Forlorn Hope

Chapter Seven

Lieutenant Colonel James Mathers strode into bay nine to witness his four-man extraction team leaning against an unpowered skimmer. One of the men was a wiry sergeant with the last name of Wilkins. He and Wilkins had been on enough missions together. Mathers decided the odds of mission completion increased exponentially with Wilkins on the team. The pilot laughed and told jokes - Mathers recognized him from previous missions as well. Mathers and the five men were outfitted in winter camouflage, tinted goggles and, with the exception of the pilot, armed with MSBS Radon Bullpups.

One of the soldiers Mathers didn't recognize saw Mathers and called out, "Attention on deck!"

Mathers could tell from the soldier's wording that he had been active in the Navy or Coast Guard. Mathers responded, "At ease gentlemen. We have an unauthorized presence in the Montana quarantine zone. We are to intercept this person or persons; assess their threat and act appropriately."

None of the team responded to this news - they were after all an extraction team. Mathers seized the recessed handle to the rear hatch and shouted, "Let's kick this pig!"

The team boarded the skimmer via three entry hatches and sealed them tightly. The gaps indicating hatch locations were barely distinguishable from the camouflaged paneling.

It was eerily silent until a slight hum filled the bay. Had anyone been in the bay, they would have heard a slight pop and the hairs on their arms would have stood on end. Next, a flash of light followed. It would last half a second, and the skimmer would float off the bay floor. Quickly, inch by inch until it reached the magic eighteen. Beneath the skimmer, the concrete floor would appear to warp and bend in waves emanating from the skimmer's magnetron. These waves were so strong that electronic devices like hearing aids, pacemakers or even digital music players would have ceased functioning. The electromagnetic waves neutralized all electronics within an eighteen-inch radius. Fortunately the skimmer's deck and bulkheads were coated on all surfaces with copper ink to block those waves. Faraday cages shielded sensitive computers and electronics. Colonel Mathers, his extraction team and their equipment were unaffected by the torrent below. A single arc of electricity escaped and grounded out on the concrete bay floor. The skimmer moved slowly at first, maneuvering towards open bay doors. Once the nose of the skimmer breached the doors, it increased forward velocity to forty miles an hour. The skimmer was capable of reaching speeds in excess of one hundred and twenty miles an hour, but such speed was unnecessary at this juncture.

Mathers placed his hand on the shoulder of the pilot. "I want to be in Gardiner, Montana at zero one thirty."

"Confirmed, zero one thirty, Gardiner, Montana. Increasing speed to sixty-five miles an hour."

The skimmer moved silently in the dark, cutting a swath through the billowing snow in a perfect northeast line. From the correct angle, the skimmer bisected the full moon – an image comically similar to promotional images from a movie about an alien trying to get home - released in the year 1982.

* * *

Garret opened the doors to the Gardiner Public Library and peered into the darkness. The moonlight shining through the upper windows illuminated areas of the library in diagonal columns of light. Like a spotlight, one of those light columns illuminated a figure slouched in a chair. A stack of books on a table obscured the face. A slight snore echoed throughout the library.

Anna whispered to Garret, "What do we do now?"

"No one should be here, let's see who he is."

"He? How can you tell?"

"I dunno, just guessing." Garret left Anna in the archway and maneuvered around tables to get a better look. "Holy Shit!" he shouted out, staggering backwards and knocking a pile of books off a table.

The sound of books hitting the wooden floor combined with Garret's exclamation woke Bear from his slumber. Bear's eyes snapped open. Seeing Garret, he jumped to his feet sending the wooden chair skittering into the table behind him.

Bear exclaimed, "You scared the shit outta me!"

Garret, unable to speak, merely stared. His eyes furiously scanned the face staring at him. The odd accent this newcomer spoke with wasn't what frightened him. The man before him had skin the color of khaki. His eyes were slightly larger than a human's and were absent of color. His head, devoid of hair, gleamed in the moonlight. He appeared to be covered in sweat.

Anna maneuvered into Bear's field of vision and spoke with a calm, reassuring voice. "Garret, who is he?"

Bear looked from Garret to Anna. His eyes appeared sad, "Are you here to take me away?"

Anna spoke slowly, her voice wavering in a combination of awe, fear and curiosity. "Who are you?"

* * *

Bear felt a strange calmness wash over him. If he were to die here, so be it. He spoke with a confidence he didn't know he possessed, "My name is Bear. I am the eldest sibling of The People. I do not wish to die here."

* * *

Garret grabbed the nearest chair and sat mute. Anna regarded Garret with sudden disgust. Now who's useless? I haven't the time to pretend to need you!

To Bear she spoke, keeping her voice even and calm, "My name is Anna, Anna Wenz. It's nice to meet you, Bear."

* * *

Bear scrutinized the female addressing him. She obviously wasn't of The People, but maybe they too had a matriarchal society. The male appeared to defer to her authority. She resembled photos of females he had seen in books consumed only hours before. Textbooks from his village were oddly missing any images of the native population. The elders had censored these images, hiding the undeniable fact: The People were not of this world.

* * *

Anna waited patiently for a response from the alien standing before her. Interacting with an alien was always a possibility, but still she thought, I am actually talking to an alien! She dared not utter this thought aloud. She didn't want any escalation of force, merely an understanding and possible alliance.

Garret chose that moment to speak, "An alien! An honest to God alien!"

Anna rolled her eyes. Babbling fool, she thought.

* * *

Bear's eyes flickered briefly to – what had the female called him earlier? Garret. That was his name. The Anna female was obviously displeased with Garret's outburst.

He regarded Anna with what he hoped was humor, "I have been alive for twenty years. I believe this town has been abandoned much longer." He drew himself to his full height and continued, "The People have lived in Montana for almost a century. You madam," he gestured a four-fingered hand towards Garret, "and your companion are the aliens here."

* * *

He's preening! Anna couldn't help but smile. Men are the same regardless of species. She did her best to keep the amusement out of her voice, "I think the three of us have a lot to talk about."

* * *

Recovering from his initial faux pas, Garret opened a Velcro pouch on his pants and produced a small round device - smaller than a tennis ball. He began to absentmindedly toss it from hand to hand as if it were a ball. Bear recognized it immediately - it was the control module to the ship's power core. The owner of that module would have complete control over all ship functions. Bear now knew what the gleaming crystal represented in his nightmare. He was preordained to possess that module. He would ally with these humans and wait for an opportunity.

* * *

Tensions diffused, two humans and an alien sat around a table in an abandoned library, discussing history, art, current events and of course the ice age.

The alliance they formed and their discussions were about to be interrupted. Colonel Mather's skimmer was now within sight of Gardiner, Montana. Using thermal imaging, the skimmer changed course and headed directly for the Gardiner Public Library.