Bootstrap Colony (30 page)

“Fauna?” Paul asked.

“Animals.”

“Oh, okay. Right boss.”

“If everything wasn’t so damn wet
I would take a crew to the tree line and cut a few trees to use as defenses.”

Paul looked alarmed. “What about
those creatures?”

“We can check with IR goggles and
of course we would be armed. Moot point anyway, everything is wet, the chain
saws would bind up pretty quick.”

Paul nodded, he looked relieved.
“Had me scared there for a moment boss,” he admitted.

Mitch smiled. “Remind me to get
the motor home back from Mike; this leg is too much of a pain not to have it.”

Paul nodded. “Yeah, it is a
bitch,” he said as he turned to the flatbed trucks, he took note of a couple
logs on one.

“Hmmm.”

Paul looked over. “Yeah, we could
use them. South side?”

“Yeah, good idea.”

“Okay boss we’ll get on it.”

“Wait a moment Paul. The flatbed
too,” Mitch said pointing to the near empty trailers.

“Huh?”

“Nudge the flatbeds over then tip
them on their sides,” Mitch said. Paul looked dubious. “It won’t hurt them any
Paul. We can winch them back when we break camp. Knock over one per side.”

“Roger. I got it,” Paul said.
Motioning to Sam, he had Sam put a team together to help, and another to moved
rocks from the camp site to the perimeter to fill any additional holes.

They raced against the setting
sun, aware they were running out of time, and called a fast lunch break just as
the ominous southern sky turned dark once more. Noting it they rushed back to
work. The crash of one of the flatbeds tipping over startled the girls awake.
Doc came out to see what was going on, and after a hurried explanation from a
harried Paul nodded in understanding.

She watched Mitch pitching in,
pulling on the lines of a block and tackle to ease a flatbed over, and then she
turned and fished out a pair of gloves and joined in. Cassie stretched, got a
drink and ambled over just as the last one was flipped. “Whatcha doin?” she
asked. Sam nudged the bobcat controls to move the flatbed over.

“Afternoon sleepyhead,” Mitch
teased, smiling to mean no offense. Cassie took a long sip and then shrugged.

“She can sleep through a
hurricane,” Doc said dryly. Cassie grinned sheepishly.

“We are going to be stuck here a
while longer, so we are setting up better defenses.”

Cassie blinked and looked around.
“Oh. Good idea,” she observed. She looked over to the south, just as the first
fat dropped of water began to fall. “Shit!” She grimaced and ran for the truck.

Doc ambled off, “I have got to
pee before being cramped into that truck!” Mitch chuckled, pointed to the
nearby latrine pit then turned his back on it as she went over. He had Paul
rigged some of the tarps to the inside of the flatbeds as impromptu pup tents
for those stuck there.

A few hours later the storm broke
in full force and they all ducked for cover. Paul called out a moment later,
hollering that they have movement south by south west.

Checking the indicated area Mitch
felt a spurt of adrenaline at the sight of one of those monster lobsters
trundled out of the tree line toward them. Another call from the other side had
him turn to look; a pack of raptors had made a kill nearby. The pack was large,
over forty strong. The lobster stopped, then turned to the kill and trundled to
it.

One of the raptors looked up and
turned, hissing a screech then cawing. The others turned, dripping bloody
muzzles turned to look at the intruder. The alpha raptor pair gave a clucking
call, and then began to display.

The lobster stopped, moving its
claws out in a washing motion, then continued forward. Shrieking in anger the
pack flanked and then encircled the creature. One of the raptors seemed to find
an opening and courage so it attacked, darting in a mock attack. A swift hammer
claw sent the raptor jumping back. The lobster stopped, turned in place, watching
the raptors. The raptors angled to try to attack from behind; one darted in and
tried to savage a limb, only to be nearly struck by a fist.

The lobster’s claw got stuck in
the muck. It tugged on it a few times. Sensing victory the pack moved in to the
kill, several rushing in. With a sucking sound the lobster got its claw free
and hammers a raptor as it jumped sending it tumbling off into the night. The
other claw slammed a raptor juvenile to the ground, pinning it with a crunching
sound of breaking bones. It mewled for a few moments and then stopped moving.
The raptors cut in, and Mitch winced as the sound of nails on a chalk board, or
at least claws on chitin could be heard, even over the sounds of the rain and
battle.

Mitch noted one of his people nearby
shouldering their gun to fire and he pushed the barrel down. “Wait. Maybe they
will take their battle elsewhere.” He raised his voice. “Hold your fire folks,
let them duke it out, no sense wasting ammo.”

Sam muttered: “Fight of the
century, and I don’t know which side to bet on!”

Paul looked over, “Ours of
course,” he growled.

Sam snorted. He waved to the
others to keep an eye on their sectors.

The battle continued, the raptors
were darting in more and more, and it took a few attacks before Mitch realized
they were attacking the joints. “Hmm, either they are smart, or have been up
against one of these before,” Mitch mused. Paul shrugged. One of the juveniles
was too slow, it got grabbed by a claw, held up and then cut in half. The free
claw smashed down, striking another raptor sending it tumbling.

Suddenly with a low moan and loud
crack the creatures left leg buckled, one of those darting attacks had struck
home. It limped for a second, and then another strike hit the other side,
sending it down onto its side. The raptors attacked from behind, chewing and
scraping at the back. “Sounds like nails on a chalk board,” Doc muttered. One
raptor darted near the rear, a loud crunch could be heard as it tore into the
rear and underside of the lobster mantis.

With one claw pinned the creature
couldn't fight back effectively. Its thrashing turn to quivers then stopped
altogether when one of the raptors darted in from behind and ripped the head
off.

They watched the victors dance
and caw, dripping feathers flashing as they swung about in an obvious show of
victory. Mitch shook his head. Eventually the raptors settled down and divided
into groups.

The raptors set into feasting,
while the humans watched warily. Someone coughed and it attracted the attention
of a few raptors, but they quickly returned to their meal. The raptors on
perimeter watch gave a stuttering cry, ambling side to side, but remained where
they were, and eventually returned their attention to the forest.

The raptors cleaned house,
tearing into both carcasses and their own dead. A few of the surviving
juveniles managed to tear off chunks and lug them off. The wet crunching sounds
sicken a few people, who looked away in distress. Paul kept a wary eye out for
trouble however. Mitch asked if he wanted to get some sack time and Paul shook
his head no, no way he could sleep with those things around. Mitch patted him
on the shoulder. “Okay. You have first watch.” He detailed three others to keep
watch, then the rest into two groups for later watches. “Sam will wake the
second group in four hours folks so rack out while you can,” Mitch ordered.

When day broke Mitch got a couple
volunteers and took his hummer to the remains. The raptors had left, but had
stripped both carcasses clean, even the bones of their kill were taken.

Only the ichor in the grass and
the cracked shells of the lobster remained behind for the bugs and small
scavengers to pick over. “They even took their dead,” one of the girls
observed, nervously watching the forest for signs of movement.

“Why the bones?” Paul asked.

“Bones?” Mitch looked up from
examining a shell. “They have marrow inside. Crack them open and suck it out. I
doubt the lobsters had bones though,” Mitch replied. He fingered the shell
thoughtfully.

Paul looked away, the girl gulped
and turned greenish. “Yeah, it may also be a way to keep them busy too. Like a
toy.”

“Okay too much information,” the
girl snarled. The girl was definitely a little green around the gills.

Paul looked over to her and then
shook his head. “Well be glad he hasn’t decided to try that with the day care
group.” The girl gave him a horrified look then stormed off back to the
encampment.

Mitch chuckled. “Maggie will want
to get a look at these so let’s see if we can bundle them up and bring them
back.” One of the guys gagged, but began dragging the pieces together. Mitch
pulled out a kit and sampled the ichor.

Nearly a week later a filthy,
itchy convoy wearily pulled into base. Anne, Lisa, and a few others were the
greeting group, but winced and wrinkled their noses at the awful pong as the
group got out of the vehicles. Mitch wearily shrugged and pointed out they
didn’t have baths, but plenty of showers, or at least the natural variety. Sara
shook her hair out, and made a beeline for the shower, some of the other women
hard on her heels.

Maggie approached, then thought
again, and kept her distance. Mitch smiled. She told him that the armadillo’s
were doing a better job at pest control, so they discontinued spraying. Sean
piped up: “They even use the litter box! And it looks like the cats are
ignoring them, or at least only batting around the babies.”

Doc and Mitch nodded. “Okay, just
keep them under control. You two write up a report and then have Pete read it
off to Mike and Jack. Both have pest problems too. Maybe we can round up a
couple critters and send them there way.”

“Trouble with tribbles,” Doc
muttered.

He turned to her with a mock
glower. “They are NOT tribbles! Tribbles were furry and born pregnant,” Mitch
mock growled. Doc snorted, and then giggled. Maggie and Sean look confused.
“Trek,” Mitch said by way of explanation. He gave them a sidelong look, and
then continued his glare at Doc who was snickering.

Mags face cleared, and then she
looked to Doc, “Never figured you for a Trekkie Doc.” She snorted.

Sean looked even more confused.
“I don’t get it!”

“Ancient history kid, I’ll tell
you about it sometime. Or you can you can pull it up in the library when you
have time,” she said, waving to the ceiling. “I have been meaning to ask, how
the heck did you manage all those videos?” Mitch shrugged. She put her hands on
her hips. “You’re not getting out of it that easy bub,” she growled. He
snorted.

“I hired an Audio Visual team
that bought a list of material I wanted, and anything else my team thought
would help or be interesting,” he explained. She nodded. “I also grabbed
anything popular, and of course my own library.”

Maggie nodded. “I gathered that
from the rather extensive Sci-Fi collection.” She wrinkled her nose.

“Well, we don’t really need it
since we’re living it.” He shrugged and spread his hands. “It does come in
handy though,” he commented thoughtfully. Doc nodded.

Maggie waved Sean back to the vet
area. Mitch watched them leave then turned his glower to Doc, but can’t hold it
and it turned to a chuckle. “Okay Doc, go get your shower. I am going to piss
Janet off and raid the fridge while I wait,” he said with a mischievous grin.
She snorted.

Janet came in sometime later and
screeched up a storm at seeing him standing against the counter tearing into a
reheated steak. “Nice to see you too Janet. I did wash my hands and arms you
know,” he said diffidently.

She cursed a bit and he smiled as
she waved a wooden spoon threateningly at him. “Just like the kids!” He
laughed, wiping his face on his sleeve, and then made a show of washing his
hands. He wiped up with the towel hanging nearby, and then tossed it at her
chest. She grabbed it, dropping the spoon with a clatter and instinctively
twitched the towel into neat folds. He laughed and gave her a jaunty salute as
he headed for the showers before she could recover her spoon.

Maggie the vet came out after
doing the necropsy on the hammerhead creature. She removed her rubber gloves
from her hands with a snap and then rinsed her hands and forearms. “Well, it is
a new one in my book,” she said. Mitch came in, gave her a look. She repeated
the comment.

He chuckled. “Ma’am, we are
writing all new books on humanity.” She gave him a sidelong look and then
smiled and turned to continue washing.

“Yeah... but I could just imagine
my college professor taking a look in that room, he would be all over it to
write the papers on it,” she finally said.

He laughed. “Yeah, well Doc Mags,
what do you think?”

“Well, first off you're right, it
does have gills, and by the look of them salt water, though we would have to
check the tissue cultures to be certain. Cassie is right about the melon, it
definitely shares a lot of similarity to a dolphin’s echo location.”

“The damn thing has eyes on the
stalks, but the stalks are angled slightly inward to give it some forward
vision. The rim of the stalks have what look like electrical detectors, but I
will have to check the database to compare them to something.” She shook her
head and sighed. “There are a lot of other things like a Terran shark, the jaw,
teeth, and double eyelids. Oddly the throat has a voice box.”

“Yeah they vocalized, seemed
intelligent,” Mitch replied. She grimaced.

“Yeah, but I bet they send and
receive a lot of information with that melon. The skin is purplish black, and
it seems to lack UV protection, again I need a lab check to confirm. Definitely
nocturnal.” She looked up as he handed her a towel.

“The eyes are a brilliant touch,
I bet they can’t see in color, but the lenses look like they can focus low
level light to almost daylight ability. So normal light would hurt a lot.”

She smiled and he nodded. “Yeah,
we noticed that,” he said dryly.

She shrugged. “The skeleton is a
mix of bone, cartilage, and a spongy material I haven’t seen before. There is a
second part of the front shoulders; it looked like a leg that fused into the
fin there that folds back against the body above the front shoulders.” She
folded the towel and hung it back on its rack.

“The body has some streamlining,
and the legs seem to be able to fold up under the body to minimize drag when it
is in the water.” She moved her arms to her chest, tucking them in and
clutching them there. “I bet they can then control themselves in the water with
those pectoral fins and the head. Doc was right about the feet, tridactyl front
feet, with clutching ability. Rear has three toes, with claws and webbing.
Those fins have muscles to spread or retract them. Tail is pretty musculature,
possible swimming. Liver is big, but not too big,” she paused in thought. “I
would say these creatures are partially aquatic, maybe nomadic. I doubt they
could survive the winter here,” she finished, sounding almost hopeful.

He nodded. “Think they are
seasonal?”

She sighed, “Yeah that would be
my guess based on circumstantial evidence. They probably build up fat reserves
on land, then return to the sea and migrate to warm waters for winter.”

“Okay Doc, thanks.”

“I don’t think they would go too
far inland, then again, new experience with an unknown species. If it has
traits like a Terran bull shark, it might be able to live in freshwater. I
doubt the crocs would like the competition,” he observed. She nodded. “I have
some video if you want to see them,” Mitch suggested.

She shook her head shivering a
little. “Not now, god, these things are scary enough dead!”

He smiled and nodded in reply.
“Catch ya later.”

Mitch and Brian made a dozen of
the tent greenhouses, and sent them in the next convoy to Mike. Jolie told Mike
they were coming. Jack overheard and asked how they were set up. She called
Brian in and he explained. When Paul returned he met Mitch and Hejira in one of
the greenhouses. “Speaking of greenhouses...” He waved to the tent ones
outside. “Jack passed on a request for some of those tent ones like you built
for Mike.”

Hejira delicately sniffed a
flower, and then stuck her fingers into the soil, checking the water. Mick
cocked his head. “Yeah, I thought that would happen,” he replied.

Paul snorted. “They rigged a
couple with the two sheets of plastic they had on hand, but they do only have
makeshift racks for the seeds, no drip lines or pumps.” He pointed to the hoses
and pump.

Hejira nodded. “Can we build them
a set?”

Mitch nodded. “I already sicked
Brian, Walter, and Wayne on it when Jack called. We should have them ready the
next time you head there Paul,” Mitch replied. Paul nodded.

“I would like to see their set up
and aide if I may,” Hejira commented.

“Of course,” Mick bowed to the
expert and left with a smile.

 He finished work with the air
compressor, sensing Lisa and Jolie coming up behind him. Jolie had turned into
a flirt, but was more subdued when Lisa was around. He tried to hide the
mischievous grin as he got an idea. “Hey, Whatcha doing?” Jolie asked,
sauntering up with her hands in her pockets.

“Repairing an ANDY. Stuck hip
joint,” Mitch replied. He pointed to the parts then pulled the air wrench off
and slipped a tip on. Lisa came over interested.

Jolie wrinkled her nose; she
wasn’t into the grime and grease like Lisa the grease monkey. When Lisa was
totally engaged in looking over the part Mitch pointed the tip at her rear and
squeezed the trigger. The puff of air made her jump in fright, her hair flying
about. She whirled with a yippee, then hit him on the shoulder when she
realized who the culprit was. Chuckling Mitch turned to shoulder the blow and
then laughed.

Jolie looked startled, and then
laughed too. He coiled the hose as Lisa glared at him. Ducking like an errant
kid, he kept laughing quietly. She was getting better, if he had done that a
month or two before she would have been hysterical. She was starting to come
out of her shell. Her subconscious mind was starting to feel secure and safe.
Damn she could hit though, he thought feeling the pain in the shoulder.

He chuckled a bit, and then yipped
himself as she kicked his shin. “Ow!” He yipped, suddenly in a lot more pain.

“You gotta pay for your
pleasures,” Jolie giggled.

“I thought I had!” he said,
rubbing the calf.

“It wasn’t that funny! What if I
had dropped the part?”  Lisa accused, eyes glaring at him.

He snorted. “Not likely, I
trusted you.” She turned, face suddenly heating. Jolie gave her a look as her
giggled faded. He nodded as he scooped up the part. “All right, I have an anxiously
waiting ANDY who needed this.” With that as his parting shot he left. He could
hear the girls talking behind him.

 Jacklynn flew a UAV up the
Copper River to find sulfur and was attacked by Shriekers. She caught a glimpse
of a giant long legged tentacle creature before the UAV crashed. She reported
to Mitch, who watched the recording, replayed it, and then grimaced. “What?”
she asked.

He asked for the location and
bearing, then bearing of the creature. Angie came in; Jacklynn let her know the
UAV crashed, explaining to her and Paul who followed her in about the creature.
Paul asked if they were going to retrieve it and Mitch shook his head.

“Not what I am worried about
right now,” he muttered. He held up his tablet. “According to this, if you were
here, and the creature was here, its direction of travel made right for
vicinity of the Copper village.”

Angie paled at this news. “With
those Shriekers around we won’t be able to fly in time to help. Paul get them
on the horn and warn Jack now,” Angie said, turning to Paul.

Paul sprinted for the
communications shack. Jacklynn swore. “Damn I didn’t think of that and the way
that thing was stripping everything in sight...” She paled in horror. “We gotta
do something!” She slapped her hands.

“We can’t get to them in time,”
Mitch answered softly, staring at the tablet. She grimaced.

Paul came racing back, letting
them know Jack got the word and they were going to button down the hatches. Sam
was half way there and was going to drop his load and try to make a run for it
to help out. Grimacing, Mitch nodded. “Jacklynn, is the plane fixed?”

“Yeah best we can, wait you're
not going to try to fly with those... those things there!”

“No, but the moment they are
clear, we can get Doc out there,” he said. She nodded, now grim and worried.

A tense wait began for some, but
Mitch shooed hanger ons back to work. When Helen began talking on the radio,
Pete turned it up for all in the area to hear. “There is a mist coming in from
the north east along the river. We can see something moving. Shriekers have
been flying around all day, circling us like vultures, gave me the creeps,”
Helen said and then cleared her throat. “Jack has everyone under cover; we just
finished the last roof. Ben and Gwen are playing look out. Thank god for all
that cement!” Scrambling sound could be heard in the background. “Okay, I moved
to the window. We can hear a low thumping thud, and feel a vibration. There is
a low moaning sound, like out of this world. Like a whale or something or
other.”

Mitch grimaced. Pete looked
shocked and awed. Doc came in; she gave Pete a look and got Mitch’s attention.
She pointed to Pete. Mitch shook his head. She pursed her lips then listened as
well. “Gwen just called, said there is something, I dunno tree trunks moving?
It is
THAT BIG
?”  She started to gibber.

“Oh my god Jesus protect me!
Protect us all!” That ended in a wail as a low thumping could be heard over the
radio. Static began to play havoc with reception.