The Shadow Above The Flames

by Daniel Swenson

  These humans were strong and powerful. They were faster than anything it had ever seen. The alpha had watched helplessly as two of its pack had died at the hands of these humans without being seen. This confused the wolf, whose eyesight was keen and sense of smell was strong. How could something so clumsy-looking move so fast that it could not track it with its eyes or nose?

  The alpha remembered the day it had seen the gigantic flying creature. It had attacked and devoured an entire herd of deer that its pack had been hunting. That creature had killed and eaten the whole herd in a matter of a few beats of the wolf’s heart. That creature also had evaded its senses, so the wolf was cautious about these humans.

  It watched for several more minutes watching how the humans behaved before it shuffled back into the darkness. The alpha ran on into the night, back towards its home where it knew its pack would be waiting. It would return for the humans with the full might of the pack at its side.

  They would get vengeance one way or another.

  We will punish these humans, the alpha thought as it ran. This was personal for the large black wolf. The humans had killed its mate, and the alpha would not let another deadly predator come in and take over their hunting lands. They would attack with all their might and destroy these soft-fleshed creatures or die trying.

  Henry and the other two men set up camp inside what was left of the barn while Rick rested. Half of the structure still stood, and it kept out most of the elements. Plus, it hid them from any unwanted attention from the skies. Henry made sure to bring the vehicle and all the supplies into the barn. He took what was left of the barn’s double doors and made it into a large table for their supplies. The barn wasn't the best defensible place in the world, but it would provide some cover.

  Henry and Jacobson were busy unloading some large, heavy Kevlar cases from the back of the all-terrain vehicle while Rick rummaged through the food supplies. He was more famished than he wanted Henry to know. Henry had brought enough food for everyone to eat. As Rick searched for something to snack on, he found a package of his favorite cookies stashed inside one of Henry's bags. He looked back over his shoulder towards Henry.

  Is there anything he doesn't plan for? Rick wondered.

  He snatched the cookies and hobbled over to the table. He found Lenny sitting at the table with his face buried in his laptop. He vigorously worked to retrieve some data for Henry. Rick sat down on the wooden stool and ripped open the package of cookies.

  "Hey! Where did you get those?" Lenny asked.

  "Oh, in one of those bags over there," Rick said nonchalantly.

  "Are you sure? I thought I had taken inventory of all the food supplies."

  "Maybe you missed it."

  Lenny stormed over to the supply bags and started rummaged through them. Rick chuckled, enjoying his cookies.

  After they’d unloaded all the equipment, everyone took the time to eat. Afterward, Henry asked for everyone's attention.

  With all eyes on him, Henry spoke to Jacobson. "I know you guys have suffered losses over here, and losing both Specialist Wells and Sergeant McAvoy was not easy; it's difficult to lose half your team. Rick informed me that Sergeant McAvoy gave you command over this mission before he died. I'm not questioning why McAvoy handed his command over to you or questioning your ability to lead, but I’d like to ask you to succeed your command over to me."

  Rick wasn't as surprised by this as Jacobson was, so he took the opportunity to help Jacobson understand.

  "I know you've heard stories about my previous platoon that had been stationed in Afghanistan—about how we had been pinned down by the enemy for days."

  Jacobson nodded. "Yeah, I heard the stories about how a rescue team went in, broke up the energy insurgents, and got your team out of there. If I remember correctly, five members of your team died before the rescue team arrived. But not a single man died after they arrived, and everyone remaining got out alive."

  "Well, meet the rescue team," Rick said as he pointed towards Henry. "When Henry found out my team was pinned down, he went against orders and saved me and my remaining team. His commanding officer didn't want to look like a fool, so he stated in his report that he had sent in a five man team to rescue us. The truth is, it was only Henry. I know his official record says he’s a field medic, but very few people know that he was a Special Forces weapons sergeant."

  Jacobson's eyes widened. "You're kidding, right?"

  Rick and Henry both shook their heads.

  "Well, alright, I guess it’s best that I hand over command to you, Henry."

  Henry extended his hand to Jacobson. "Thank you. I appreciate your willingness to do this. It’s not an easy thing to do."

  Jacobson reached across the table and shook Henry's hand.

  "I'm a little shocked at what I've just learned about you, and I think I owe Rick an apology for all the crap we've been giving him about spider senses and so on. Also, I want to say I appreciate that you asked for command instead of taking over like some big shot. That says a lot about you and your character."

  Jacobson turned to say something to Rick, but Rick cut him off before he could say anything.

  "Don't worry about it. Let's worry about getting the data core and getting off this island, so you can ask that girl of yours to marry you."

  Jacobson nodded his thanks.

  "Alright, now that we’ve got the issue of who is in command here out of the way, let's get started."

  Henry nodded towards Lenny. Lenny activated a mini holo-projector near him, which displayed a full three-dimensional miniaturized layout of Ardmore. Rick whistled in amazement.

  "Is this what you were working on?" he asked Lenny.

  "Yes, I had to construct the model from recent satellite images."

  "Holy crap! Where did you learn all this stuff?"

  "I hate to interrupt you two," Henry said, "but we really need to go over our plan of attack."

  "Oh, yeah . . . sorry, Henry. I just can't get over the fact that this is Lenny. I mean, . . . this is like epic . . . Oh damn, what is it that I'm trying to say?"

  "I just call him the techno-wizard,” Henry said. “He seems to like it."

  "Yeah, that really seems to fit, doesn't it? Okay, sorry. Proceed."

  Rick noticed that Lenny sat up a little straighter and beamed with pride. Henry moved a marker on the table to flag their current location and placed another at the city limits of Ardmore.

  "Unfortunately, this holographic satellite image was taken twelve hours before we arrived, so we’re going in a bit blind. Because of the quakes, some of these structures may no longer be viable. However, I’ve selected four different sites that we could use as a base of operations. I also had the opportunity to read over a few reports that you didn’t originally have access to before you came over. In case we have to deal with that beast, I've brought along a few extra things that might help us."

  He nodded to Lenny who jumped up and flipped open the Kevlar cases, revealing various weapons and explosives that Henry had brought with him. Jacobson and Rick gawked at the numerous weapons. Each case was loaded with MP5s, M16s, SR25s, hand grenades, different types of anti-tank weaponry, and lots of plastic explosives.

  Henry described everything he had brought.

  "We can attach the M203s to the M16s; they use the same rounds as the older stand-alone M79 break-action grenade launchers, which will keep the recoil low. We also have some Milkor MGLs, which I'm not sure if either of you have had the chance to use before, but they are a fairly decent lightweight six-shot revolving grenade launcher."

  Henry smiled as he held up one of the Milkor MGLs. "This little beauty should give that beast something to think about if we run into it."

  He carefully replaced the weapon and smiled widely as he picked up the next weapon.

  "Now we come to one of my personal favorites, the PMP Neopup PAW. This little baby is a semi-automatic grenade launcher that fires a twenty-millimeter point detonating round and can hold up to se
ven rounds in a conventional box magazine. However, I convinced Union Forest to give us their modified version of the PMP Neopup. So these little sweeties can hold up to ten rounds, and they have an effective range of up to four hundred meters. Hopefully, we can use them to blast the Beast out of the sky."

  Henry returned to the table and dropped the grenade launcher onto it with a loud thud. The mini projector squealed in protest as it tried to compensate for the grenade launcher being in the way of the holo-image. Lenny asked Henry to remove the weapon from the table, which he politely did.

  Henry pointed to the holographic map. "The drilling site is located on the southernmost end of the village and this is where the command deck with the data core sits. By my estimation, this is also the most dangerous location on the whole island because it’s the known home of the Beast.”

  He then turned to Rick. “My plan is to put you and Jacobson at a location two miles north of the drilling site. One of you will be the wheelman. They will need to be at the ready in case something goes wrong, and we need an extraction. The other will post himself on the roof or upper floor of one of these buildings where he will keep an eye on things and provide extra fire if need be."

  Henry then positioned two markers for Rick and Jacobson.

  "The dangerous part of this mission rests on Lenny’s and my shoulders. Lenny will be responsible for finding and removing the data core while I make sure he stays alive and doesn't get eaten, smashed, or torched."

  Henry watched the color drain from Lenny's face as the reality of what they were talking about sunk in.

  Rick winked at Lenny.

  "You have nothing to worry about; you have three extremely well trained armed forces covering your back. If anything, you’ll be the only one of us certain to get out of this alive."

  Henry placed two more marks on the map, representing him and Lenny.

  "The all-terrain vehicle is electric and draws power from the solar paneling that’s built into its shell. The good thing about this is that it doesn't make much noise, and it doesn't put out any exhaust, so it shouldn't draw the Beast’s attention. On the other hand, I’m pretty certain the Beast can smell us from over a mile away."

  Rick looked at Henry a little perplexed. "What gives you that idea? The Beast, obviously, didn't find us when we were holed-up in that cave upstream from Limavady. What makes you think it would be able to smell us so far away? I mean, most reptiles use their sense of taste to smell, don't they? Why would this creature be any different?"

  Henry walked over to Lenny's laptop.

  "May I borrow this for a minute?" he asked.

  "Um, . . . sure," Lenny said.

  Henry did a quick search and activated the file he found.

  "Lenny, can you push that file onto the holo-projector?"

  "No problem."

  An image of a crocodile and a tortoise appeared on the table in place of the map.

  "These reptiles smell using their nostrils just like we do. One of them most people keep as pets, whereas the other is a lethal predator. And let's face it, each of us has a unique smell, and the more we do or the hotter it gets makes us perspire or sweat, which, well, . . . you've been to a gym locker room, haven’t you? I'm sure you understand what I'm trying to get at here. Rick you are correct in your assumption that most snakes and lizards smell with their tongues, which they do by flicking out their tongue to catch the air molecules in front of them. The tongue then recedes back into the mouth where they push the tip into a hole in the roof of their mouth. This organ tells their brain what it is they’re smelling."

  "That doesn't explain why the Beast could smell us," Jacobson jumped in.

  "If the Beast is like any of these smaller creatures, then it would have a smaller range when it comes to its sense of smell. But I’m willing to bet that it has a sense of smell much like a crocodile’s, and it was able to smell you all the way back in Ardmore, so that’s why it came out of its hole to find you."

  Rick and Jacobson looked at one another, not sure how to take the news.

  "But that still doesn't explain why . . .” Rick said. “Oh, come on, let's just call it what it really is. Why that gigantic dragon couldn’t smell us?"

  Henry took a few moments to collect his thoughts before speaking. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but from what Jacobson told me, when the Beast—the dragon—arrived, the wind was whipping about, correct?"

  Rick nodded.

  "Then here is what I believe: the Beast could smell you when it left, which caused it to come to Limavady, but when it arrived, it couldn't smell you because the wind was blowing so hard that it had erased your scent. Yet the Beast knew it had tracked your scent to the town, so it believed you were hiding in it somewhere. As it ransacked the town, more than likely it picked up pockets of your scent, so it searched for you. It had no other reason to look elsewhere, which is probably what saved your lives."

  Lenny clicked a button on the laptop and the image changed to a fist-sized holo representation of the data core.

  Henry pointed to the image. "This is the prize gentlemen. This is what you and your team were sent here to retrieve. Union Forest lied to you. There is something so valuable on this device that they were willing to sacrifice lives to get it. I hate to say this, but, honestly, I don't believe any of you were meant to get off this island alive. The Union Forest execs don't want their competitors getting whatever secrets are on this thing, so I'm pretty sure they planned on killing us after they got it. Because of this, Lenny has provided us with an alternative solution to our problem."

  Henry walked over and patted Lenny on the back, prompting him to speak.

  "During the boat ride from France, I contacted General Carmine. I've worked for Carmine covertly for some time now—helping the general by hacking into the Union Forest mainframes. Henry and I agreed that once we retrieve the data core, we’ll turn it over to the general. In exchange for this, General Carmine will provide us with a way off the island and with U.S. Army protection."

  Rick and Jacobson exchanged puzzled looks.

  "Wait!” Rick asked. “Lenny works for the military? Since when?"

  "Not quite," Henry replied. "Let’s just say that Lenny is a very talented techno-wizard who got into some trouble but was bailed out and recruited by General Carmine, who decided to use his skills to help investigate Union Forest. Honestly, we should be thankful for this because that is how he detected your emergency beacon, which started the series of events that brought us here. This general believes that Union Forest is corrupting the military and several governments around the globe. Lenny's job was to find evidence of that."

  Lenny sat with a tablet in his hand trying hard to look important. Rick shook his head as he remembered some of the trouble he and Lenny used to get into.

  "Okay,” Rick said, “let's say we get in with no problems and the Beast isn't home, which will be the best possible outcome, and we are able to get the hell out of dodge. What happens if it returns? You can't believe that those grenade launchers are going to damage it in any way, do you?"

  Henry pierced Rick with his gaze. "Yes, I do."

  Rick scoffed at Henry's response.

  "You haven't seen this thing in person. Do you remember those old sermons back in church when we were kids regarding beasts of hellfire and brimstone? If this isn't one of those creatures, then I don't know what is. It destroyed an entire town in seconds. How are we supposed to fight it if it comes after us? Even the European nations couldn’t defeat it with their air and land strikes back in the first few weeks of its appearance."

  Henry's grin was so wide that Rick imagined it as the face of the Cheshire Cat. Henry pulled out a small thumb drive from his jacket pocket and handed it to Lenny.

  "What’s this?" Lenny asked.

  "Activate the file on the drive, will you, please?"

  Lenny plugged the drive into the laptop and waited for it to register. Once the drive registered, he navigated through the files until he found the one Henry pointe
d out over his shoulder.

  "When Lenny and I were being detained at the Union Forest building, Mr. Perkins tried to convince me to come over here to save his operation all the while manipulating me into believing it was to save you and your team. He pulled on my emotions and did a good job of it. However, he made Roger Smythe come and apologize to Lenny and I, this was so out of character that it made me want to dig deeper, and so I did. I found a few reports that started bubbling up my suspicions. Then at one point, I had Lenny pull up the meteorological feeds so that I could watch the storm that you guys had encountered. I watched the storm in disbelief as I watched something moving within the storm and then something happened."

  "Do you know what happened to Sergeant McAvoy then?" Rick asked.

  Henry clicked play, and the mini holo-projector showed clouds parting. Everyone at the table moved in closer to witness what Henry had seen several days before. The projector displayed the last moments of Sergeant McAvoy's stand against the Beast. A small metal boat carried their commanding officer swiftly down the river towards the titanic beast that straddled the raging water. They wanted to turn away, but couldn’t as the scene played before them.

  Their hearts thumped wildly as they saw the Beast raise its head and extend its neck, its massive jaws opened wide as giant plumes of fire belched forth. Their eyes opened wide as they watched the small boat jerk to the left upon the raging river, barely skirting the superheated flames. They could see that parts of the boat burned as it struggled down the river, brushing up against the side of the Beast’s large head. The holo-projection shifted as the image became nothing more than a super bright light for a few seconds. Everyone had to shield their eyes from the intense light. Their commanding officer perished before their eyes in the recording. Henry reversed the video file a few frames and paused the image. "I know this is hard, but this right here is what caught my attention."

  They watched as the video lit up once again. Henry paused the video and asked Lenny to make some adjustments and focus in on the image. Lenny adjusted the video and filtered away the bright light. All three other men gasped when Henry pressed play. They could see the Beast’s head burnt and disfigured. They watched as it writhed in agony on the ground, destroying everything around it. The video feed ended, and the holo-projector froze on the image of the injured beast on the ground with part of its face melted away.