Diamond Sky (Diamond Sky Trilogy Book 1) (9 page)

‘Intelligence does not come into it,’ replied the frustrated
animal handler. ‘Animals are simple creatures and act on instinct, not
insight.’

Something about the animal handler’s words stirred Lucas’s
thoughts.

‘What did you say?’

‘I said that animals act only on instinct. They are not
capable of processing complex thoughts like you and I.’

That was it, thought Lucas. The snake was acting on some
kind of hypersensitive instinct.

‘So what you are saying is that the snake can only sense
your movement and react accordingly?’

‘Exactly, only this one seems to react before I even know
what my next move is going to be. It is almost as if it can see things before
they happen.
Crazy, huh?’

Crazy yes, but was it impossible? Lucas was beginning to
doubt everything he thought he understood about nature. Cats and dogs were
believed by some to possess a sixth sense that warned them of impending danger
to come. What if the snake was doing the same, albeit on a highly acute scale?

‘So what do we do if we cannot catch it?’

The animal handler looked him in the eye and then shifted
his gaze down to the policeman’s hip where his handgun was holstered.

‘It’s a course of action I always prefer to avoid, but
sometimes we have no choice.’

Lucas knew how the man felt. The easiest option was rarely
the most satisfactory and working in law enforcement he understood this more
than most. He unclipped the holster and slowly placed his fingers over the
handle of the weapon. As he did so, the snake abruptly turned its attention to
him and let out a menacing hiss through its forked tongue.

‘I don’t think he likes the gun,’ said Lucas.

‘Don’t be crazy,’ replied the animal handler. ‘It was merely
spooked by your movement, that’s all.’

Lucas was not so sure.

‘Maybe if he can sense the alternative, he will choose the
bag.’

He withdrew the weapon and pointed it at the head of the
reptile.

‘What are you
gonna
do now?’ asked
the animal handler. ‘Read him his rights?’

‘Just wait,’ replied Lucas. ‘He may not know what is coming
next, but perhaps he can feel it.’

‘This is ridiculous.’

Lucas ignored the other man and took a step forward. As he
did so he focused on nothing apart from pulling the trigger and blowing the
head of the snake into a thousand bloodied pieces. The animal handler shook his
head, but then he too was forced into reassessing everything he believed as the
snake slowly, obediently, slithered into the bag.

He quickly twisted the top and sealed it with a loose knot.
Rather than carry it back to his truck in his hands, he affixed it to the end
of a pole. This was completely new territory for him and he was not going to
take any chances.

‘What will you do with it?’ asked Lucas.

‘I have no idea. I suppose I will send it off for testing.
No one is going to believe what happened.’

Lucas nodded. He had been there and yet he could hardly
believe it himself. It was certainly not a story that he would repeat to just
anybody. They would surely think him to be crazy. There was one man though, who
he trusted to offer useful insight into the situation. He decided that in the
morning he would pay another visit to the observatory. This time he would be
the one seeking assistance.

Chapter 9

Friday night in the Sly Fox was not a night of
celebration as it would be in pubs and clubs situated in larger towns and
cities. This was mainly due to the fact that the passing trade was pretty much
zero and the only customers to frequent the bar would be the same locals that
came to drink there every night. So when it played host to not one, but three
outsiders, it was not an occurrence that could go unnoticed. Some people would
be uneasy with the attention this placed upon them, whilst others would lap it
up with gusto. The two soldiers from Shady Pines Military Base fell into the
latter category.

As soon as they entered the bar, all eyes were on them.
Rumours can evolve over a twenty four hour period at a rate that would astound
even Charles Darwin. The most advanced theory was that the Americans were sent as
part of a mission to cover up a UFO landing. Although it would be more accurate
to state that it was the theory most advanced from the truth. Some people
believed the hearsay and some did not. Now they would get their chance to find
out the truth first hand. The pair seated themselves on stools at the bar.

A dozen pairs of eyes quickly switched from the newcomers to
the landlady. She would be leading the interrogation on behalf of the entire
town.

‘What can I get you boys?’ asked Mindy.

The eyes moved back to the Americans.

‘Two beers and take one for
yourself
,’
replied Mike, as he handed over a fifty dollar bill.

‘Is that all; only sometimes out-of-towners buy a round for
the bar?’

Mindy kept her hand out, palm faced upwards with the fifty
on top. Mike glanced around and quickly did the math.

‘I don’t suppose you take American Express?’

‘Uh-huh.’
Mindy shook her head.

The atmosphere tensed and the American could feel all eyes
boring into him. He nudged Bradley, who reluctantly handed him some more notes.
Mike placed a twenty on top of the fifty and waited for the response. Mindy’s
hand remained outstretched. He added another twenty and when she still did not
move, he just gave her the rest of the small wad. She opened up the till and
counted it out before handing him back a two dollar coin, which he refused.

‘Call it a tip,’ the soldier said, a tad bitterly.

Not all of the locals went to collect their complimentary
drinks right away. They were in no hurry and Mindy would bring it to them when
replacements were needed. She had also not yet finished with her current
customers.

‘So what brings you boys to Jackson’s Hill?’

Mike dismissed the idea of sticking to the usual cover
story. Whether these people were educated or not, they would certainly not be
fools. He decided on a less condescending lie.

‘We’re on a training exercise. Desert manoeuvres sometimes
call on us to navigate by the stars.
Where better to learn
than an observatory?’

She nodded, but did not believe him.

‘So you boys are with the army?’

‘That’s right. We’re stationed at Shady Pines. We’ve been
here so long we’re practically going native. I even thought about finding me a
nice Aussie girl and settling here permanently.’

A local man in his forties was sat next to Mike and could
not help but join in with the conversation at this point.

‘My granddaddy was stationed with some Americans in World
War II. He fought with them in the Battle of Brisbane.’

‘He sounds like a brave man; you should be proud. I only
hope that we can continue that strong bond between our countries.’

The local smirked and moved in a little closer until his
breath could be felt on the side of Mike’s face.

‘Nah, mate, you misunderstand what I’m telling
ya
. When I say that my granddaddy fought with the
Americans, I mean that they were the enemy. The Battle of Brisbane was little
more than a riot, started by your lot coming into town despoiling our city
centres and stealing our women.
Them
boys needed a good hiding and that’s exactly what they got.’

Mike squared up to the man.

‘If the GI’s were stealing your women; how can you be sure
that your real granddaddy wasn’t on our side? Hell, you and I could even be
related.’

The man looked at Mike like a croc does a water buffalo. The
entire bar
fell
deathly silent as everyone waited for
the next move. The only movement was from Bradley who backed up a little to
provide his friend with more space should he need to defend himself. It was a
stand-off that could flare up at any second. Mike raised his chin slightly,
tempting his adversary to throw the first punch. The man responded not with his
fists, but with his voice; breaking into a loud, all encompassing laugh.

‘I’m only yanking
ya
chain, mate.
A bloke can’t hold a grudge with someone who’s bought him a beer. Thanks for
that, by the way. There aren’t many folk that fall for Mindy’s little trick.’

He winked at the landlady, who returned his gesture with a
smile.

‘I thought you said that outsiders have to get a round in,’
Mike said to Mindy.

‘You must have misheard,’ she told him. ‘I only said that
they “sometimes do”, a point, which you just proved.’

‘So how often has anyone bought a round for this entire
bar?’

‘You’re the first.’

When Mike sat back down he was feeling more than a little
foolish.

‘Don’t beat yourself up over it, mate,’ said the local
beside him. ‘It was still a good gesture and folks here will appreciate it.’

Mike nodded, weakly. Once the fuss around them died down,
the pair looked around for a quieter part of the bar to take their drinks. Mike
spotted an attractive blonde sitting in a booth alone. She had pale skin and a
pretty face that was much too delicate to belong to a native. She wore minimal
make-up, which seemed to be intended as functional rather than provocative. Either
way, it was not really needed. She was beautiful. She was also the kind of girl
that was completely oblivious to the effect she had on men, which was just how
Mike liked them. This was more his kind of territory. He gave his wingman a
nudge and the two walked over to get acquainted.

***

Jackson Fox hung up the phone. It took a lot of
bargaining, but the Americans finally agreed to let him keep
Emmy
and Charlie on the project. The only concession he
made was in agreeing to allow Mike to replace
Emmy
in
the practical trials.

He switched on his laptop and brought up the readouts from
the lab. He knew what his granddaughter was up to and it pleased him, though he
would not let her know that. When he was growing up he had to fight for
everything, even his education. She had it easy. Not only did she attend the
finest academic establishments in the country, she also benefitted from the
encouragement of nothing less than a genius from the day she was born. It would
do her good to have to struggle for a change. Without his forced opposition,
she would lack the necessary spirit to truly achieve greatness.

The only concern he harboured was with her motives for
choosing to apply the science in the way that she had. Space exploration was a
noble field, but he feared she was searching for something a little more
terrestrial than alien life. He stood by his theory that the encounter she
described on the moon was most likely a fellow astral traveller. The professor
was not a believer in new age philosophy. Whilst it was perhaps possible for
one to achieve an altered state of consciousness through meditation, only
technology could provide that final push necessary to send one soaring among
the stars. As for the alternative; well, the dead were precisely that; dead. If
it were any other way, Jackson Fox would have a hell of a lot of explaining to
do; especially to his granddaughter.

***

Lucy cringed when she saw the two men approach. The
barmaid had earlier been over and delivered a drink, which she told her was
from the two men at the bar. She thought back to her awkwardness in Coober Pedy
and how Anna had given her confidence. She wished Anna was with her then to
help her deal with those two. In fact, if Anna were there, they would most
likely give the men the brush off from the start. As it was, she simply let
them sit down opposite her.

‘Hi there,’ said one of the men, who sounded American and
came across as smug. He had the type of face that would not be out of place on
a daytime soap opera. ‘My name’s Mike and this is my bud; Brad.’

‘Lucy,’ she succinctly replied.

‘Are you alone?’

She quickly glanced to her father, whom she had placed on
the table. It was unlikely to be considered normal behaviour to be taking the
ashes of a deceased loved one out for a drink. Rather than suffer the
embarrassment of trying to explain herself, she tried her best not to draw
attention to the urn.

‘My car broke down and I got stranded here. Hopefully, I
will be on my way by morning.’

‘Where you headed?’

‘I haven’t decided yet. Once I get to Alice, I’ll start to
plan out the rest of my trip. There’s plenty to see; King’s Canyon, Uluru. I’ve
never been this far north before and I may even carry on to Darwin.’

She was babbling. Why had she given them so much
information? She was saved from embarrassing herself further when the barmaid
came over with another tray of drinks.

‘These are from Ned and the boys over in the corner. They
also got one for your new lady friend. You guys have made quite an impression
tonight.’

Mindy placed the three drinks on the table and then went
back to tend the bar.

‘You were saying,’ urged Mike.

‘
Er
, yes,’ replied Lucy. ‘I’m
going to Alice Springs.’

This time she refrained from disclosing her wider itinerary.

‘Alice Springs; we actually work not too far from there.
Although you probably already guessed that we’re from out of town. We came in
last night and are staying up at the observatory.’

Lucy wondered what the odds were that she had crossed path
with these two before.

‘You arrived here yesterday. What car were you driving?’

Mike looked at Bradley to see if his friend thought the
question to be odd as well.

‘We have a company car. It’s actually pretty cool; a jet
black Hummer with tinted windows. It’s a real monster; it could run any other
car off the road. Being a city girl, you’d love it.’

‘What makes you think I’m from a city?’

‘Why else would you come to the country for a holiday?’

It was a fair observation. However, he was wrong to assume
that she would love his Hummer. She was more familiar with the vehicle than he
could have known. At least now she knew exactly who to blame for her
predicament. Whilst they talked, the barmaid returned with a bowl of fries.

‘These are compliments of the house. I thought you folks may
be a little hungry,’ said Mindy.

The food was greasy and just the thought of it polluting her
digestive tract was enough to sate Lucy’s hunger. The men did not seem too
concerned about their cholesterol levels and quickly dived in. They picked up
the chips two and even three at a time before stuffing them into their mouths.

‘I think this needs a little seasoning,’ said Mike, reaching
out to pick up a salt cellar.

His fingers brushed past the urn. When he replaced the salt
his hand actually hovered over the receptacle containing Lucy’s father’s ashes.

‘What’s in here?’

Lucy reached out to snatch it away from his grasp, but her
fingers slipped, causing her to tip the urn over. The lid came off and rolled
across the table until it came to rest against the side of the bowl containing
the fries. A small mound of fine ash spilled over the rim and rested on the
tabletop like a cigarette stain.

‘Holy shit!’ shouted Bradley, unable to hide his obvious
amusement with the situation.

Mike tried to pick up the urn and put things right, but Lucy
had already had enough.

‘Just leave it,’ she snapped. ‘Don’t you think you’ve done
enough?’

She opened up her purse and took out a credit card, which
she used to brush the spilt ashes onto the edge of the table and then back into
the receptacle. Once the damage was reversed, she asked the men to leave. As
she did so she noticed a familiar face had entered the bar and he was just in
time to overhear the end of her conversation.

‘Is there a problem here?’

The question was addressed to Lucy, but Lucas had his gaze
fixed firmly on the two Americans. Seeing his badge, they were quick to play
down any wrong doing, whether intentional or not.

‘No, sir,’ replied Mike.

Lucas ignored him.

‘I was asking the lady.’

‘It’s okay, officer,’ she told him. ‘These gentlemen were
just leaving.’

The pair removed their glasses from the table and hurriedly
retreated back to the bar. They had been in far worse scrapes when trying to
pick up women and would laugh about what had happened later. Lucy, of course,
could find no humour whatsoever in the situation. She was beat and wanted
nothing more than to go to bed; her bed. The only problem was that her bed was
thousands of kilometres away.

‘What were those two after?’ asked Lucas.

Lucy blushed.

‘Oh, I see,’ he said. ‘Well, in that case, I shouldn’t be
too hard on them. They’re obviously men of taste.’

This time she smiled. She enjoyed the compliment and coming
from Lucas she could trust that it was genuine.

‘It’s a shame you weren’t around the first time I ran into
that pair yesterday.’

Lucas was confused.

‘They only arrived in town last night and I brought you in
this morning. How could you have met
...’
His voice
trailed off as realisation dawned.
‘The big black Hummer.
It’s parked just across the street. I cannot believe I did not think of that
sooner.’