Peter wakes, suddenly alert, he pulls a knife from under his side of the bed so fast that it seems to have materialized there. Something heavy is brushing past their tent, pushing its soft walls inward. A crash from outside indicates the camera and its tripod have been knocked over. He grabs his rifle, then waits apprehensively with his weapon aimed at the tent’s closed zipper. The sound fades into the night time forest. Emma stirs, but does not wake.
The following morning, Emma checks her camera while Peter examines some paw prints that pass close to their tent. He frowns, then looks around warily, wolf-cats, but where are they? Reluctantly he calls Emma over, “Come and look at these tracks.”
She examines them carefully, then frowns, “This is the first sign of wolf-cats that we’ve seen over here.” She gazes around, “It probably belongs to a small pack, or even an isolated individual.”
Peter follows the tracks with his eyes, “It looks like it came here to drink, then headed toward the mountains.”
Emma frowns, “Why did it just walk past us?”
Peter shrugs his shoulders, “Not hungry?” He offers suggestively.
They repack the tent in silent contemplation, then continue their slow trek around the lake. Emma stops at every new plant, animal dropping, insect, and sometimes just stops to look around. With each pause she takes samples, makes notes, then after she examines the surrounding area, they move on. During one of these pauses in their slow walk, Peter contacts John, and while Emma is distracted, talks quietly with him. The walk around the lake should only take them one day, if that. However, by the second night, the pair finds themselves less than half way around.
Once again, John flies and meets them, this time he has brought along a sonic device. It’s a replica of the wolf-cat repellent idea, from their last dealings with these large carnivores. He hands the device to Peter, “I never thought we would need these things here in this valley.”
Emma glances at Peter and raises her eyebrows in surprise. When did they organize that? She thinks. After a few seconds, she says, “When we surveyed the area, there was no indication that the wolf-cats inhabited this region.” She shrugs her shoulders and adds, “I don’t know what to make of the one that’s apparently here.”
Peter adds, “Let’s keep this to ourselves, until we know how many we’re dealing with.”
John raises his eyebrows and says, “Well that may be tough.” He fidgets for second then adds, “I had to get George to make that unit, and he asked questions.”
Peter considers the potential panic, then says, “Very well, I suppose the town will need a bunch of these anyway, just in case.”
Emma nods in agreement, “At least until we know where it came from, and if there are anymore.”
They continue to discuss the wolf-cats, and more, until late in the night. Peter and Emma fail to mention the fishing line, or the wood pile that may, or may not, be an old structure.
John yawns, looks at the night sky and says, “I’d better get going. It’s late.”
Before John leaves, he exchanges more empty sample bags for full ones. Just as the night before, John takes the samples to Emma’s team, then returns to the woods. He finds a safe place to park the shuttle, and sleeps. Emma has her people working around the clock, utilizing their equipment twenty-six hours a day.
John wakes in the morning, then stops mid stretch. His jaw drops at the sight of an enormous snake that is stretched across the outside of shuttle’s main windows. With wide eyes, he reports the large, yellow speckled snake to Emma, then waits for it to slither away before he takes off.
While packing up their campsite, Emma notices Peter talking quietly into his radio and smiles. Half way through the day, Peter observes that once again, they are close to the base of the mountains. He slows, then asks, “Do you think we should see if we can find any more signs of the wolf-cats?”
She gazes up at the sun, then grins cheekily, “Sure, what’s another day out here? Let’s go!”
It takes them three hours of exploring and climbing before they find what they are looking for. The small cave entrance has many wolf-cat tracks in the sandy dirt. They probe the interior with their flashlights, then debate whether or not to explore it.
Peter stares intently into the darkness, “I bet this cave system runs right through to the other side of the mountain.”
“That makes sense. But the question is, do they come through here on purpose? Or by accident, when they get lost?” Emma’s scientific brain fires the question.
He examines the tracks, then turns to look at the lake down below them. His eyes narrow, he slowly shakes his head from side to side, “No,” he says with conviction. “Let’s not underestimate these animals. I believe they come into this valley on purpose, both to drink, and for the occasional prey.”
Emma mulls over his comments for a few moments then says, “They have shown signs of intelligence, so you could be right.”
Peter marks the location on a map he produces from his pocket, then says, “Let’s come back with a proper team and equipment, before we attempt to tackle this.”
Emma gazes around, then points at some distant clouds, they appear dark and menacing, “Let’s get off the mountain side, in case it rains.”
The couple gets to the valley floor just as the first large drops of water begin to fall. Peter hurriedly sets up their tent, while Emma takes photos of the clouds that swirl overhead. They get into the tent as the rain gets heavier and heavier. Luckily, the canopy of trees protects them from most of the downpour.
Emma’s excitement shows, “This is our first real storm since we’ve been here.”
Peter raises his eyebrows as the wind picks up, and rain strikes their tent relentlessly, “Don’t you think John should pick us up?”
She playfully thumps him on the arm, “You’re not scared of a little rain, are you?”
He sighs, “I was just thinking of the runoff from the mountains, it’s got to go somewhere, and we’re not exactly in a safe spot, what with us being surrounded by trees.”
Emma grins like a little school girl and ignores his comments. She pokes her head outside, gazes upward through the leaves, then says, “The storm clouds seem to be affected by the mountains. They’re swirling around and around, and building up in intensity.”
“Like a cyclone?” He says, becoming alarmed.
“No. This entire valley has a natural updraft caused by the ocean breeze that comes inland...” her voice trails off as she thinks.
Rain continues to strike the tent, while wind gusts billow its sides. Peter stares at the flexing walls and grimaces. He does not like being at the mercy of the weather, and feels very exposed in what suddenly seems like a flimsy tent.
The rain quits as swiftly as it started. The clouds move over the mountains, allowing the sun’s rays to shine through. A massive rainbow arcs its way across the sky.
Emma adds her thoughts to her notes, then says, “The days are getting longer. I wonder if this is the beginning of a rainy season?”
Peter shrugs his shoulders, then gets out of the tent. He packs it away, while Emma wanders around taking more photos.
Fifteen minutes later, the pair continues their trek around the lake. Now they have to navigate hundreds of small rivulets that flow from the mountains toward the lake. They do not get very far before it is time to set up camp for the night.
Boredom blurs the days for John. What should have been a single day’s jaunt, is taking much longer. He understands that this is Emma’s first real chance to explore the forest, though he does wonder if Peter’s presence is encouraging her to take her time.
When the Cat’s Away...
Patrick and George push themselves harder and harder. Between the makeshift repairs to the Liberty, work on the town’s unique buildings, and Walker’s special requirements, the two men end each day thoroughly exhausted. Even with the use of their suits, the sheer number of hours they are working begins to take its toll.
George i
s so busy, he hardly has any time for his wife or son. Fortunately, Robert has taken Johnny under his wing as his photographic assistant. And as for Lisa, she spends a lot of time with Henry. Knowing where they are is comforting to George, and he dives into each day’s work knowing that the sooner it is done, the sooner he can spend quality time with his family.
Cindy finds, to her dismay that taking over Emma’s responsibilities has been unexpectedly demanding. She stares at yet another report on some insect that has been discovered, then decides that it can join the growing pile of such reports. She was supposed to be gone for a day, not spend a week in the woods with Peter. Cindy closes her eyes for a moment, then opens them to find Henry standing before her. She did not hear him come in, and glances at the open doorway in surprise, “Yes,” she says.
Henry states bluntly, “We have a new problem.”
Cindy sighs, “And I guess it can’t wait?”
“No, it can’t, and you’re not going to like it either.” Henry retorts.
“Pull up a chair then,” she says reluctantly.
He sits down and begins, “It seems that the minute Emma took off, a bunch of men decided they wanted some buffalo meat.”
She shrugs her shoulders, “They did the same thing last time. Emma’s analysis at the time concluded that they’re safe to eat.”
“Well, these clowns decided to shoot one that was falling behind the rest of the pack.” He sighs, then adds, “They still insist it was a mercy killing.”
Her eyes narrow, “And you’re going to tell me it was sick?”
Henry puts a hand to his chin, “I have just quarantined three men, and isolated seven others.”
Cindy stands up, then walks to the windows, and wonders aloud, “Why is it always something?”
He walks over to her, “I think you and Emma should examine this when she gets back.”
“That good, huh?” Cindy asks.
“It’s not a pathogen, so it’s not exactly contagious.” He sighs, then sadly adds, “The victims are infested with worms of some sort, and if we can’t eradicate them, the victims will probably die.”
Cindy frowns, “Worms? Didn’t they cook the meat?”
“Yeah, they did, that’s the problem.” His answer comes as almost a groan.
“That is a problem,” she says with concern, “This planet’s buffalo are supposed to end up being our protein source.”
“Emma’s team is already studying the worms, while the medical staff is doing what they can for the infected.” Henry informs her.
“Okay, show me the carcass.” She looks at Henry and adds, “I think Emma has had enough time exploring. I will get John to bring them back right away.”
She casts her gaze to the clouds above, then after a few moments of reflection, adds, “I’m glad she finally got a chance to investigate the woods though.”
Cindy contacts John, then after a brief discussion, follows Henry to the animal carcass. After only a few seconds of examination, she says, “Are these people idiots?” She points at the animal’s skin, “You can see where it’s infested, and they still ate it!”
“True, but I would expect that cooking it would kill those things.” Henry explains.
Cindy stares again at the animal’s skin, “But they didn’t cook all of it at once, it was slow roasted on a massive spit.”
Henry stares at the cooked animal then his jaw drops, “Oh my. The worms simply moved through the subcutaneous fat, to the cooler side, which means,” he slides a knife into the upper portion of the carcass, “we should find a whole pile of those things, still alive.” He cuts downward, sharply and powerfully, slicing off a huge slab of fat and meat. Sure enough, live worms slither out from the animal’s fat layer. “Medium rare meat is not something we should eat here, obviously.”
Cindy stares at the worms in fascination. Each is as long as her hand, flat as a finger nail, yet as wide as her thumb. She leans down to get a closer look, then says, “Do you remember when the wolf-cats were chasing the buffalo?”
“We both read the reports, but we didn’t actually see them.”
“Eyewitness accounts said that the wolf-cats killed the buffalo to eat later.”
Henry shakes his head, “The reports also said that not all of them were eaten, in fact the slowest were not the ones being targeted.”
“Do you think the wolf-cats sensed which ones were sick? And either didn’t kill them, or at the very least, didn’t eat them?”
“If that’s true, then those animals are smarter that some of our own people,” he responds.
She places her hands on her hips, “It is a good thing the Liberty brought a full medical team.”
Henry nods in agreement, then recalls another troubling issue, “There is something else I have been meaning to tell you.”
Cindy raises her eyebrows, “Yes?”
He takes a deep breath then says, “It seems that a number of people are unable to acclimate to this environment,” he pauses then reluctantly adds, “So far I have seventy-three confirmed cases, including Lisa.”
Cindy stares at him in shock, “Lisa? George’s wife? That’s why I haven’t seen her around!”
“Yes. I am sending her, and the other confirmed cases, back to the Terran for further study.” Henry confirms.
Cindy is still processing what this means to the colony, “They can’t live here at all?” she finally asks.
Henry shakes his head, “Not unless we find a way to counteract this planet’s effect on them. Everything is slightly different here. Some people’s bodies are just unable to adjust to living in different climates, let alone a different planet.”
Cindy closes her eyes for a moment, then asks, “Does George know?”
“No, and in Lisa’s case, it could possibly just be that her immune system is weak at the moment. She suffered a severe case of travel sickness, then on top of that, received a bad bout of the New Earth virus,” he states.
She asks, “So, you want to take these people up to the Terran, get them back to full health, then see how they cope coming back down here?”
“Exactly!” He replies enthusiastically.
Cindy turns and stares at the carcass for a moment, then says, “After Emma has conducted her research, destroy that.”
“Will do,” he says, then after a brief pause, asks, “Do you want to see the infected?”
Cindy takes a deep breath and lowers her head, “Sure, we were doing so well too.” She looks directly at Henry, “Things just got serious, that’s for sure.”
The two of them walk in silence to the hospital. Like many of the town’s essential buildings, the hospital’s exterior facade is surrounded by scaffolding. Inside, the building is clearly unfinished. Henry leads Cindy to the isolation unit, where he motions through massive windows at the people inside. A handful of the twenty beds have people laying stiffly on them. Three others wearing bio hazard suits, make their way from bed to bed. A myriad of medical equipment lines the walls, completing the scene that confronts the pair.
Cindy indicates the men on the beds, “Drugged?” she asks.
“Yes.” He then adds optimistically, “The surgical team that came with the Liberty really is made up of the best in the world.”
She is saddened by the sight, “I can tell the difference between remedial and hospice care.”
Henry cringes, “Yeah, I thought you might. Okay, here is my assessment,” he looks at Cindy with conviction, “those that become infested will die. This makes these parasites the most dangerous things we have faced here, yet.”
“A one hundred percent mortality rate,” she pauses, deep in thought. Staring into the room, she adds, “We should throw as many resources at this, as we would if it were a pathogen.” She runs a hand through her long hair, “What we need though, is a method of easy detection.”
Henry gazes into the room through the protective glass, “I was thinking along the lines of T.B. testing.”
Cindy turns back to Henry, “Put
a team together, and do whatever you have to. Either find a cure, or come up with a detection process.” She adds, “Until then, all wildlife is off limits.”
Henry waves a hand at the bedridden victims, “I don’t think even the contractors will have to be told twice.”
Meanwhile, John lands the shuttle near Peter and Emma, then brings them up to speed. The pair is walking toward town when he picks them up, thus Emma’s foray is not cut short by much at all. While they fly back, John wonders how to raise a rather obvious issue. Finally, he says, “I am pretty sure Cindy can wait ‘till you guys freshen up.”
Emma blinks, not sure what he means, then all of a sudden realizes what he’s referring to, “That bad huh?” She says while gazing at her soiled clothes, suddenly aware of just how dirty she is.
John glances back, his mind screams out they reek, but he casually replies, “Yeah!”
Peter has had his share of lengthy missions, and even he is looking forward to a long hot shower. He gazes at Emma’s filthy shirt and jeans, then smiles proudly. John drops them off at Emma’s residence, then runs the shuttle’s filters at maximum before parking it for the night.
Once the pair is cleaned up, Peter gives Emma an unexpected kiss, then says, “Gotta run and find out what’s been going on around here.”
She grins, “We will have to do that again sometime.”
Having stalled their duties for long enough, the two of them head off in separate directions. Peter strolls to his house to drop off his gear. Once there, he sits down in a comfortable chair, and promptly falls asleep.
Emma, on the other hand, grabs a few things and walks to the construction team’s encampment. She arrives and stares at the carcass. After a few moments, she moves closer and carefully examines the deep slice. Using a pair of large tweezers, she extracts a worm from the animal’s fat, then carefully puts it into a plastic biohazard bag.
Henry arrives just as she is sealing the bag. He puts his hands on his hips, “Your people did that already.”
Initiation Series: Series One Compilation (Terran Chronicles) Page 93
