth as it toppled. The severed ends of each root were black, with thinned fizzy portions broken outward like strands on a busted wire.

  The tunnel smelled of burnt soil and flesh. Sediment still crumbled from the cave walls as Hawk looked deeper into the cave. Chunks of earth, the size of boulders, had collapsed from above, forming a wall of dirt and granite caving-in the tunnel.

  At the bottom of the wall, she saw the lifeless body of the remaining North Korean soldier. Buried under a layer of soot, he lay motionless on his back, his jaw was wide open, as though he was in the middle of a scream when it ended. His right hand clutched a grenade, with his left index finger still wrapped around the intact pin. Hawk brushed away some of the dirt from his outfit, revealing a single puncture injury along his left ribcage.

  She looked at his face. Those two eyes, wide open, seemed to stare right at her. A haunting image of someone who was dead, yet seemed alive. Seeing the open mouth, she could almost hear the scream.

  Hawk closed her eyes and turned away. Collecting herself, she listened to the calm breeze entering the mouth of the cave. The gentle sound was overtaken by the chatter from the creek. Looking down the remaining tunnel, she saw the cave opening, resembling a speck of light in the distance. It was just outside where the mercenaries had regrouped.

  ********

  Humongous strips of smoke billowed from the trees, coating the jungle in grey. The air had mostly cleared around the creek. The shallow water thrashed as Ivan and Rex walked about restlessly, their faces and shoulders scarred by burns and smoke.

  Terrie sat upright in the grass along the edge of the creek, while Sutton tended to the many burns on her arms and neck. Portions of her sleeves had burnt away, exposing second degree burns on her elbows, upper arms, and shoulders.

  “Ow…Bastard,” she said as Sutton administered morphine.

  “Quit being such a girl,” he remarked. Terrie tore away the sleeves, allowing Sutton to administer ointment and bandaging. As he did, she noticed Nagamine standing down the creek where the blood trail ended. With the patience and focus of a machine, the samurai descendant continuously scanned the area, keeping watch for the strange beast.

  On the hill past the cave, Seymour emerged from the trees. Beneath the scorch marks and grit on his face was a manifestation of ire. His anger was split three ways. First, he despised being manipulated into this mission, despite his error in judgement for his previous client. Second, the lack of information concerning Dr. Trevor and his team’s purpose on this island, and therefore, his team’s total unpreparedness. More specifically, he resented the lie he was told. And thirdly, he was angry at himself. When the creature appeared, he froze, succumbing to the dismay, and thus delaying his response.

  Continuously pacing back and forth, Ivan looked up at Seymour as he approached the creek.

  “Boss, what the HELL’S going on here?!” he yelled. “What the hell was that thing?”

  “I’m more concerned with where the hell it’s at,” Sutton said, tightening a bandage around Terrie’s arm. He glanced around at the trees. Every square foot of jungle concealed anything behind it, leaving him nothing to see but an endless green drape. “I mean, it could be anywhere.”

  “The blood trail leads that way,” Rex said.

  “WHATEVER it is, it’s what got Easley,” Ivan said.

  “It was after the Koreans too,” Sutton said, sealing his medical case.

  “We were watching the entrance,” Ivan said. “We never saw it go in. Terrie said there was no back exit. So, how the fuck did it get in there?!”

  “I think I know,” Seymour said. He turned and waved for everyone to follow him back up the hill.

  ********

  “What in the name of…” Rex said, as the team gazed down at the enormous hole in the earth. Several meters past the fallen tree, the hole was just over three feet in width. The team surrounded the hole. Around the opening were piles of loose soil.

  “No burn marks,” Ivan said.

  “I think this is what Nagamine and I heard when we were planting explosives,” Terrie said. “We heard a mechanical sound, almost like a drill.”

  “Hang on, you mean to say this thing dug its way in here?” Rex said.

  “It explains how it got in,” Seymour said.

  “Yeah, but why?” Sutton said. “I mean…you guys saw that laser bracelet thing, right? If it wanted them, why didn’t it just vaporize them?”

  “The same reason we didn’t storm the entrance,” Seymour said. “It knew those soldiers were watching the tunnel, ready to shoot anything that came in. So, it did what we were gonna do. Smoke them out.”

  “So, it’s strategic?” Ivan said.

  “It’s also sick,” Rex said. “It didn’t bother vaporizing that guy. It walked right up to him and stuck him in the belly with its stinger.” His voice grew soft. “I think that’s how it got the nerd.”

  “And it took him too,” Ivan said. “But…why?”

  “Probably wants to eat them,” Rex said. “Maybe suck their blood. You saw those big tusks, right?”

  Seymour stood silently. His mind went back and forth between the creature and the metallic object he saw in the lab. He turned and began marching back to the creek.

  “Terrie,” he called out. “Come with me please.” Terrie looked back at her team mates, each of them appearing equally perplexed. Obeying her leader’s instruction, she sprinted to catch up with him.

  Curious, the rest of the team followed.

  Kneeling at the Korean’s side, Hawk removed a syringe from her pouch. She inserted the needle in the forearm and pulled back on the plunger. Red, oxygenated blood filled the barrel. Hawk retracted the needle and snatched a vial from her kit.

  “Agent Hawk!” Seymour’s voice echoed throughout the tunnel, causing the agent to whip around. She quickly injected the blood into the vial and placed a cap on it. She put it in a plastic bag, and back into her pouch. She stood up and turned around to greet Seymour. He stepped into the sunlight alongside Terrie, while the rest of the team trailed behind.

  “Yeah…sorry,” she said. “I was just…”

  “You know, I forgot to ask,” he interrupted. “Are you feeling alright? You need any medical attention?” Bewildered, Hawk glared at him.

  “I, uh…” she laughed nervously. “No…thank you. I’m fine.” She turned to pick up her pouch.

  “Good…” Seymour said, scooting the pouch away with his boot. Hawk quickly straightened her stance and squared up with him.

  “What’s the deal?” she yelled.

  “Agent, I am giving you ONE opportunity to explain yourself,” he said.

  “Excuse me…”

  “You have five seconds. FIVE…” Seymour continued. Hawk smirked.

  “You’re telling me to…Who do you think you’re talking to?” she hissed.

  “TWO…ONE…” He shrugged. “Terrie…” Hawk’s eyes widened as Terrie rammed a closed fist into her stomach, causing the agent to double over. She followed with a right hook, plowing Hawk’s left temple. The agent fell to her hands and knees, reaching for her sidearm.

  Terrie pushed her hand away, while snatching her Beretta from its holster and tossing it aside. Haw
k scrambled to her feet and turned, holding both hands out.

  “What…agh…” She bent over from a continuing pain in her stomach. “Seymour…if the C.I.A. finds out about this, they will…”

  “I think they’ll have more important stuff to worry about,” Seymour said, pointing to the soldier. He snapped his fingers. Hawk looked at Terrie, who had just cracked her knuckles. Hawk held a finger out.

  “Don’t you even think…”

  Terrie kicked Hawk square in the stomach, ramming the toe of her boot under the ribcage. Hawk fell to her hands and knees, bile spitting from her mouth. Seymour stepped in front of her.

  “I’m tired of you jerking me and my team around,” he said. “You KNEW that thing was out here. You lied to us. Ivan explained what it was, you said it was a soldier. That, Lady, was no soldier.”

  Hawk looked up at him, her eyes burning with hatred and resentment. “You know I can’t tell you anything.”

  “Don’t give me this “Classified” bullshit!” he said. Hawk felt herself yanked up from behind. Placed in a chokehold by Terrie, her back arched. She gasped for breath as her airway closed off.

  “You go girl,” Ivan said, watching Terrie do the dirty work. Despite his aggressive nature, and sadistic thrills of slaughtering the enemy, he normally found no thrill out of seeing harm done to a woman. However, this case was an exception. A sentiment shared by the entire team.

  Seymour leaned in toward Hawk, who struggled unsuccessfully to free herself from Terrie’s hold.

  “Ever since we got here, you’ve been playing us. First you were the nervous chick, then you wanted to play tough, then nervous again. When we stormed the construction site, you did your part. But then you see that thing, and suddenly you’re John Wayne.” Hawk struggled to speak, but couldn’t get any breath. “Loosen up,” Seymour said to Terrie. Hawk inhaled through her nose, then glared at Seymour.