“Before I forget, I have something for you,” I said, tossing Lopez a small box containing captain’s bars. “General Kalipetsis promoted you. He thinks you are a real go-getter and wants you to lead Military Intelligence back at Headquarters.”
“I’ll take the rank, but what does Military Intelligence mean for me?” asked Captain Lopez. “I get a desk job?”
“It means that starting tomorrow you get to babysit the eggheads, not me,” I said.
“It will be a short assignment,” replied Captain Lopez. “These fools are going to get themselves killed for sure, poking around after wolves.”
* * * * *
At about 0200 hours, a lone wolf scout entered camp. He had been watching all night. Now that the campfire had died down, the wolf felt safe taking a closer look. He ignored the raw meat left in the cage trap. The wolf sniffed at a large tent, pawing at the zipper until the door flap opened slightly. He sniffed, then moved on to the armored cars.
Corporal Washington sat asleep in the cab of his armored car. The large green spider could sleep soundly in any position, and liked to sleep in the cab because he could not stand the body odor of the human legionnaires at close quarters. Private Wayne was doing the same thing in the other armored car.
The wolf looked in the driver’s side window at the sleeping spider. With his paw, the wolf pulled down on the door handle. It clicked as the door popped ajar. Corporal Washington immediately woke up and pulled the door shut, locking it. The wolf gnashed his teeth against the window, leaving a saliva smear dripping on the glass. And then he was gone.
Corporal Washington climbed up into the turret and fired the mounted machine gun into the woods where he thought the wolf retreated. Everyone woke up to find Corporal Washington still yelling, “Wolf!”
“We are not here to kill the wolves,” said Dr. Smith. “We are here to establish a rapport with them.”
“I suppose that’s why you brought the trap cage?” I asked. “If you catch a wolf in that thing, he is not going to be happy.”
“I need to conduct tests on a live specimen,” explained Dr. Smith. “I want to test the wolf’s IQ.”
“Good luck with that,” said Corporal Washington. “You will need a larger cage.”
“I told you the New Colorado wolves are larger than Earth wolves,” I added.
“They’re meaner, too,” said Captain Lopez. “El lobo likes to eat gringos like you.”
“These wolves are a protected species,” I said. “You are not allowed to trap them.”
“Have you actually seen any wolves?” asked Dr. Smith.
“No,” I admitted. “But I have seen their tracks. Their feet are huge.”
“I have big feet, too,” said Special Agent Hobbs. “And I’m going to stick one up your ass if you don’t tell your legionnaires to stop shooting at wolves on sight. This is not a hunting trip.”
“That wolf opened the door to the armored car,” said Corporal Washington. “It tried to eat me!”
“What happened is you fell asleep and got the crap scared out of you,” said Hobbs. “You fall asleep again on guard duty, and I’ll give you a lesson about who you really need to fear around here.”
“The forest is a dangerous place to be talking so tough,” said Private Wayne. “You might end up here permanently, if your mouth keeps writing checks your ass can’t cash.”
“Major Czerinski,” said Hobbs, turning nervously to me. “Control your spider legionnaires. What are spiders doing in the Legion anyway?”
“Risking their lives,” I said. “Get used to it. And don’t upset them. Spiders can be a bit volatile.”
“That spider threatened me,” complained Hobbs. “That is insubordination. I want him up on charges.”
“I’m sure his true intent was lost in translation,” I said. “It’s a cultural misunderstanding. Private Wayne is one of our better recruits.”
“Fuck you,” said Private Wayne, trying to make his intent more clear. “Fuck you and the glyptodont you rode in on.”
“See?” I said. “He is not threatening you. He merely got his greetings mixed up. Happens all the time. Welcome to the Foreign Legion.”
“What do you mean, the wolf opened the door?” asked Dr. Smith, frustrated at the lack of focus on important matters. He now questioned Corporal Washington. “Do you mean you left the door open, and the wolf was pawing at it?”
“No,” answered Corporal Washington. “The wolf snuck up on me and pulled the latch down to open the door.”
“And that’s when you woke up?” asked Hobbs. “I will be reviewing the video. This will not be allowed to happen again.”
The legionnaires went back to sleep in the armored cars. Hobbs and the scientists excitedly viewed the video. When they saw the size of the wolf, they became concerned. It was the size of a bear. They became more concerned when they saw the wolf open the tent flap and look inside. Special Agent Hobbs did not even bother watching the rest of the video. He ran to my armored car and knocked on the door.
“What?” I asked. “We have a long day ahead of us and need some sleep.”
“May I sleep inside the armored car?” asked Hobbs.
“You have got to be kidding.”
“I am a bit concerned that the wolf may come back,” explained Hobbs. “And he might bring his pack.”
“No,” I said. “There is no room. It’s funky enough in here as it is.”
“I have to sleep in a more secure place,” pleaded Hobbs. “General Kalipetsis ordered you to give the CIA your utmost cooperation. That means keeping me safe.”
“Fine,” I said. “There is plenty of room in the cabs. Go talk to either Corporal Washington or Private Wayne. Maybe they will let you in. But you cannot sleep here.”
Special Agent Hobbs went around the armored car and looked in the driver’s side window. Corporal Washington was sound asleep again. Hobbs knocked on the window. Corporal Washington woke up immediately and opened the door.
“Stop trying to sneak up on me,” said Corporal Washington. “I was not sleeping. We spiders just have a stoic look at times.”
“Don’t worry about it,” said Hobbs. “I just wanted to apologize about earlier. I’ll do the same to Private Wayne later.”
“I accept your apology,” said Corporal Washington, closing the door. “Don’t let it happen again.”
Hobbs knocked on the door again. When Corporal Washington opened the door, Hobbs pushed past him. “I’m sleeping here, Corporal,” announced Special Agent Hobbs. “Get used to it.”
* * * * *
In the morning, a supply truck brought a larger cage. Dr. Smith still wanted to capture a wolf for testing, so he gave Corporal Williams a tranquilizer rifle. Corporal Williams built a tree platform where he lay in wait with the rifle, looking out over the camp. The doctor hung a deer carcass by a rope as bait. He also hoped to lure the wolf in by playing wolf howls and injured deer sounds on a loud speaker.
At about midnight, the wolf came back. Corporal Williams shot him. The wolf looked up at Williams, snarled, and fell over. We dragged the wolf into the new cage.
Dr. Smith put a collar on the wolf. The collar carried a tracking device and a video camera transmitter. When the sun came up, the wolf awoke. He pulled at the collar and tested the cage by smashing against it. The cage easily held. Dr. Smith and the other scientists spent all day testing the wolf. They gave the wolf food, but it refused to eat. They tried word association, hoping to build a vocabulary, but the wolf only snarled. One scientist showed the wolf flash cards, but was ignored. They even coaxed Corporal Washington to rattle the wolf’s cage, but the wolf reacted the same as with the humans. At dinnertime, the wolf began howling at the moon. Late that night, the howl was answered by a far-off wolf scout.
“I always say be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.” I listened to the far off howl. “Your wolves are coming. Now what?”
“We should be safe in the armored cars,” said Dr. Smith. “We will observe pack behavior f
rom the safety of the gun turrets.”
“Then I get to mow the wolves down with the machine gun,” said Captain Lopez. “It will be fun.”
“I know you are just trying to get my goat,” said Dr. Smith. “I do not expect simple legionnaires to understand the importance of my work. But the highest echelons of the United States Galactic Federation are watching us and are expecting positive results. I will not let them down.”
“El lobo isn’t a dog that you can train,” said Captain Lopez. “These wolves are wild animals. And they hate you. At least, that wolf in the cage hates you. Look at his eyes.”
“I hope you are correct,” said Dr. Smith. “Hate is a sign of abstract thought. It’s a sign of intelligence. If that wolf can hold a grudge, then maybe it can do much more. Perhaps it can also love.”
“That wolf would love to eat you,” I added.
“Do you want the wolves to be your slaves?” asked Captain Lopez. “Do you plan to train wolves to jump through hoops, like in a circus?”
“The CIA wants to know if the wolves can be partners with humanity against the spiders,” answered Dr. Smith. “Can the wolves be a form of pest control? I am tasked with finding an answer to that question and more.”
“Is that true?” I asked Agent Hobbs. “Do you really want a wolf protecting your back?”
“I was sent here to get answers,” explained Special Agent Hobbs. “Don’t be so surprised. It was your report that started this whole thing. It’s better that we do the research first. For all we know, the spiders are already recruiting the wolves to fight us.”
“That will not happen,” said Private Wayne. “We spiders will never be compatible with any of your hideous Earth monsters.”
“Even that statement is a positive,” said Dr. Smith, scribbling notes on a pad. “The Legion sees the value of exploring these possibilities. Didn’t your General Kalipetsis declare the wolves a protected species? He implemented that executive order long before the CIA or I took an interest in the wolves of New Colorado. General Kalipetsis saw their military value.”
“You messed with the wolves’ DNA, didn’t you?” I asked. “That is why you are here. You want to see if Frankenstein can be put back into its test tube.”
“That is not true,” said Dr. Smith. “Rumors like that are spread by the ignorant.”
“You scientists once claimed Czechoslovakian wolf dogs were a myth and a figment of the public’s imagination, too,” I said. “But they were real.”
“It will not work,” insisted Private Wayne. “The wolves will not partner with humanity.”
“Why not?” asked Special Agent Hobbs. “What would a spider like you know about it? Humans and wolves are from Earth. We have a shared history. Dogs are man’s best friend.”
“I have studied your literature,” said Private Wayne. “Have you not read Little Red Riding Hood? I thought it was mandatory reading for your babies. Your own literature says a wolf cannot be trusted. You teach that to your young.”
We all laughed. Private Wayne got more agitated. “I have also read about the Three Little Pigs!” he added.
We laughed louder.
“I am serious!”
“Did you read about the Boy Who Cried Wolf?” asked Guido, still laughing. “Or about Lupa raising Romulus and Remus?”
“A sentient species that does not retain or value the lessons recorded in its literature is doomed to repeat its mistakes,” fumed Private Wayne as he left to sleep in the cab of his armored car. “I have nothing more to say to you human pestilence on this matter.”
* * * * *
“Satellite reconnaissance shows there are still forest fires caused by the nuclear explosion east of Finisterra,” said the Intelligence Officer. “There is interesting Legion activity just east of the blast site. Images show two armored cars and about two dozen legionnaires.”
“What is so interesting about that?” asked the Special Forces Commander. “The area is well within the Legion zone of control.”
“They have caught and caged a large wolf,” said the Intelligence Officer. “Some of the human pestilence do not carry weapons. I suspect they are civilian scientists studying the wolves.”
“I want to know more about what they are doing,” said the Special Forces Commander. “Keep an eye in the sky on them. Drop a team in if you think it will help. What kind of research are we doing on wolves?”
“None,” said the Intelligence Officer. “We have offered a bounty on wolf pelts and shoot them on sight. There are requests from industry in the North to exterminate the wolf population with nerve agent, but you have denied those requests.”
“The new Treaty forbids severe ecological damage,” said the Special Forces Commander. “The human pestilence specifically cited wolves as an important protected species in their fight against invasive pests.”
“Then the humans are violating the Treaty by trapping that wolf,” said the Intelligence Officer. “I think the humans want to make strategic use of the wolves and are doing military research along those lines. Remember the North Massacre?”
“Rumors blow wolf attacks way out of proportion every time they are retold,” said the Special Forces Commander. “It is treason to repeat rumors that flame defeatism.”
“I am your Intelligence Officer. I have the numbers at my claw tip,” said the Intelligence Officer. “What if the human pestilence are trying to coordinate and train wolf attacks against us? What if it is already happening?”
“I would use the nerve gas, but it kills everything else, too,” said the Special Forces Commander. “The deer hunters and the Arthropodan Rifle Association would be pissed. Did you know the new Emperor is an ARA member?”
“I propose we start our own wolf research department,” said the Intelligence Officer. “I can start catching wolves immediately.”
“Do it,” said the Special Forces Commander. “I do not want Arthropoda to fall behind on wolf research. If monitor dragons can be trained for the military, why not wolves?”
* * * * *
I set a folding field chair in front of the wolf cage. The wolf growled and backed away from the bars and wire mesh. I offered it a bone shaped dog biscuit. The wolf refused, even though it looked hungry. I put the dog biscuit back in my pocket.
Bored, I got up and strolled to the forest’s edge and relieved myself. I saw sudden movement to my right, and drew my pistol. As I turned to take aim, I tripped on the uneven ground and fell onto my back. I lay there in the ferns, listening. I could hear something approaching, but did not dare move for fear of being noticed. I gripped my pistol in both hands, combat style, holding it close to my chest.
Two wolves converged on me from each side. One of the wolves stepped on my chest, pinning me to the ground and taking by breath away. The other wolf grabbed my wrist in its jaws, causing me to drop my pistol. I was led by the wrist into the forest. With my free hand I pressed my radio microphone to call for help. The sound of the radio squelch startled the wolf gripping my wrist, and he tightened his hold. I groaned and let go of the microphone. Captain Lopez answered, asking for my location. The other wolf ripped the microphone speaker cord off my shoulder.
After walking about a mile, we stopped at an outcropping of rocks. The wolf let go of my wrist. I sat down on a rock, rubbing out the pain. Both wolves stood guard as we waited. Other wolves came by to take a look at me and to get a sniff. Some growled, but most were silent.
I took the dog biscuit out of my pocket and offered it to one of my guards. The wolf refused. I then made a show of taking a bite of the biscuit and pretending it tasted good. “Yum, yum,” I said. “See Fido, it’s not poisoned. It tastes great. It’s light but not filling. This biscuit tastes much better than I would. It’s full of vitamins and is more nutritious, too.”
Again I offered the dog biscuit to the wolves. Again they refused. I rose to stand and stretch my legs, wanting to test their reaction. Both wolves growled and advanced on me. I sat back down on my rock to make them happ
y. Happy wolves are good wolves, I thought to myself. A large wolf came by and stared at me. The two guards backed away, respecting its size and status in the pack. The large wolf had old scars about its face and eyes, and had a chewed up ear. He lorded over me, pressing ever closer. I leaned back, not wanting his jaws to get too close to my face. I slowly reached behind my back and gripped my large jagged combat knife tucked inside my belt. Before I could strike, the wolf deftly snatched my cap off my head, and was gone.
* * * * *
Back at camp, Captain Lopez was preparing to lead a squad of legionnaires to find me. They had found my pistol and hoped to follow my tracks. Guido’s monitor dragon was already pulling on its leash, wanting to follow my scent. Just as the squad was assembled, a lone wolf scout emerged from the forest, carrying my legionnaire cap. Captain Lopez signaled for the others not to shoot. Spot immediately lunged at the wolf, but Guido pulled the dragon back and kept him on a short leash. The wolf trotted up to the cage and placed the cap on top. He gave the wolf inside the cage a curt greeting, then disappeared into the tree line.
“If I had not seen that for myself, I would never have believed it,” said Dr. Smith. “Do you realize what this means? It means these wolves have evolved beyond anything we ever could have hoped for. They are a sentient species. They can plan ahead several actions at a time and can contemplate more than what is in front of them. They are no longer merely reactionary beasts.”
“Whatever,” said Captain Lopez. “They’re just one more thing on New Colorado that can kill me.”
“Not if we can communicate with them,” insisted Dr. Smith.
“We already have communicated,” said Captain Lopez. “They want a prisoner exchange. Free the wolf.”
“I think you are right!” exclaimed Dr. Smith. “We will know soon enough after viewing the video transmissions from the wolf’s collar.”
America's Galactic Foreign Legion - Book 3: Silent Invasion Page 13
