Fallen Star (Project Gauntlet Book 1)

by Richard Turner

  Black stood and glared at Nadia. “Why the hell did this general of yours have to come here to test his accursed weapon? What have we done to deserve this?”

  “Because your planet is remarkably similar to ours—”

  Black, interrupted. “What do you mean, our planet is similar to yours?”

  “Sheriff,” Grant said quickly, intent on keeping the conversation moving. “I know we’ve all had a long and stressful night. We can talk about what Nadia means later. Right now, we have more important things to worry about.”

  Black pursed her lips and frowned at Grant. “As a soldier, you of all people should understand my growing anger and frustration. I’ve got five missing people who are most likely dead because of this general.” She turned to stare at Nadia. “How many more of my people will have to die before this madness is brought to an end?”

  “I’m sorry,” Nadia replied. “I wish I had killed the general when I had the chance, but I failed, and now I’m here to try and right that mistake. As for how many more people will die, that’s up to you. Their lives are in your hands, not mine.”

  Grant saw Black’s eye twitch and raced to stand between the two women, before they came to blows. “Assigning guilt can come later. Right now, Sheriff, we have to warn everyone in town to stay where they are and barricade themselves in their homes until help arrives.”

  “How are we going to do that, if none of the radios or telephones are working?” asked Elena.

  “I know how,” said Sheryl, raising a hand. “We can use the town’s old civil defense alarms. They haven’t been used since the big fire of 1998, but they get tested every year on the Fourth of July, so we know they still work. All we need to do is go to city hall and access the speaker system and broadcast our message from there.”

  Grant winked at Sheryl. “Genius…pure genius.”

  “What about the people living by themselves, or who are too far away to hear the alarm?” asked Maclean.

  “The next time I see my officers, I’ll get them to drive the side roads and use the speaker system on the top of their vehicle to pass the message,” said Black.

  “Sheriff, what would you say is the sturdiest building in town?” asked Grant.

  “Without a doubt, it’s the school. It was built in the 1950s, and is made of brick. Why do you ask?”

  “Not everyone is going to want to stay in their homes. Those who are scared will naturally head to where they feel the safest, and that’s here in town. You need to get those people into the school, and make it as defensible as possible. I’d suggest moving anyone still in the clinic into the school as well.”

  “Officer Harrison may be injured, but he can take charge at the school until I get there,” said Black.

  “Sheriff, what about the people living on the Munroe farm?” said Sheryl.

  “Crap, I forgot about them.”

  “Is there a problem?” asked Maclean.

  “The Munroes are several generations of the same family living together on a farm about twenty kilometers outside of town,” explained the sheriff. “They’re devout pacifists who don’t believe in owning guns, even for hunting.”

  “How many of them are there?”

  Black bit her lip. “I’m not sure.”

  “I think there are about thirty of them,” offered Sheryl.

  “Well, we can’t leave them out there to die,” said Maclean. “I’ll take a vehicle and bring them all back here to the school.”

  “The keys for the community school bus will be hanging in the administration office at the school,” said Black. “Sheryl has the spare keys to the front doors of the school in her desk.”

  Sheryl opened the top drawer and began to search for the key.

  “Okay, while Jim does that, Nadia and I are going to try and track down this general and put a stop to whatever he’s up to,” said Grant.

  Elena reached over and placed a hand on Grant’s arm. “I want to come with you. I’ve waited my entire life for an opportunity like this. Please don’t turn me away.”

  “Elena, please think about what you’re saying. This isn’t some benign UFO investigation where you drive around taking statements from alleged eyewitnesses. People are dying out there.”

  “And if I stay here, who’s to say I won’t die in town if these monsters find a way inside this building or the school?”

  Grant couldn’t fault her logic. “What do you think?” he asked Nadia.

  “I don’t care,” she replied. “Do as you want. The woman is not my responsibility.”

  “Please, David, I have to come with you,” implored Elena. “I promise I won’t get in the way of whatever you have to do.”

  Grant gnashed his teeth for a couple of seconds before relenting. “Okay, this is against my better judgment. You can come but keep behind me at all times.”

  “I found your keys,” announced Sheryl, holding them up in the air.

  “Well, I’m out of here, then,” said Maclean. He stood and eyed Hayes. “Care to come for a ride with me, Doc? You can read the map while I drive.”

  Hayes’ face blanched. “You can’t be serious. You want me to go back out there, with all of those creatures running around on the loose in the dark?”

  “I’ll put it another way. Do you want the deaths of thirty people, including women and children, on your conscience because I took the wrong turn in the pouring rain and arrived too late to help those people?”

  “No.”

  “Good, now grab a spare map, have Sheryl mark the Munroe farm on it, and follow me to the school.”

  Hayes shook his head and mumbled to himself as he got out of his seat.

  “I take it that leaves me to head to city hall to bring the civil defense system online,” said Black.

  Grant stood. He held out his hand. “Good luck, Sheriff, hopefully we’ll all meet back here in a couple of hours.”

  “Good luck to you too, soldier boy,” replied Black. “Hopefully, Tracey will be back here before too long with the State Troopers and the National Guard in tow.”

  Chapter 35

  Max Roth sat in his truck, chewing on the end of a pen he had found. The sudden downpour had put an end to their search of the countryside with their drone. He reviewed the recorded feed on his laptop, but couldn’t find a single heat signature he could attribute to a craft sitting on the ground.

  The driver’s-side door opened, Dan climbed in, and took a seat. His clothes were soaked and stuck to his skin.

  “How’s Raoul doing?” asked Max.

  “He’s still pretty shaken up,” replied the mercenary. “I gave him a shot of brandy, and that seemed to help calm him down.”

  “Good thinking.”

  “Did you find anything, boss?”

  Max let out a deep sigh. “Not yet.”

  “Sir, I’ve been thinking about that man we passed on the road. Didn’t it strike you as a little bit odd how he was dressed?”

  “Sure. What’s your point?”

  “Earlier, I was reviewing the feed taken by the UAV of the land south of the lake and saw a heat signature making its way through the forest to what looked like a cabin.”

  “So?”

  Dan held out his hands. “It’s better if I show you.”

  Max slid over the laptop and reached for his cigarettes. He opened his window slightly and lit one of his smokes.

  “Here it is,” said Dan, turning the screen. The image on the screen was frozen. On it was the bright-white silhouette of a man running through the woods. “I didn’t pay much attention to this when I first saw it, as we were looking for a large thermal target and not a lone person.”

  Max rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. “Dan, it’s late and I’m starting to lose my patience. What is so important about this man?”

  Dan pressed the button to resume the playback. Right away, the figure began to move. Instead of plodding along, like an old man, the shape was sprinting down the narrow trail to the cabin. “Sir, according to th
e information received from the camera, that person is moving more than thirty kilometers an hour, in the dark and the rain. I doubt that’s our old man. Someone or something else is down there.”

  “For the love of God, Dan, why did you wait so long to tell me?”

  “I was about to tell you a while ago, but you lost it when you yanked the laptop from my hands, and kicked me out of the vehicle. You told me to check on Raoul and not to come back for at least thirty minutes. Carter also saw the image when he was operating the UAV, but he thought you were too worked up and angry to listen to him.”

  Max closed his eyes and clenched his fists together. He took a long, slow breath in through his nostrils. His volcanic temper was barely being held in check. “I’m sorry, Dan, I’ve been a little too short with you and rest of the team, this time out. I apologize. Please let Carter and Raoul know that we’re going to check out this person right away.”

  Dan opened his door and stepped back out into the rain. He turned back and looked at Max. “Sir, what about Clive? I’ve never once left a fallen comrade behind in the field. Aren’t we going to retrieve his remains?”

  “Do you honestly think there will be much left of him to bury?”

  “It doesn’t matter, sir. He was a loyal soldier, and deserves better than to be left for the scavengers to eat.”

  Max nodded. “You’re right. Before we leave, here I promise you that we’ll recover what we can, and return it home for a proper burial.”

  “Thanks, sir,” said Dan, closing the door.

  Max had to give it to his people; they might not always be the brightest, but they were loyal to each other and, more importantly, to the cause. He looked down at the screen and fixed his eyes on the person running at great speed through the woods. Max’s lips began to curl into a sadistic grin. “I’ve got you…you son of a bitch. Now give to me what I want.”

  Chapter 36

  Grant dropped Maclean and Hayes off at the school, before taking the dirt road out of town. Elena sat up front with him, while Nadia silently sat in the back.

  Grant glanced up at the rearview mirror and saw that Nadia was fidgeting with the device she had used to vaporize the motion sensor trap. To him it looked like a very small pistol. “What is that thing?” he asked.

  Nadia held up the weapon so Grant could see it in the mirror. “It’s what we call a phase pistol.”

  “How accurate is it?”

  “It’s good out to about fifty meters. After that, forget it.”

  Elena turned in her seat. “May I take a look at it?”

  “No, you may not,” replied Nadia, sliding the weapon back into a pocket on her pants.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you.”

  “You didn’t. You’re not a soldier like Dave, so you don’t need to see it.”

  “I never told you I was a soldier,” said Grant.

  “You don’t have to,” responded Nadia. “I can read your mind.”

  “What else can you do?” asked Elena.

  “I’m not a performing animal. I’m highly educated and have traveled thousands of light years to get here. So please treat me with some respect.”

  Elena turned about and looked over at Grant with a puzzled look on her face. He smiled and shook his head. It was obvious to Grant that Nadia didn’t like having another woman around.

  “Nadia, if you can read our minds, why do you need me to take you to Sparks’ home?” said Grant. “Surely, you’ve already read my thoughts and know precisely where he lives?”

  “You may be a lesser species, but I was taught to use what you could around you to achieve your mission,” replied Nadia. “You’re a skilled warrior, so it would have been foolish of me not to have brought you along.”

  “I guess I’ll take that as a compliment. So, what’s your plan when we catch up with the general?”

  “I’m hoping to take him peacefully. But if he resists, I won’t hesitate to kill him.”

  “How will we recognize this general?” asked Elena.

  “Sorry, I mustn’t have been clear back at the police station,” said Grant. “Sweet, old Joe Sparks is the man we’re after.”

  “Him? I don’t believe you.”

  “It’s not him,” said Nadia. “It only looks like him. The real man is most likely dead.”

  Elena’s mouth hung open for a few seconds. Finally, she said, “My God, you’re a Reptilian…aren’t you?”

  “Who and what I am are unimportant. I have a job to do, and that’s all you need to know.”

  “Don’t take it too personally,” said Grant to Elena. “I tried playing twenty questions with Nadia when we first met. Suffice to say, Nadia’s not too forthcoming on details.”

  “Can’t this thing go any faster?” asked Nadia.

  “No. Not unless you want to end up in a ditch on the side of the road. I’m already driving too fast for the road conditions. Just sit back and we’ll get there soon enough.”

  Nadia let a deep huff and sat back in her seat. She reached into her pocket, pulled out her pistol, and once again began to absentmindedly play with it.

  “Are you sure this is the right road?” Maclean asked Hayes, as he turned off the road onto a dirt track leading through the woods

  “It’s the only one on the map,” replied Hayes, thrusting his map in front of Maclean’s face.

  Maclean brushed the map aside. “I can’t drive and read the map at the same time—that’s why you’re here.”

  “Then please do me the courtesy of not questioning my map-reading skills every time I tell you to take a new road.”

  “Sorry, it’s just so damned dark out, and this friggin’ rain isn’t making it any easier to see.”

  “It’s all right. My nerves are on edge as well. I never thought I’d be doing this when I agreed to come over from England to help with Project Gauntlet.”

  “When I joined the army, I did it so I could fight the Taliban in Afghanistan. I don’t remember the recruiting officer saying anything about UFOs and having to dodge prehistoric killer animals running around the backwoods of Alaska.”

  “Do always have to make a joke out of everything?”

  Maclean chuckled. “It’s a defensive mechanism. I’m not as confident as I look. Right now it helps mask how bloody scared I am inside.”

  “I’m glad you can admit that you’re scared, as I’m just about ready to pee my pants.”

  “Let’s not be doing that now, Doc. How much farther would you say is it to the Munroes’ farm?”

  Hayes checked the map. “No more than about another ten kilometers.”

  “Okay, at this speed, we should get there in less than fifteen minutes.”

  “Good. Let’s hope these people aren’t unreasonable, and will willingly come back to town with us.”

  “After you tell them that a rabid, oversized grizzly bear is headed their way, I bet they’ll be more than willing to come with us.”

  “Why do I have to tell them?”

  “Because you look like you know what you’re talking about, and your Oxford-educated, English accent is easier to understand than my Australian one.”

  “Whatever works.”

  “That’s right, Doc, whatever works.”

  Robin Black sat down behind a wooden desk and pulled the old metal microphone toward her. She closed her eyes and composed her thoughts. When she was ready, Black activated the town’s sirens and let them blare a warning tone for a minute before switching it off.

  Black pressed the talk button. “People of Robertson’s Mine, this is Sheriff Black speaking. This is not a drill. I say again, this is not a drill. A couple of wild animals have been spotted heading for the town. They are believed to be sick and are extremely dangerous. They will kill you if they catch you outside of your homes. I am asking all of you to remain indoors until further notice. Lock all of your doors and windows, and keep as quiet as possible. If, however, you don’t feel safe in your home and feel that you need someone to protect you, pleas
e make your way to Eisenhower School, where Officer Harrison will be there to meet you. If Officers Scott and McCartney can hear this message, I want you to report back to the station immediately.”

  Black sat back in her chair and waited a few seconds before repeating the message, to ensure as many people as possible heard it. When she felt she was done, Black switched off the power to the microphone, and stood. Before she did anything else, she knew she had to drive home and bring her son to the school. Like her, Sam was an accomplished hunter. Black wanted him to be near to her from now on until the danger had passed. She was going to use him as a lookout on the school roof. If any of the animals got into the town, his job would be to bring them down before anyone else got hurt.

  Chapter 37

  Max Roth got out of his truck and looked around. With the rain coming down, he couldn’t see more than a few meters into the pitch-black woods. He reached back into his vehicle, grabbed hold of a set of NVGs, and switched them on before placing them over his eyes. Right away, the world turned into myriad shades of green. He adjusted the lenses until everything around him was in focus. Max scanned the countryside, and saw they were alone. He flipped up his NVGs and looked over at the three men still with him.

  “Okay, we stopped about five hundred meters shy of the path leading to the old man’s house,” explained Max. “I didn’t see any point in potentially alerting him that someone is coming his way. Carter will take point, followed by myself, then Raoul, and lastly, Dan. Our aim here is to capture the old man alive, and force him to help us. Under no circumstances are you to fire at him without my authority. Got it?”

  No one said a word. They were all ex-soldiers who knew precisely what was expected of them.

  “All right then, lead on, Carter,” said Max, stepping to one side to let the mercenary lead them to the old man’s cabin in the woods. He brought his NVGs back down over his eyes and clenched his M4 carbine tight in his hands.