Hunters: A Trilogy

by Paul A. Rice

  With a shrug, Jane stepped back from the machine and turned to see what Ken was doing. He had placed the two miniature vehicles on the floor, making sure there was plenty of space in between them, before taking one of the key fobs and handing it to her.

  ‘Just point it in the general direction and then push the big arrow once,’ he ordered. ‘I don’t know which vehicle belongs to what zapper, but just zap them anyway.’ He stood back and watched as she tuned the device over in her hands.

  Lifting it level with her chest, Jane did as he had asked. Pointing the device at the little cars, she pushed down on the slender button with her thumb. To her amazement, she saw a tiny, green whirlpool take shape; it shimmered and rotated for a second, before blooming outwards with a sloshy, liquid sound.

  With a flash, the vehicle seemed to expand before her very eyes – one second a toy car, and in the next, well… a very large and very real-looking vehicle miraculously appeared on the straw-covered floor of the barn. Jane felt a slight waft of pressure on her face and saw several loose strands of straw do a quick gymnastic display past her feet.

  Then the unseen force ceased as it had started, leaving her staring in amazement. ‘Good God!’ she exclaimed. ‘That is absolutely the most amazing thing I think I’ve ever seen! Oh my…bloody hell! I mean, how in the…?’ She turned to the two men who stood smiling at her. Shaking her head, Jane whispered: ‘I know you’d tried to explain it to me, Ken, but I had no idea it was like this! It’s fantastic; I want one of my own! I wouldn’t have any trouble parking outside the apartment in London with one of these, now would I?’ With an amazed shake of the head, she threw the zapper to Mike and stepped towards the vehicle in anticipation. After they had shown her how to gain entry to the Spear, Jane climbed into the driver’s seat and waited whilst they joined her inside.

  Mike climbed into the front.

  ‘Mikey will give us the demonstration on all the gizmos, Jane. He’s a wizard at this stuff,’ Ken said, opening the rear passenger door and clambering in.

  During the next twenty minutes, Mike showed them all of the controls and strange devices that the vehicle had hidden in its leather-clad interior. To the casual observer the inside of the car was almost exactly as standard, but, with the touch of a few hidden switches, the true nature of the beast was soon revealed.

  Jane marvelled at the scanner and couldn’t get over how it was able to see straight through the solid brick wall of the old barn. The entire windscreen illuminated as its head-up display showed them the fields beyond. They were able to see several sheep, glowing brightly in the distance. ‘No way,’ she breathed. ‘That’s awesome, Mikey, simply awesome!’

  He showed her the Pusher, giving it a little flick in demonstration. Immediately, a cloud of straw and dust pulsed away from the nose of the vehicle. ‘Don’t mess about with it too much in here or we’ll have the frigging wall down!’ he said, with a smile. Then he showed her how the screen was able to find where they were by locating their implants. Tapping the smaller satellite navigation screen, which lay on the front of the dashboard, he called up a menu and quickly scrolled through by sliding his finger across its glass surface.

  The word ‘Locate’ flashed up and he selected it with a slight tap.

  As Mike did so, the windscreen pulsed slightly and then displayed three blue dots within the car-shaped emblem that glowed in the top left corner. Underneath the dots were their initials and the word: ‘Interior’. Mike said, ‘This thing will find any one of us anywhere on this planet, probably anywhere in the universe!’

  Both Jane and Ken shook their heads in awe at that statement and then continued to listen in fascination as Mike carried on with his tutelage. The only thing they didn’t cover was the Spears’ alleged new ability to take them to wherever they wanted. They had talked about it, but not really considered the practicalities. When Mike mentioned it, Ken said, ‘George reckons we can do it using Shrink Down, maybe we should have a practice run, eh?’

  ‘Good idea,’ Mike said. ‘I’ll have another gander at the book of words and see if there is anything we’ve missed. I’ll check out the navigation thing, too. Apparently we have to take a tablet and wear the suits before we go and play.’ Turning to Jane, he apologised and then explained about the instructions George had given them after she had fallen asleep.

  So, after a bit more practice, it wasn’t too long before all three of them had become familiarised with the intricacies of their amazing new vehicles. When they were done, Mike put the Spears back into miniature mode and then, making sure the barn was locked, they all headed for the house.

  ***

  It was on the afternoon of their fourth day since the dream that Mike was called to put his knowledge into practice much sooner than he perhaps would have liked. They were gathered round the kitchen table, where Ken and Mike had casually been discussing some of the things that had happened whilst they were on the airbase in Afghanistan. As Mike joked about some funny event or another, the lights along the front of his laptop started flashing. The machine’s activation stopped the men’s war stories in their tracks. In silence, they waited whilst Mike switched on the screen.

  Tapping the keypad, he said, ‘Communicator on, please.’

  The screen slid upwards and blinked once, there was a moment of fuzziness before George made his appearance. He was sitting in a high-backed, black leather chair. His baggy blue jumper and white shirt collar appeared in perfect colour on the monitor, the shirt collar peeking over the neck of his overly-large sweater. It made him look rather like a vicar.

  ‘Hello there, everyone, I trust that you are well,’ he said. ‘I have downloaded some information for you to read – it is in the machine as we speak. So, when I have finished, Michael will retrieve it for you. Since this will be the first time for you, I would simply like you to try out the equipment. To that end, I have given you a small surveillance task to complete, along with some navigational practice as well.’ He looked down at his notes and then said, ‘Very simple really, go and see how you get along. We will be watching. Oh, and use the Shrink Down too, please.’ Without another word from the old man, the screen went blank and then slid back into the machine.

  Mike leant over and tapped some keys. Another smaller screen slid into view and displayed a set of written instructions. There were some photographs of a man and a small, blonde-haired child. Her hair was held up in a bunch and one of the pictures had caught her whilst she looked at something that obviously delighted her. The child’s tiny milk-teeth were displayed in a wide grin that was spoiled only slightly by the small gap where, by the looks of things, the tooth-fairy had just visited. After scouring the information for about ten minutes, Mike pushed another button; a tray slid open and out popped a small disc. He handed the disc to Jane. It fitted easily into the palm of her hand and was almost translucent.

  ‘What do we do with this?’ she asked, glancing back to Mike.

  He replied: ‘It fits into the reader on the dashboard, we can check it some more whilst we are underway. It links to the navigation system and will take us straight to a pre-determined location. That’s what I’ve been told…’

  Ken interrupted them. ‘Should we go now, or is it too late?’ he asked. ‘Maybe we should wait until the morning…’ He was just being polite – in all honesty, the idea of a late-afternoon adventure enthralled him.

  Fortunately, he wasn’t alone in his keenness.

  ‘My God, no – let’s get on with it! I’m tired of all this talk. What do you think, Mikey?’ Jane said, turning to see him walking over with three suits and the box of blue tablets in his hands. ‘That’ll be a unanimous ‘Yes’, then…’ she murmured.

  Ken laughed and grabbed two of the suits. Throwing one to Jane, he said, ‘Last one changed makes the brews when we get back!’

  With a flurry, they ran to their rooms to get ready.

  Within ten minutes, they were back at the table, having stripped, donned the suits and then put their normal clothes ba
ck on over the top. The suits felt strange – they weren’t really like wearing anything. In reality, they felt more like a second skin. Mike passed them each a bluey and sharing the glass, they swallowed the tablets with a swig of tap water. Then, taking the red case, they headed for the barn. Once there, Mike zapped one of the Spears, opening the doors and the boot. He picked up the other miniature vehicle and placed it in the interior of the boot. ‘Just in case we have a breakdown along the way,’ he said.

  Ken nodded in silent agreement.

  Jane asked: ‘That reminds me, I forgot to ask before, but what about fuel, are they diesel or petrol?’ She looked at them questioningly. ‘I don’t have any cash on me, should I go and get my purse?’

  Mike replied, saying: ‘It’s okay, I have plenty money and credit cards on me, but we won’t need it for fuel, Ken will show you why…’

  Ken obliged and lifted the carpet. Looking into the space where a spare wheel should have been, Jane saw two transparent, plastic tanks. They took up the entire under-boot space. Noticing they were filled with liquid, she said, ‘Goodness, it’s no wonder we won’t need any fuel, there must be enough in there to last a month – is that safe?’ The thought of having two hundred litres of fuel behind her backside wasn’t something she felt too happy about.

  Ken’s answer was the last thing she expected. ‘It’s only water, hun, that’s all these things need,’ he said. ‘Remember, I told you?’

  She looked at him in shock, saying: ‘Yes, but I forgot…water, that’s it, just water?’ But the car looks so, so normal…’ Shaking her head in amazement, Jane turned away. Then, with a wide grin on her face, she asked: ‘Should I drive?’

  The men agreed, and also decided that Mike should take the front passenger seat so that he was able keep all the gadgets working. Ken, in the meantime, would ride shotgun in the rear. It wasn’t too far from the truth. Even though they had put all of George’s devices into their pre-determined places, Ken had also slipped a 9mm Beretta pistol into his waistband whilst he was getting changed upstairs in the lodge. ‘Electric pens and liquid energy are great, I’m sure, but nothing beats a hollow-pointed bullet when the shit starts hitting the proverbial!’ he’d said to Jane when she had questioned him.

  ‘Right, where to, guys?’ Jane asked, sliding into the driver’s seat.

  Mike inserted the little disc and waited whilst the screen deciphered the information contained therein. Shortly afterwards, the windshield illuminated, heads-up display glowing with its soft blue light. A map appeared and a small triangle flashed briefly upon the detailed surface of the screen.

  Reading the instructions, Mike said, ‘Hmm… that’s down in Wiltshire, I think, do you see the big forest just outside of the town? We have to get there by the most direct method, and get there unseen.’ Tapping the screen, he enlarged the map and scrolled through with his finger until he came across a heavily-wooded area with a small clearing in its centre. ‘There will be fine, I reckon. We’ll arrive in Shrink Down, wait a bit and then, if the coast is clear, we can jump to full size. What do you think?’ He turned and looked at Ken in the rear.

  Ken agreed. ‘Sounds good to me – fire her up,’ he said. ‘Let’s just do this!’

  Jane reached over, flicked a black switch downwards and then pressed the silver button marked ‘Start’. With a rumble, the engine ignited and in unison the dashboard lights began their rapid systems check before flickering out one by one.

  Mike looked once more at the little line of instructions and then closed the icon with a touch of his finger. ‘I guess that now is as good a time as any to learn without the words,’ he said, pushing something on the control panel. A small black tray extended silently from the fascia. In the middle sat an aluminium button. He turned it once and waited until it had rotated upwards to its full height. As it did so, a warning flashed onto the windscreen.

  ‘Transfer to destination – are you sure?’

  ‘Yes!’ Mike said, pushing the button firmly downwards.

  Ken whispered: ‘I hate travel sickness…’

  The familiar tearing-liquid noise filled their minds. It only lasted a short while and then ended abruptly. To the occupants of the car, it seemed to have had no effect. ‘Well… that’s weird. It doesn’t seem to have worked; I wonder what’s next on the menu?’ Mike said, turning to stare at Ken.

  He was answered by a slight gasp from Jane. Banging the steering wheel to get their attention, she whispered, harshly: ‘Mike…Mikey, we’re there! Oh, God, look at that!’ Jane had her nose pressed against the side window. The men saw her body vibrating with shock.

  Peering out, they saw an enormous beetle flying past the window without a care in the world. They heard the beating of its wings as the helicopter-sized insect hovered above them. The car vibrated in the down draft as the huge thing lingered overhead for a brief moment. Probably deciding that the shimmering Spear didn’t appear to be lunch, it increased its wing speed and with a loud buzz, zoomed off over the tall blades of grass surrounding the vehicle. The buffeting downdraft of its departure rocked the Spear on its suspension. They were there all right, there and in complete miniature. It took a second or two of almost total incredulity for the trio to accept the obvious. They were miniaturised, had done some sort of time travel, and were now at their destination, still encased within the amazing vehicle. They sat in stunned silence for a moment, before Mike’s understated remark spurred them into action.

  ‘Well, that’s fairly interesting isn’t it, folks?’ he said, reaching up to touch the screen where it said ‘Scanner’. A white circle spread across the screen, highlighting the various life-forms in range. Several white dots appeared in an indication to the presence of local insects and wildlife. There were no human forms to be seen. ‘Okay, let’s get back to the real world,’ Mike said. ‘It sure was fun being a Lilliputian…but I ain’t getting out of the car like this, I don’t even know if we can get out,’ he whispered.

  The black tray appeared, Mike pushed the button once and they waited as the bubbling whirlpool encased them again. With a dizzying lurch, Ken’s much-hated travel sickness made its reappearance. After the dust and their thoughts had settled a bit, Mike read the instructions again, eyes scanning the words as they flitted across the screen. ‘Right,’ he said, ‘by the looks of things, the next waypoint is down in the town – just follow the Navigator, Jane. It looks to be about five miles away. Let’s go, shall we?’

  Jane gunned the engine and spun the vehicle to follow the arrow that shone upon the windscreen in front of her. It glowed with an opaque blue and gave its instructions in writing underneath. ‘Ahead, two-hundred metres, and then turn left…’ The tyres spat gravel as she pulled out of the little clearing and onto the track. Following the Navigator’s instruction, she drove them out of the woods towards the main road. Following that road, they found themselves heading into a small town that lay down the valley.

  Almost as soon as they cruised onto the town’s main street, the Navigator instructed them to wait. Jane pulled into a parking place across the road from an old Public House. It was home to ‘The Jolly Carpenter’, or so the sign said. The chalk-board menu on the pavement outside announced that today’s special was ‘Homemade Corned Beef Hash.’ As they sat and wondered what was next, the screen flashed once and a red emblem clicked up over on the left side, the same side as the pub was on.

  Two words illuminated beneath the red emblem. ‘Target is approaching.’

  A picture of a man appeared on the screen, there were several pictures, in fact. As they watched in disbelief, the very same man exited the pub, which lay twenty yards away, crossed the road, and entered a shop marked ‘Greys Ironmongery’. A name flashed beneath his picture.

  ‘Graeme John Peters – caretaker of Brown Hill Primary School’.

  This was followed by a stream of information regarding the now targeted Graeme Peters. It wasn’t pleasant information, either. Definitely not something you would put on your résumé – especially i
f you were working at a primary school. Most certainly you wouldn’t. The words were interspersed with some graphic pictures, terrible images, including several of him digging a small hole in the darkened corner of a wood somewhere.

  As he watched the show, Ken couldn’t contain himself. ‘This guy is one A-Grade arse-wipe, isn’t he?’ he hissed. After breathing in deeply, he said, ‘I’ll go and kill him right now, and I’ll do it for free!’ His clenched cheek muscles gave away the anger he felt.

  More information followed the terrible pictures, more information about the little girl whose face they had seen before. The images also came with some written information. ‘Susan Jennifer Bearsden: Aged six-years. Entrapped and killed in seventeen days’ time by one Graeme Peters.’ The date and time flashed up in red. The light of its digital display was detestable to them. To see the actual date of someone’s death, read out in advance, was not something you get to see every day.

  The digital text continued. ‘Bearsden destined for greatness in the field of Hydro-Cell Activation, she will be one of the first pioneers of desalination technologies and H2O ignition.’ The final line screamed at them. ‘Susan Bearsden, mother of three – Susan Bearsden, Nobel Prize winner.’

  The pictures of the child floated across the blue screen. A happy-go-lucky child, playing and smiling like all children should be. Yes, a happy young child who had no idea about the events looming upon her unseen horizon – awful pictures of a soon-to-be very dead, young child.

  Peters exited the ironmongers carrying a brown paper bag. He wandered across the High Street, passing within several feet of the Spear. The heavily tinted windows would have been enough to disguise the occupants had he been looking, but he wasn’t looking and instead, walked on past them without a care in the world. He was whistling – paper bag carried in one hand, the other tucked into the hip pocket of his coveralls.

  He crossed the road next to them and walked over to a green Renault. Stooping to unlock the door, he reached in and popped his package onto the passenger floor before slipping into the driver’s seat. Fiddling with his keys, Peters finally managed to get the car started. He slammed the door shut and pulled out of the parking space, blue smoke puffing from the Renault’s exhaust pipe.