In the Arctic (8 page)

“We purposely transmitted in a language understood by the Comis and Lues, rather than in your language. This was done to test your reasoning capability. You passed the test when you replied in the same language. That was a good sign to me. It was not to Malum.”

Zenda finally spoke about the other time traveller that had accompanied her to Earth, and why she desperately needed the humans’ help.

“The other traveller that made the journey is a Lues,” she began. “As you just heard, his name is Malum, and he personifies all that is wrong with his race. Malum looks nothing like me, and I warn you that he kills for pleasure. When you see him, you will understand, and then you will know what evil in its purest form looks like.

“I told you that all disputes between our races are resolved by our two leaders. My father is the leader of the Comis. Malum’s father leads the Lues. We were selected by our fathers to come here to finally resolve a dispute that has raged for the past eighty Earth-years, despite the peace treaty that had been signed.”

Zenda went on to say that another joint expedition of Comis and Lues had previously come to Earth right after the peace treaty was signed. That transport pod had purposely landed in the coldest region on Earth. The existing subterranean chamber and tunnel system were constructed during that visit.

The trip to Earth was to have been a secret exploratory mission, which in fact it turned out to be. However, when the transport pod returned home, the two races began to argue. The Comis wanted to return at some point in the future to establish friendly contact with the Earthlings. The Lues also wanted to return to Earth, but their intent was to enslave the human race, turning the planet into a Lues colony.

After years of stalemated discussions, with both sides thwarting the ambitions of the other, the two leaders recently reached a compromise when they each agreed
to send one of their children on another trip to Earth. Each child would represent its race’s position. Zenda would come in peace and try to make friends with the Earthlings. Malum’s objective was to capture or kill every human he encountered. The dispute would be resolved when one of the two ultimately prevailed.

“So, Henderson, now you know why I need your help,” Zenda said. “If I fail, the Lues will win. If I fail, all of you will die. If I fail, Earth will become enslaved.” Then she added, “But with your help, I will not fail.”

Dr. Henderson replied, “You will have our help, but I must ask you a question. Now that you’ve made contact with us, why not let us fly out of here before Malum comes back? You will have won because we both know you have come in peace. Malum will have lost because he was not able to capture or kill us.”

“You ask a good question,” Zenda responded. “When we took control of your helicopter, Malum transmitted a secret code that was embedded into the operating system of your helicopter, and I do not know that code. If the code is activated, your helicopter will explode. The code can be sent from inside the transport pod or from a remote transmitter that Malum has. While I can open the panels that will let you fly out of this place, Malum can destroy your helicopter once you are airborne.

“Malum also told me something I didn’t expect before he went into the tunnels to set his traps. He said he’d programmed a code into the transport pod’s
computer that would disable it if activated, and that the code can be sent from the remote transmitter he has. The remote transmitter is also a receiver that can detect if I try to send out any transmissions, or if I begin the transport pod’s takeoff sequence. So you see, Henderson, we actually need each other’s help because we are all trapped here.”

The Mission Commander then looked up at the Comis emissary who’d just become an ally and asked, “Where is Malum hiding?”

“Malum doesn’t hide from anyone or anything,” Zenda answered. “He is somewhere in the tunnels preparing his strategy and setting his traps. Now we must decide how to destroy him before he destroys us.”

Lynch had heard enough. Tapping Dr. Henderson on the shoulder, he said, “We need to talk.” Then he added three words with emphasis, “Now, in private!”

Turning back to Zenda, Dr. Henderson asked, “Would you wait right here? I need to let the others inside the helicopter know what the situation is. I’ll be back soon, and then we can plan what to do next.”

“Yes, Henderson, I will wait here,” Zenda replied.

Back aboard the Chinook, an argument broke out between Dr. Henderson and Lynch. As Mission Commander, Dr. Henderson felt it was her responsibility to work with Zenda to develop a plan of defense against
Malum. She favored having everyone stick together because, as she put it, “There is safety in numbers.”

Lynch made it very clear that this was no longer a scientific matter; it was a security crisis of the highest order. He said that he was the designated head of security for Operation Deep Freeze, and that it was his responsibility to take charge if the safety of the ETF was threatened. He also had a very different approach to resolving the crisis.

“Listen,” Lynch began, “the faster we find and dispose of Malum, the sooner we can get out of here and back to Thule. The longer we wait, the more time we give that alien to set his traps. We need to take the initiative, and we need to take it now.”

After the pilots and various ETF members weighed in with their views, it was decided that since she was Mission Commander, Dr. Henderson would stay in command. However, it was also agreed that Lynch would lead the two SEALs on what he called a “search and destroy” mission. Everyone else would remain in the chopper, except for Dr. Henderson, who would go back outside and work with Zenda to develop a backup plan in case Lynch’s efforts were unsuccessful.

When Lynch and the SEALs left the Chinook, they carried high intensity flashlights in addition to their machine guns and pistols. For good measure, Lynch handed a flamethrower to Adams, saying, “Since Lues prefer ice cold weather, let’s treat Malum to some good old American warmth.”

Before Lynch and the two SEALs had headed toward the tunnel entrance that Malum had last used, Zenda provided Lynch a detailed map of the subterranean tunnel system. She had also warned, “Malum has had time to make alterations to the tunnels that you will not find on this map. The Lues might not be as advanced as the Comis, but they are clever and ruthless. And remember, there was a reason why Malum was selected by his father.”

Armed with plenty of firepower and a map to follow, Lynch turned on his flashlight and led the SEALs into a pitch-black tunnel that had been bored though solid ice. With an eight-foot high ceiling and walls that were six feet apart, the men had ample room to walk single file. Following the beam of his flashlight, Lynch wondered just where within this frozen labyrinth his enemy lurked.

Ten minutes later Lynch found out. About ten feet separated each man, and that proved to be sufficient to cut Lynch off from the two SEALs when a thick, clear panel suddenly dropped from the ceiling. The moment Lynch turned to look back at his comrades, Malum made his move.

The Lues warrior sprang out from an alcove that he’d hollowed out earlier that day. The powerful alien had its human prey pinned face down before Lynch knew what had happened.

One SEAL fired into the barrier while the other reached for his flamethrower. The bullets that were discharged ricocheted off the panel’s impregnable surface,
and the burst of flames that followed seconds later was just as useless.

Flint and Adams, after dodging their own bullets, felt helpless as the hideous looking creature shifted its slanted red eyes toward them and seemed to laugh. Although Zenda’s appearance was otherworldly to say the least, it wasn’t terrifying. Malum, however, was straight out of anyone’s worst nightmare.

The creature’s sinewy muscled frame stood about six and a half feet tall, and it was covered with black scales. Its dark face resembled a skull, and a series of long tentacles flowed from the top of its broad, shell-covered forehead. Barbed pincers were moving on each side of its mouth, perhaps in anticipation of what was coming next.

The SEALs had seen their share of gruesome sights over the years, but nothing came close to what the Lues fiend did to Lynch. When it slowly opened its drooling mouth and bared four rows of jagged teeth, a sharp, dagger-like tongue darted out. Then staring straight at Flint and Adams, Malum lowered its head and, in a single swipe of its razor-sharp tongue, severed Lynch’s head from his body.

Leaving the head as a souvenir, the alien creature turned and dragged its bloody prize off into the darkness.

Round One had definitely gone to the Lues!

When the clear panel withdrew back into the ceiling a minute later, the SEALs were left with a decision—follow Malum further into the tunnel without a map to
guide them, or return to the Chinook and start developing Plan B.

Flint was the first to speak. “Listen, Adams, I’m game to go after Malum right now, but I have to tell you that I don’t think it’s our best option. That alien knows this tunnel system like the back of his hand. The map is in Lynch’s coat pocket, and the other ETF members will really be vulnerable if anything happens to us. As much as I hate to say it, I think we should go back.”

Luke Adams was angry when he voiced his opinion. “Part of me wants to hunt that sucker down right now when there’s not some barrier to stop my flamethrower from doing its job, but you’re right. Zenda knows Malum better than anyone, so I also think we should head back and see what she has to say.”

“Okay, but we can’t leave this here,” Flint replied as he walked over and scooped up Lynch’s head, nestling it in the crook of his arm. Then adding a bit of dark humor, he shook his head and said, “I just wish he would have had some hair so I wouldn’t have to get blood all over my nice white coat.”

Professor Eberstark and Dr. Watanabe had finally convinced Major McColl that they needed to join Dr. Henderson in the transport pod just about the time Lynch and the SEALs were entering the tunnel to initiate their search and destroy mission. The two scientists said they
had important scientific information that the Mission Commander would need when she and Zenda developed backup plans. In reality, they just wanted to get a peek inside the amazing spaceship that was capable of time travel.

“This is one of our smallest models,” Zenda said ten minutes later as she took the three Earthling scientists through the transport pod. “As you can see, it has a seating capacity of twelve. We have some pods that will take well over a hundred. The onboard computer and communication equipment are very sophisticated, and we can transmit in a number of languages using a variety of waveforms. Some of the waveforms are electromagnetic, and some are not.

“Even though our time travel technology allows us to traverse very long distances in short periods of time, it has no aging effect on our bodies. The Comis have an average life expectancy of about one hundred and thirty Earth-years. The Lues are not quite as advanced. While their life expectancy has improved, it is still about twenty Earth-years less than ours.

“Both our races prefer the cold, but our bodies can adjust to different temperatures and atmospheric conditions. This transport pod is capable of modifying the inside temperature, atmospheric pressure, type of gas inhaled, as well as many other factors. It is—”

Zenda gasped in mid sentence. She was visibly distressed when she spoke a moment later. “I feel something terrible has happened to the man you call Lynch.
My senses are very advanced, and I was just overcome by a strong feeling of loss when Lynch’s image flashed through my brain. I fear it was a bad idea for those three men to go after Malum.

“In order for us to defeat Malum, we must make him come to us. I know how his twisted mind works. If Malum inflicted harm on Lynch or the other two men with him, he will know you will not go back into the tunnels. Yes, there is a way to defeat him if we are patient.”

When Flint and Adams came out of the tunnel, the three scientists and Zenda were waiting for them. Dr. Henderson was about to ask where Lynch was when she recognized what Flint had tucked in his blood-soaked arm. “Oh no!” she exclaimed, raising her mittens to her mask. “What —”

“We’ll tell you all about it, but first we have to do something with this head,” Flint interrupted. Turning to his fellow SEAL, he said, “Adams, go into the chopper and bring me something I can bag this in. It’s bad enough for adults to see, let alone teenagers.”

It was nice that Flint was concerned about Archibald, Jockabeb, and Willow, but it was too late. All three were in the cockpit of the Chinook, looking at what was taking place through pairs of binoculars they’d found earlier.

“Is that what I think it is?” Jockabeb asked, his voice quivering.

“Yeah, it sure is,” Archibald replied. “And I said I thought Lynch could handle himself in a pinch.”

“Speaking of pinch, it looks like that creepy alien must have pinched Lynch’s head clean off,” Willow added. Then she remembered what she had in her pocket and asked, “You think it’s time to tell Dr. Henderson and Zenda about the blue feather?”