2021 Read online

  Chapter Fifteen

  Day Six:

  12th January 2021

  Eugene,

  Oregon. U.S.A.

  The airship was immediately prepared to leave once again.

  Jack was ready to pilot it as before, but this time he was to be accompanied by three crack American Special Forces Troops to replace Stuart, Jenny and Joan.

  ‘You won’t need them’ commented Jack as he saw all three men carrying their guns on board. ‘They won’t work in the dead zone and anyway, they’re adding un-necessary weight that will slow us down’ he insisted.

  ‘Are you sure?’ they all queried.

  ‘Positive’ smiled Jack ‘oh and by the way. Have you some very sharp knives?’

  ‘Will these do?’ asked one of the soldiers as he held up a large knife with a bright gleaming blade as the others all held up the same.

  ‘Good enough!’ smiled Jack.

  ‘Why do we need knives when you are asking us to dump all our guns over the side?’ asked one of the troops curiously as he joined Jack on board the airship.

  Jack went to reply then he decided it was probably better if they didn’t know.

  ‘Let’s just hope you don’t find out’ he smiled.

  Joan now joined them to describe how the grab system she had designed with the help of all the other scientists would work.

  ‘What did you base it on in the end, Joan?’ asked Jack curiously.

  ‘You know those metal crane things you used to get in glass cases in old amusement parks?’

  ‘Yeah’ replied Jack.

  ‘Well, we designed it based on one of those’ she informed him.

  ‘Heck’ he uttered ‘I hope it works better than one of them, they’ve got less grabbing power than my old arthritic grandmother.’

  ‘No, it’ll work’ Joan insisted with a smile.

  On the design of the grab the team of experts the pentagon had put together had specified hardened steel.

  ‘That may not be strong enough’ Joan had insisted.

  So NASA sent in a special titanium alloy especially for the job instead.

  Stuart meanwhile, was busy preparing a prison for the alien consisting of digging an over eighty foot deep hole that was then to be filled in with four foot thick fast setting concrete, reinforced throughout with special hardened steel wire.

  ‘But isn’t this a bit excessive for just one creature?’ asked one of the construction engineers as he examined the plans.

  ‘Not really’ pondered Stuart ‘I only hope it’ll be enough.’

  With the airship finally fuelled up and ready to go, Jack finally steered it out of the hanger ready to begin their perilous mission into the dead zone.

  ‘It doesn’t seem right not having any guns with us?’ queried one of the troops again.

  ‘Believe you me, where we’re going they’ll be as much use to you as a paper hat in a thunderstorm’ Jack told him with a smile. ‘You might all just as well get comfortable as this will take us a while’ he added.

  With that, Jack headed the airship off towards the dead zone with the troops all sitting on the floor next to him.

  ‘If we could stash the mooring ropes up out the way so nothing can grab hold of them’ suggested Jack ‘there are a couple of long hooks with which to get hold of them’ he explained.

  ‘But what could grab hold of the ropes?’ puzzled one of the soldiers as Jack didn’t answer.

  A while into their journey, Jack became curious as to what exactly the troops had been told about their mission.

  ‘Tell me’ he asked curiously ‘what exactly have they told you?’

  ‘Not much’ confessed one of the soldiers ‘only it was a mission of utmost importance, that’s all.’

  Jack did consider explaining it to them, but in the end he decided against it. ‘Better they find out for themselves or they might force me to turn back again’ he pondered.

  Just as before, a while into their mission the airship’s engines just cut out.

  ‘Two of you to the cycles please if you will’ Jack smiled as the sergeant and one of his soldiers just nodded their heads before they both then ran off to man the two cycles.

  With the super fit Special Forces Troops handing out the ‘pedal power’ and keeping Stuart’s clockwork engine fully charged, Jack found the airship was now surprisingly fast.

  ‘Heck, Stuart, you must be really out of condition for it to be this much faster’ Jack now chuckled away to himself.

  Eventually though, the large black building appeared underneath them and Jack didn’t laugh anymore. His stomach just sank as he dreaded the sight that would inevitably greet them on the other side of it.

  ‘Holy cow!’ uttered the third serviceman as he peered down over the side ‘and I thought the Pentagon building was big. What the heck is that thing?’ he questioned.

  ‘We estimate it’s over a mile across and possibly the same deep’ Jack informed him.

  ‘But what is it?’ the serviceman asked again.

  ‘I wish I could tell you, Soldier’ Jack just shrugged.

  Soon Jack could see the horizon approaching so he immediately alerted the troops.

  ‘OK, EVERYONE, UP WITH ME NOW!’ he shouted and the two soldiers on the cycles immediately ran to join him as they both stared out over the huge black building beneath them.

  ‘What the hell?’ the sergeant uttered in surprise as he looked down over the side.

  Jack now took a deep breath before he began to explain.

  ‘OK General O’Dowd recommended you for this mission as Americas finest and bravest. Well, you’re going to need all your courage for some of the sights you may have to witness now’ Jack quickly explained.

  ‘Our mission is to trap and collect in our metal grab one of the hellish creatures on the other side of this building and I warn you, it’s not going to be easy. You will be very shocked, but I plead with you to hold your nerve as it’s not just America, but possibly even the entire world that may end up needing you to succeed in this mission’ Jack now told them as he looked very serious indeed.

  ‘I’ve seen sights in wars you couldn’t even imagine, son’ boasted the sergeant ‘there ain’t nothing left in this world that can possibly shock me now’ he insisted.

  Just as he finished the sentence though, they passed over the end of the giant building and suddenly his eyes grew wide and then even wider as he just stared downwards in disbelief.

  ‘Then again, son, I take that back’ the sergeant now uttered as he just gazed down in horror.

  ‘We won’t have much time for this, so look lively, men’ Jack ordered.

  ‘My God, they’re killing people down there! What the heck are those things?’ uttered one of the soldiers as he just gazed downwards.

  ‘COME ON, MEN, I SAID LOOK LIVELY!’ screamed Jack as they suddenly sprang into action and got hold of the grab.

  ‘WE’VE GOT TO CAPTURE ONE OF THESE CREATURES AND THEN JUST GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!’ Jack now shouted.

  Joan had rather cleverly used the same sights on the grab that many of the military men would have already used and been familiar with on heavy artillery weapons. So one of the troops now looked through these to line up a suitable target.

  ‘Not yet’ uttered the sergeant as he carefully lined one of the creatures up in his sights.

  ‘REMEMBER, YOU’LL NEED TO PULL THE CLOSE LEVEL STRAIGHT AWAY!’ added Jack.

  ‘CAN YOU GO A LITTLE SLOWER?’ asked one of the troops.

  ‘WHAT? DO YOU THINK THIS IS? A CAR WITH A REVERSE GEAR OR SOMETHING? PICK ANOTHER ONE. HELL, THERE ARE ENOUGH OF THEM DOWN THERE!’ shouted Jack as he steered the airship and tried to keep it very still to help them.

  ‘There! There’s one in line’ suggested one of the troops.

  ‘No, it’s not quite there yet’ suggested his sergeant.

  ‘REMEMBER! ALLOW
TWO SECONDS FOR THE GRAB TO DROP!’ shouted Jack from the front.

  ‘Now he tells me’ moaned the sergeant. ‘Forget that one, there’s another one dead in line, so get ready’ he ordered ‘almost there.’

  There was a pause as Jack could swear he could hear his own heartbeat he was now so tense.

  ‘NOW!’ suddenly shouted the sergeant as one of the other troops released the mechanism.

  ‘WE’VE GOT HIM!’ screamed the other soldier.

  ‘QUICK! CLOSE THE GRAB!’ shouted Jack in panic.

  ‘ALREADY DONE’ the sergeant shouted back.

  ‘WELL HELP ME BRING HIM UP THEM!’ shouted another of the troops as they all ran to help him wind up the cable.

  As the mechanical grab had enclosed around the creature, its immense strength rocked the airship to and fro as it wriggled violently all around as it tried to escape!

  Unfortunately, this intense movement had loosened some of the ship’s mooring ropes back over the sides again.

  ‘SHIT!’ screamed Jack ‘THE MOORING ROPES! GRAB THE LONG HOOKS AND PULL THEM BACK UP, QUICKLY!’ Jack shouted as he struggled to turn the airship around as it began to roll all around.

  Unfortunately though, it was already too late.

  Five creatures had seen their fellow captured by the grab and now they had hold of the mooring ropes and were already quickly pulling the craft downwards as they began to climb up them!

  ‘HELP ME CUT THE DAMN MOORING ROPES! BEFORE THEY PULL US ALL DOWN TO THE GROUND!’ screamed Jack as two of the troops ran to his aid as the sergeant kept hauling the captured creature up further underneath the ship.

  Jack now ran around quickly looking over the sides.

  ‘THERE’S ONE HERE, QUICK! I NEED A KNIFE!’ he shouted as one of the troops just neatly slid one along the floor straight to him.

  ‘Thanks!’ Jack uttered gratefully.

  He immediately cut the rope directly underneath where he was standing, sending one of the creatures hurtling down to the ground!

  ‘I’VE FOUND ONE HERE!’ screamed another of the soldiers as he too cut another mooring rope ‘THERE HE GOES!’ he smiled as he watched it fall to the ground.

  ‘I’VE JUST CUT ANOTHER ONE LOOSE ROUND HERE’ shouted the second soldier.

  ‘I NEED SOMEONE TO TELL ME IF I’VE HAULED THIS ONE UP HIGH ENOUGH!’ shouted the sergeant, who now continued hauling up the creature they had just captured.

  Jack raced to quickly gaze down at it.

  ‘That’s fine!’ QUICK! GET TO THE BIKES!’ he then screamed loudly.

  ‘What about the ropes?’ the sergeant queried.

  ‘Forget them! If we don’t gain enough speed and height soon we’ll just drop down in the middle of these creatures anyway!’ Jack told him urgently.

  ‘I’ll go back to steering’ Jack added as he rushed off as the sergeant and one of his fellow servicemen ran to man the cycles again.

  ‘Soldier, you keep an eye out for anymore of these bastards climbing up the ropes’ the sergeant then ordered the other soldier before he ran to the cycles just as fast as he could.

  The remaining soldier commenced running all around, checking for further creatures still climbing up the airship’s loosened mooring ropes.

  ‘WHAT’S GOING ON BACK THERE, I STILL CAN’T GAIN ENOUGH HEIGHT?’ shouted Jack as he struggled with the airship’s controls as it moved around in the air like a small boat in a stormy sea.

  ‘CHRIST, WE HAVE FIVE ON THEM STILL HANGING ON!’ the second soldier suddenly screamed out.

  ‘HOW FAR UP THE ROPES ARE THEY?’ shouted Jack.

  ‘ABOUT A THIRD OF THE WAY UP!’ the soldier yelled back.

  ‘I’VE AN IDEA, BUT YOU’D BETTER ALL HOLD ON TIGHT!’ shouted Jack as he continued to turn the airship around as they headed back towards the large building again.

  Jack then dipped the airship down just before they reached the large black building, having the effect of knocking the remaining creatures clean off of the ropes sending them crashing down to the ground!

  ‘HAS IT WORKED?’ shouted Jack as he began to climb the airship upwards again ‘ARE THEY ALL GONE?’

  YEP! YOU SURE AS HELL GOT RID OF ALL THEM!’ shouted the second soldier as they all began to cheer in celebration.

  Only seconds later though, they heard the second soldier violently screaming instead as they all immediately dropped what they were doing to quickly rush to his aid!

  By the time they reached him though, it was already too late.

  A creature had somehow got on board and had ripped out the soldier’s throat, sending his blood splattering all around the airship’s wooden decking.

  Having now brutally killed him, the creature then jut angrily threw his lifeless body to the airship’s floor.

  Jack had reached the creature first, but now having got there he wasn’t quite sure what to do.

  As he had left the airship on an upward climb, the dead soldier’s blood was now running along the deck and splattering up against his shoes.

  ‘SOME HELP NEEDED HERE!’ Jack now shouted nervously as the creature began to slowly head towards him.

  ‘But what do we do? We haven’t any guns?’ panicked the other soldier.

  ‘Grab anything and get this damn thing overboard!’ uttered Jack as they ran up behind him.

  ‘Grab what? We threw everything out to make it lighter didn’t we?’ questioned the remaining soldier.

  ‘Grab a fire extinguisher or something’ Jack uttered in panic as the creature began to slobber away with its now blood filled jaws as it continued heading straight towards him.

  ‘Lead it back here towards me, Jack’ ordered the sergeant calmly.

  ‘How exactly do I do that for Christ’s sake, ask it for a dance or something?’ Jack replied with sweat now pouring from his brow.

  ‘No, throw a stick for it’ the sergeant then joked.

  ‘Na, just a bit further, Jack’ now whispered the sergeant as Jack backed away until they were almost next to him.

  Just then though, the creature suddenly sprang forwards instantly knocking Jack to the floor!

  Jack now covered his head preparing to be devoured, but then he heard the sergeant’s voice ring out!

  ‘NOW SOLDIER, NOW!’ and Jack looked up just in time to see the two men swing the boom arm of Stuart’s film camera around!

  It had the effect of catching the creature underneath its belly sending it swinging it out beyond the airship’s cabin!

  ‘BRILLIANT!’ uttered Jack, grateful to still be alive.

  Unfortunately though, the hellish creature wasn’t about to go that easy.

  It thrashed around and grabbed at them as it frantically tried to get back on board again.

  ‘GET UP, JACK! AND HELP US!’ shouted the sergeant now as all three men then strained every sinew in their bodies to force the bolts holding the camera to the floor away!

  The creature just snorted and snarled in a savagery none of them had ever witnessed in their lives before, as it began to slowly make progress towards them.

  ‘ONE MORE GO WILL DO IT!’ shouted the sergeant ‘HEAVE DAMN IT! HEAVE!’ he screamed out.

  The cameras moorings suddenly broke free as all three men pushed its workings through the window, with the creature still holding on to it!

  ‘OH SHIT! IT’S STUCK!’ shouted Jack as they now just looked at each other and then sprinted forwards.

  ‘PUSH!’ shouted the sergeant ‘PUSH FOR CHRIST’S SAKE!’ just as the creature’s claw began to get so close as to scratch and then cut his face on the cheek.

  ‘IT’S GONE!’ suddenly shouted the soldier as the camera fell from the airship’s cabin as it then plummeted to the ground along with creature still clinging onto it!

  ‘Jesus! What the hell is that thing?’ shuddered the soldier as he immediately slumped down onto the floor as with a trembling and violently shaki
ng hand he nervously tried to wipe his brow.

  ‘HELL! WE NEED TO GET TO A HIGHER ALTITUDE OR WE MIGHT NOW LOSE THE CREATURE WE’VE CAPTURED!’ suddenly realised Jack, as the soldier and his sergeant quickly nodded to him before they sprinted straight back the cycles again.

  Jack immediately ran to the controls and began climbing the airship steeply upwards, then after a while he ran to check the creature they had captured was still there.

  ‘Thank the Lord for that’ he uttered ‘we haven’t lost it!’

  ‘DAMN GOOD JOB, BECAUSE IF IT’S ALL RIGHT WITH YOU, PROFESSOR, I DON’T MUCH FANCY GOING BACK THERE AGAIN!’ shouted the sergeant as he kept furiously peddling away.

  The soldiers were so keen to get the creature back and so distance themselves from the remainder of his kind that they didn’t let up on their peddling, not even for a second.

  In the end, they were both stripped down to their waists they were both sweating away so much.

  Jack looked down to check his watch, then he realised that as it ran on a battery that no longer worked either.

  ‘Damn!’ he cursed ‘I need you Stuart’ he muttered away to himself ‘with your old fashioned family heirloom ‘wind up’ watch. Maybe there is something to be said for the old fashioned stuff’ he pondered.

  Jack was really worrying now as he had fully expected the engines to have come back on by now. He just slumped down over the controls as he gazed back at the two soldiers still peddling their hearts out.

  Clearly having the creature dangling so near them was enough to prevent the airship’s engines from ever starting up again.

  Jack cursed away to himself as he soon began to realise ‘damn! Then the creatures themselves must be able to neutralise our electricity.’

  Then he ran for some matches to try an experiment. Then he took a deep breath as he struck one.

  Nothing happened.

  So he tried another and then another, but none of them would light.

  He then ran to light up his electric torches, but they too wouldn’t work.