Cascade box set 2, p.39
Cascade Box Set 2, page 39
A gurgling noise came from the pipe on the wall. Slowly he got to his feet. It was feeding time again.
*****
Raj sat with his knees against his chest, reciting the periodic table to himself. Over the past two days anytime he felt like anxiety was going to get the better of him, he started counting off the hundred and eighteen symbols along with their isotopes where necessary.
During most of the first day he had scoured every inch of the metallic feeling walls to his small cell trying to understand what material they could be made of, or trying to understand how the light seemed to be all around him but had no definite source. He figured the material which came down the pipe along the walls was a simple concoction of the necessary nutrients to keep him alive, but quickly grew sick of its non-existent taste.
It was now the end of the second day, and as he neared the end of the naturally occurring elements, the wall just ten feet from him completely changed in its appearance. Instead of a semi-reflective surface, it was now a deep black.
He looked at it trying to understand how the material could change like it did, when suddenly light gray symbols appeared. Rows and rows of them. Flashing onto the screen and then as quickly being replaced with others.
Raj slowly got to his feet. “What…” He walked closer until he reached out and touched the giant screen in front of him. All the symbols disappeared to be replaced with one word.
“Hello.”
Raj looked to the left and right, and then back to the innocent looking greeting. “Umm, hello?”
“Do not be alarmed doctor. I needed to scan your brain to discern your thought processes and speech patterns. I can now communicate with you. Please ask your questions as this connection cannot be established for long.”
“Oookay. Who are you?”
“We are the Hulathen. I am Elcher.”
“Why have you kept me prisoner?”
“All of the samples that were procured had to be kept in quarantine until further analysis could be carried out.”
“You think of me as a sample?”
“You are life form designation 1200031 from biosphere 22323 of region 20022 of interstellar space.”
A stream of possible questions ran through his mind, each one being judged then found not adequate to ask of quite possibly humankind's first interaction with a species from another planet.
“Umm where are the people that I was with when you took me?”
“The other samples are being kept in a similar structural space.”
“And when are you going to return us from where you took us?”
There was a pause of a few seconds. “Insufficient data for a reply.”
Raj looked down, then an obvious question jumped into his mind. “Are you responsible for the Cascade?”
“Please provide more data on what you refer to as the ‘Cascade’?”
“The recent sudden change in the ear… biosphere’s 22323 animal and plant life?”
“Yes.”
“Why?” The words came almost as a scream.
“The message from the Arclight required a response. The usual protocol was implemented, but we made a mistake. I want to help.”
Raj looked confused. “Help?”
CHAPTER THREE
Brad looked out of his bedroom window at the newly constructed buildings that had sprung up in the grounds of the outpost. A two-story barracks, which now housed two platoons sat alongside a medical facility. Another building, bigger than both was currently being constructed which was going to be for storage, capable of protecting vehicles of all shapes and sizes as well as food and other supplies. That building was made from steel and cement whereas the two former were made from spruce and pine.
The smell from the fresh wood drifted on the breeze through the small opening in his window.
A knock came at his bedroom door.
“Come in,” he said turning.
The door opened and a young woman in military uniform stood in the gap. “Captain Bower says the others are rested, he says you and he should talk. He’s in the command room.”
Brad nodded and the woman left.
He already knew that something happened on the roof of a building in Pittsburgh, the result of which was Zach, Fiona and Raj were missing. Diaz told them the story of how they followed them up to the top floor of the building, and the others went onto the roof, and after waiting she went to investigate but they were gone. Not lost, but gone. Bower wanted to send out a search party but Diaz made it clear that would be of no use. After that everyone retired for the night, their minds in a haze of what could have happened. Now that the sun was up, there could be no more excuses as to why they couldn’t be found. But first he needed to know more.
Tucking his shirt into his pants and putting his jacket on, he took a brief look at one of the pictures of his wife and left the room. As usual the rest of the house was a hive of activity. Noise and the smell of food wafted up from downstairs.
A sleepy looking Wyatt emerged from one of the rooms.
“Any E.L.F activity last night?” Brad said to him.
“Uh?” Wyatt rubbed his eyes. “Oh, nah, nothing to be concerned about.”
“What time you come back?”
“I dunno. The sun was coming up. Hope the coffee’s still hot.” He said looking over the bannister to the ground floor.
Brad smiled and put his hand on his shoulder. “Let’s find out.”
They both walked down the wide stairs, passing people moving the other way. Wyatt disappeared into the kitchen, while Brad opened the door to the basement.
The underground level of the house, which was housing supplies had now become the main command room for the outpost.
As he descended the stairs, the sound of Bower and Diaz talking mixed with soldiers manning the new communication system that had been installed.
“How do you lose them, when they were just a few yards away?” said Bower obviously agitated.
“How do I know how this UFO shit works!? They were there, then they weren’t!”
Brad stepped into the large room, which now sported multiple display screens along the walls, computer terminals, and a large conference table newly constructed in the center. Diaz and Bower were standing while Miles, Hayes and Michael were sitting, looking awkward in their seats.
“You eaten?” said Bower.
Brad shook his head.
“You got to eat.” Bower looked at a soldier standing near the bottom of the stairs. “Coffee, and whatever breakfast food you can find.” The soldier nodded and moved past Brad back up the stairs.
Brad looked at the busy looking officers on the radios, who were also paying close attention to the computer monitors.
Bower walked over to one. “Two drones came with the latest convoy from the camp. One is already up and over Pittsburgh.”
A screen showed what looked like a jungle, with the occasional building roof peaking out of the lush green canopy.
Brad rubbed his chin. “If they are in that, it’s going to be hard to find them.”
Diaz looked exasperated. “Why does nobody believe me, when I say they were zapped up to one of those crafts!”
“Settle down soldier, we’re all trying to make sense of this,” said Bower.
Diaz sat heavily in a nearby chair.
Brad looked at her sympathetically. “I do believe you—” He briefly looked at the others in the room. “— Perhaps more than anyone else here. But we don’t know what we don’t know. Maybe this craft took them and maybe they brought them back. We shouldn’t presume anything at this stage, other than they are not here with us right now.”
Brad’s words seemed to calm Diaz and she nodded. He looked back at the drone live feed. Flying creatures hundreds of meters below swept past, while in the clearings, large reptilian beasts lumbered slowly across grass and concrete.
“We don’t have the manpower to go in there looking for them, even if they are in there,” said Bower.
“Does the General know?” said Brad.
Bower sighed. “She does and she’s not happy. Said something about, they have gone through too much to be lost to us now.” Bower straightened his back. “You were into all this alien stuff before the world went to shit, what you make of what we saw in the city?”
Brad sat down in a chair, while the soldier returned with some biscuits, a small pot of jam and a mug of coffee. Brad thanked him and enjoyed the warmth of the drink as he sipped on it. Everyone was looking at him.
“Back at my home in Roswell I had a database full of images of unknown aerial craft, I’m sure I could have shown you some that were close to what you saw. But as you know that’s all gone now.”
“It’s little green men right?” said Diaz.
“I think it’s a safe bet that whatever happened to the world and whatever is flying those craft is connected. And if that’s the case, then I’m afraid the three of them are on their own. Sending more people into that mess in Pittsburgh won’t help any.”
Michael sighed in frustration. “So we just give up on them? And what about Abbey?”
Brad briefly looked down, then met Michael’s gaze. “We need to concentrate on defending what we have, in case our friends in the skies pay us a visit…”
Michael sat back in his chair, while Bower returned to looking at the feed.
CHAPTER FOUR
The pickup’s engine purred as Abbey and Burt drove along the highway. Tree’s which had stood for decades off the side, were now fighting for space with reed like plants with leaves a story high and multiple flowers, each one a few feet across.
“Kind of makes you feel we’re in the land of the giants,” said Burt nodding towards the closest of the exotic flora.
Abbey smiled.
“The closer we get to Boston, the more the scenery looks…”
“Alien?”
“Yeah—”
A buzzing insect like creature the size of a football flittered across their path, making Burt slow the pickup. He took a deep breath, then picked up speed again. Abbey noticed he briefly placed one hand on his automatic rifle which nestled down the side of his seat.
She looked out into the increasingly thick undergrowth around them. Most of the creatures were keeping their distance, no doubt unsure of what this strange metal box with wheels was, but she could sense them out there. She could sense all of them. Hundreds that slithered, crawled and flew, from the microscopic to the things that if they didn’t move you would think were part of the landscape. All of them born into the world just a year or so ago, and each one not knowing their place in it. She knew how they felt.
“Hopefully there are answers in Boston…” said Abbey under her breath.
Burt looked at her. “What was that?”
She looked back at him with a smile. “I’m glad to be almost there.”
He nodded. “Yeah, well try and stay close when we arrive. I don’t reckon my chances if you wander off.”
“Mo’s got orders to protect you if anything happens that shouldn’t.”
“That’s umm… good to know.”
Abbey slid her window down. A rush or warm air squeezed through the gap, as vibrant greens, mingled with flashes of orange and yellows flew past.
“I’m going to have to put the air con on soon, this is definitely not seasonal weather,” said Burt.
“It’s not just the plants which are changing, it’s the climate too. Everything’s linked.”
“Well, I never did like the Pennsylvania winters.”
They both shared a quick smile.
Truck stops and farm buildings passed by, all buried under the new plant life that was sprouting up over everything, and even the towns the highway cut through were slowly disappearing beneath a sea of trees and vine.
Burt slowed.
Abbey looked up from resting her eyes. She went to ask what the problem was, but immediately saw why they were stopping. The other highways which rose above and across the one they were on, were covered in the same plants that were everywhere else, except this time they had dropped down to the concrete of the road they were on, completely blocking it.
Burt turned and looked the way they came. “Looks like we’re going to have to find another route.”
He went to put the pickup into reverse when Abbey had an idea.
“Wait, there might be another way.”
Burt looked at her confused.
“Now, don’t get alarmed. I’ve never tried this before, but I think it will work…” She closed her eyes.
“Think what will—” Burt leaned forward in his seat. A swarm of giant beetles each one a few feet across emerged from the undergrowth and flew towards them. He went to grab his rifle.
“No, don’t do anything, I’m controlling them,” she said opening her eyes.
The incessant hum of the insects’ wings filled the air. A water bottle that was on the dashboard rolled off and landed in Burt’s lap.
“I don’t know if this is a good idea…”
Abbey put her hand on Burt’s shoulder. “It will be okay, just hold on to something, I don’t know how steady a ride it’s going to be.”
“What—”
Each of the beetles spiked talons gripped a part of the pickup, sinking into the metal. The old pickup creaked and strained then slowly lifted into the air. The beetles hum increased in pitch as they rose five feet, then ten, each foot taking them skywards and towards the obstruction in front of them.
Burt grabbed the seat and dashboard at the same time. Abbey started laughing, as did Burt. “Yeah!” He shouted.
As they sailed into the air, moving over the other highways Abbey looked out at the landscape around them. From this height she could see a lot of the creatures she was already sensing. Four legged lizard beasts five stories high, which silvery yellow scales, roamed across a large flat area, while a myriad of smaller creatures, some in herds some alone, flew and ran between the remains of buildings and trees.
“Err… how far we going?” Enquired Burt.
“Oh, right, yeah sorry,” said Abbey as if waking from a dream. She closed her eyes again and the pickup slowly descended back onto a relatively clear part of the highway. With a jolt the wheels struck the concrete, and the beetles immediately turned and flew back into the forests.
“Bye!” shouted Abbey, while Burt smiled and started the engine again.
*****
Wyatt traipsed through the mud, past men hammering and drilling and up to the eastern fence of the outpost. Grabbing hold of the ladder he climbed the ten or so feet up to the newly constructed tower, which had become his home for the past week and looked out to the old graveyard and trees beyond.
Two soldiers began filling in a hole, twenty yards away, just one of a dozen or so new graves that had appeared.
His attention turned back to the horizon or what he could see of it through the trees and bushes. He squinted, and then swore to himself that he forgot to ask for a set of binoculars like the other scouts had. Looking into the undergrowth hundreds of yards away, he was sure that there were more greens and browns around than he saw when he first arrived. Spring must be here.
His Cascader radar was tweaking, but whatever they were, were far off and seemingly moving away. He looked around the small eight by eight space. Need to get a chair in here.
An image of his room back at the camp, and how empty it felt after his grandmother passed intruded into his mind when a crunching noise came from behind.
“Mind if I join you?” said Michael looking up at him.
Wyatt nodded, and Michael pushed his winter hat up on his forehead, slung his rifle over his shoulder then climbed up.
“Kind of cozy up here,” said Michael.
Wyatt smiled even though he preferred being alone.
“I thought it was Miles’ time to patrol this side?” said Michael.
“He’s on the other side, and I kind of like being up here.”
Michael nodded. “What’s your senses telling you? Anything out there?” He looked out towards the trees. Wyatt shook his head.
Michael smiled. “Okay then,” he went to climb back down.
“Umm…”
“Yeah?” said Michael gripping the top of the ladder.
“Are we just going to leave them out there?”
Michael didn’t have to ask whom. “I’m working on it.” He continued climbing down.
CHAPTER FIVE
Fiona looked at the broken piece of wall in front of her, and then back at the lacerations on her hands and forearms. They stopped bleeding a few days ago, but they still stung when she moved. The blood loss didn’t bother her, but possible infection did. Who knows what kind of microbes and viruses were on that thing?
The ‘thing’ she was referring too laid dead, in a few parts on the ground around her. It was about the size of a large dog, but looked insect like, with around six legs and antennae sprouting from what she presumed was its head. That was also the part that made a distinct cracking noise when she got it in a headlock, just after it had torn away at her arms and legs.
Why’s it always me in the confined space with the monster?
She laughed to herself then winced.
A gurgling noise came from the food pipe and she uneasily got to her feet and sauntered over to it, placing her hands cup like beneath the nozzle and waited. The yellow gloop slid down the pipe and landed with a plop in her hands which she eagerly started eating. This was the sixth serving she had devoured and she was beginning to take a liking to it. Compared to some of the things she had to eat on various missions in exotic places in her previous life, it wasn’t too bad. Kind of like mushy warm oats, and anyway she was going to need her strength for her plan to succeed.
Once the food substitute had been cleared from her hands, she picked up the boney and incredibly sharp talon that she had prized from the dead creature and moved back to the broken part of the wall. Without the creature crashing into it after it swiped at her head and missed, and causing some of the carbon fiber like material to splinter she wouldn’t have thought it was possible to break out. But it did, and after almost constant sawing and hacking she was ready to break through whatever the main cell wall was, and out to the other side. Presuming there was ‘another’ side. She had thought maybe this box she was inside of might be just floating in space, in which case breaking out might not be the wisest of ideas, but she had spent years already in a cell, and she wasn’t about to do so again.
