to do no harm."
"Now wait a sec, technically speaking I'm your science officer, so don't lay that Hippocratic oath on me. Besides, I'm thinking of unit morale here, sir."
As usual, Thom could only shake his head. Still, they would reach their staging area soon, where they would transfer people and gear off the plane and onto choppers for a ride even further south. That meant the time for relaxation had come to an end.
Major Gant reached over to the wall and flipped a switch. Rows of bright light shot on to a chorus of groans and grunts, topped off by Sergeant Franco replacing his horrid snore with a groggy, "What the fuck?"
—
"Listen up," Major Gant started while a video screen displayed an aerial photograph behind him. "Six hours ago an Aegis-class destroyer engaged an unidentified object over the Gulf of Mexico. The squids disarmed the warhead, which means no big boom."
The team perked up. Any mental cobwebs from lack of sleep dissipated.
"The short version is that we’ve got an intact vehicle on the ground. This is not a recovery mission. What we have here is a search and capture."
Gant let that sink in.
"That was six hours ago, sir," Captain Campion said. "Are we getting here too late?"
"The Air Force has been buzzing the site since impact. Image data from an Eagle Eye UAV that swept the target area twenty minutes ago indicated a downed craft with one occupant on foot."
"Why wouldn’t the idiot bug out?" Franco asked.
Gant replied, "The crash site is remote, inside the Everglades National Park. It may think that it’s safe or out of sight."
Twiste—who stood at the front of the cabin not far from Major Gant—said, "I would think its natural instincts would be to stay in close proximity to its vehicle, particularly if it has any hopes of being recovered."
"But there is no sign of additional intruders," Gant hastily added.
"Reminds me of the Manitoba crash," Campion mumbled loudly enough to be heard.
The major continued, "A regiment of army infantry is currently quarantining the area. They have established a five-mile perimeter. A cover story will take care of any press. Something about an Air Force cargo plane crash and plutonium."
Gant turned his attention to the aerial photograph displayed on the screen.
"Gentlemen, we got lucky. The crash site is dry from weeks of drought. Instead of swamp, we are heading into tall, dry saw grass. But there is plenty of the swampy stuff to the south and east." The major ran a hand across the photo, pointing out a road and tiny dots representing structures. "The army has deployed to the north, blocking off the access roads and trails. They evacuated any campers and park workers. They have not entered the target zone. That is our job."
Most of the soldiers focused their eyes on their commanding officer and the aerial photograph he referenced. Campion and Franco alternated their attention between the major and their wrist computers.
"I want two fire teams. Franco, you take Bravo. Your job is to secure the crash site and prep for extraction. The Navy has a Jolly Green Giant coming in to hoist the vehicle out. That is your responsibility. Get it out quick, with no mess."
"Yeah, sure, cleanup duty again."
"Campion, you run Alpha team. You are my flushers. Push the target west to the coordinate designated Catcher's Mitt. We have a new toy from tech that should help out."
After a nod from Gant, Twiste explained, "It's the new net Taser. Based on the remains we recovered from Manitoba, we've designed a weapon that will deliver an intense shock to the target's nervous system. We believe this will incapacitate the creature, allowing for a clean capture."
Gant pointed at Galati. "Sal has been training on the weapon. Are you ready to go, soldier?"
"Piece of cake, chief. It's pretty cool and all, kind of reminds me of this type of underwater spear gun that we were using back when—"
"Okay, then you are ready to go," Gant cut short another of Sal's stories.
Franco
"Now wait a sec, technically speaking I'm your science officer, so don't lay that Hippocratic oath on me. Besides, I'm thinking of unit morale here, sir."
As usual, Thom could only shake his head. Still, they would reach their staging area soon, where they would transfer people and gear off the plane and onto choppers for a ride even further south. That meant the time for relaxation had come to an end.
Major Gant reached over to the wall and flipped a switch. Rows of bright light shot on to a chorus of groans and grunts, topped off by Sergeant Franco replacing his horrid snore with a groggy, "What the fuck?"
—
"Listen up," Major Gant started while a video screen displayed an aerial photograph behind him. "Six hours ago an Aegis-class destroyer engaged an unidentified object over the Gulf of Mexico. The squids disarmed the warhead, which means no big boom."
The team perked up. Any mental cobwebs from lack of sleep dissipated.
"The short version is that we’ve got an intact vehicle on the ground. This is not a recovery mission. What we have here is a search and capture."
Gant let that sink in.
"That was six hours ago, sir," Captain Campion said. "Are we getting here too late?"
"The Air Force has been buzzing the site since impact. Image data from an Eagle Eye UAV that swept the target area twenty minutes ago indicated a downed craft with one occupant on foot."
"Why wouldn’t the idiot bug out?" Franco asked.
Gant replied, "The crash site is remote, inside the Everglades National Park. It may think that it’s safe or out of sight."
Twiste—who stood at the front of the cabin not far from Major Gant—said, "I would think its natural instincts would be to stay in close proximity to its vehicle, particularly if it has any hopes of being recovered."
"But there is no sign of additional intruders," Gant hastily added.
"Reminds me of the Manitoba crash," Campion mumbled loudly enough to be heard.
The major continued, "A regiment of army infantry is currently quarantining the area. They have established a five-mile perimeter. A cover story will take care of any press. Something about an Air Force cargo plane crash and plutonium."
Gant turned his attention to the aerial photograph displayed on the screen.
"Gentlemen, we got lucky. The crash site is dry from weeks of drought. Instead of swamp, we are heading into tall, dry saw grass. But there is plenty of the swampy stuff to the south and east." The major ran a hand across the photo, pointing out a road and tiny dots representing structures. "The army has deployed to the north, blocking off the access roads and trails. They evacuated any campers and park workers. They have not entered the target zone. That is our job."
Most of the soldiers focused their eyes on their commanding officer and the aerial photograph he referenced. Campion and Franco alternated their attention between the major and their wrist computers.
"I want two fire teams. Franco, you take Bravo. Your job is to secure the crash site and prep for extraction. The Navy has a Jolly Green Giant coming in to hoist the vehicle out. That is your responsibility. Get it out quick, with no mess."
"Yeah, sure, cleanup duty again."
"Campion, you run Alpha team. You are my flushers. Push the target west to the coordinate designated Catcher's Mitt. We have a new toy from tech that should help out."
After a nod from Gant, Twiste explained, "It's the new net Taser. Based on the remains we recovered from Manitoba, we've designed a weapon that will deliver an intense shock to the target's nervous system. We believe this will incapacitate the creature, allowing for a clean capture."
Gant pointed at Galati. "Sal has been training on the weapon. Are you ready to go, soldier?"
"Piece of cake, chief. It's pretty cool and all, kind of reminds me of this type of underwater spear gun that we were using back when—"
"Okay, then you are ready to go," Gant cut short another of Sal's stories.
Franco
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