Chapter 8 - Recovery

 They had arrived on the shore, stowed their equipment in the cave and were walking back to where they had left the pods. There was about thirty minutes until sunrise and a light breeze was in the air. They could feel the effects of the gentle wind below their knees where they had been standing in the water. It had produced a chilling effect causing the small hairs on their legs to stand on end as the water evaporated. In the distance they could see the sky changing colour, becoming ever lighter as daytime replaced the night. It would soon be light enough for them to start out on this new part of the adventure. Watkins pressed the remote control in his hand which signalled the pods to automatically return to the shuttle, and then they returned to the cave.

They busied themselves preparing for the journey. Unpacking several cases they first assembled the mountain bikes that had been provided. They were lightweight, alloy framed with power assisted motion units which allowed for speedier travel over all terrains. The bikes had been finished in strange paintwork that seemed to reflect their surroundings; it was, for a mountain bike, brilliant camouflage. Alongside the bikes there was a multitude of gadgets, some that would be of use, some that would be surplus to requirements, however, all of them would be taken to ensure that any situation could be successfully dealt with.

In their earcoms they were contacted from the ship.

“JD, Watkins, this is Daniels, I have routed communications so that only we three can hear the conversation, we can hear everyone else but they cannot hear us. I need you to set out in the next twenty minutes. You need to push the bikes and wear local dress until you are sure you are beyond anyone’s sight. I have patched the location of the documents through to your wrist locators, so if you activate them now you will get a general idea of the direction in which you need to travel. Are you ready to go on my mark?” Asked the captain. The two travellers said that they were and waited for the signal. While they were waiting they dressed themselves in the robes that were usual for this area. In what seemed like the blink of an eye they could hear the captain’s voice in their ears. It was the command to leave, and with that they were on their way.

Their senses were heightened as they left the comparative security of the cave; they were of course fearful of being discovered even before they had begun. They started out along a well worn path in the direction indicated by their location devices. From any distance it should have looked like two men strolling along a path on an early morning stroll. Closer, however, it would have been clear that it was two men pushing strange contraptions which would have immediately raised anyone’s suspicions. Fortunately there was no one in sight, which in itself calmed them somewhat.

One hour into their journey they came to an outcrop of rocks which was enough to conceal them from any prying eyes that may have been around. The bikes were propped up against one large boulder and the two men crouched down, both on one knee. They pulled up the sleeve of their robes to reveal the locators and switched them to scanning mode. This mode detected heat sources within the vicinity. What they were searching for were heat signatures of ninety eight point six degrees which they knew was the body temperature of the local inhabitants. Having found no signatures present they began to discard their robes. Placing them into a security bag, they secreted them just under the surface of the sand, signals from the probe had suggested that the terrain they would be travelling through was unpopulated and they would not need this costume, also, the weight of the garments would slow them down. They set a location point of their clothing on their wrist pieces. They now stood dressed in knee length, tight fitting shorts, tight short sleeved shirts, peaked caps, sunglasses and backpacks. Having set their wrist locators to automatically scan for heat signals, they set out. Mounting their bikes, they began to peddle their way across the desert terrain. After they had gained a good speed they activated the cruise control from the switch on the handlebar and the cycles took over the arduous task of transporting them onwards. The power pack should give them about twelve hours of power.

The heat was searing as they approached midday they had not experienced such temperatures but they continued on towards their goal. The signal strength on their locators was getting stronger and the estimated time of arrival was now reading forty five minutes. Thanks to their mode of transport they had made good time and believed that they would have ample time to complete their mission. The plan was for them to stay and work overnight, and through the next day, returning back to the shuttle on the following evening. Although they had been chatting to each other during their journey, they had had no need to contact the ship. It was kind of liberating just talking to each other without the rest of the crew being privy to what was being said. They could, however, hear all that had been going on with the other crew members throughout the day and were aware of the progress being made. It was time for them to make a progress report, and so, they attempted to contact Daniels. There was no reply. They made several attempts, still no reply. They would continue on their way until the captain was free. After all, theirs was a simple mission, locate and record documents. What could go wrong?

Three strangers had spotted JD and Watkins and had been tracking them for about an hour. They had unwittingly evaded the heat sensors by making sure that their body signature was concealed behind rock surfaces thus avoiding detection. The two travellers had no idea that they were being observed. They had arrived to within two hundred meters of their goal and had dismounted from their cycles, and propped them up against a rock face. Standing a couple of meters away from the outcrop they stood, consulting their locators and were just about to attempt to make contact with the shuttle when the first of the strangers pounced. He had made his way to a ledge above their position seconds before, and leaped down onto them. Both of their locators recognised his signal and set off alarms to alert them of his presence, but it was too late he was already in mid flight and moments later he was upon them. The force with which he knocked them to the ground was enough to render Watkins momentarily unconscious. JD struggled with his assailant and eventually made his escape. As he ran away from the attacker he reached for his belt and detached his tazer and fired it into the man’s torso. He instantly went into muscular spasm and collapsed to the ground. JD turned to go to the aid of Watkins but before he could reach him the two other men appeared as if from nowhere. One of them ran to attack Watkins and the other was heading for J.D. 

J.D took a stance in the sand and prepared himself to receive the attacker. The captain’s voice came into his ear.

“What is happening…report”

JD stood there face to face with the other man and quietly said,

“Sir, we are under attack. Stand by”

Daniels could hear the panic in his voice but was helpless to assist, he had no choice but to wait and listen to the ensuing commotion.

It was a stand off. Neither man willing to commit to the attack. Neither sure of the others weaknesses, or of their strengths. Moments passed like minutes when suddenly the stranger ran towards John. J.D. managed to dodge the first attack, or so he thought. As they passed, the assailant deftly dropped to the ground, as he did so his legs entwined with J.D.’s and brought him to the ground. With the next expert manoeuvre the man had flipped himself onto John’s back and had grabbed his head. J.D. was now completely pinned to the ground face down, one hand firmly gripping the back of his head and the other held tightly against his mouth. He was both immobilised and mute. It felt as though this attacker was poised to twist his neck and snap his spinal column. He was helpless, and in blind panic he reached out into the sand and for some reason he drew the crude outline of a fish. He could feel the tension on his neck, as it was twisted to its full extent, the pain was almost unbearable, and then, slowly the pressure was released and the hand which had held the mouth was repositioned to allow J.D. to breathe and to talk.

Demandingly, the man asked what this sign was. J.D. had no idea what was being asked of him. Suddenly in his ear he heard the welcome voice of the captain.

“FISH, just say fish”

JD then heard a second voice, much calmer and matter of fact. It was that of Marius Hatch,

“Captain the computer seems to have a workable translation in place I am about to switch to automatic response”

Instantly the captain snapped back, “Do it, Do it now!”

Without thinking Hatch switched the computer to automatic.

Suddenly J.D. could hear what his attacker was saying; the computer would extrapolate the translation and provide appropriate answers. J.D. lay there, still immobilised and said to the shuttle.

“How do I say, it’s the sign, the sign of God the sign of Alpha”

Instantly the computer had heard his request, and had translated the sentence. Using a calm, sampled voice it then relayed the translation back to his earpiece. In turn J.D. repeated this to his assailant who slowly released him. J.D. checked himself and went to assist Watkins.

J.D. had helped Watkins into the shade of the outcrop, and had given him some water when he turned his attention to the men who were tending their associate who had been hit with the tazer gun. He was a little groggy but otherwise was unhurt. After asking the computer for a translation he addressed the three men.

“Now, you guys are a just a little bit too skilful to be common criminals. So, just exactly who are you?”

 The men looked at each other inquisitively, and then one of them nodded to the others. Then one of them spoke.

“We are the keepers”.

The crewmen looked confused.

“The keepers? The keepers of what?” Asked Watkins. The three men became agitated, and the tone of their voices became more abrupt and angry.

“No more questions. Not until we know exactly who you are, why you are dressed in this manner, and what you are doing in this area”

To answer these questions they had to consult with their superior. They told the men to wait while they conferred with each other, then they would answer all of their questions.

The conversation that took place between Daniel and the other two was not that of a superior talking to his subordinates, it had more of an air of three people equally discussing the options of the situation. The two obvious options were, whether they should disclose the purpose of their mission and to reveal who they were. Or, keep their identity secret and create a web of deception for these men. The first option would certainly leave no doubt in the minds of these people what they were up against, and of course by not lying they were less likely to contradict each other in their stories.  Between them they had decided that the truth would be the best policy. Daniels gave them carte blanch to proceed in any way they deemed fit, but he would be listening and would intervene if they disclosed anything that he felt was unnecessary.

They turned their attention towards the three men who had been listening to their conversation. They were aware that there had been an unseen third party involved, and were slowly beginning to piece together a hypothesis of their own. Before J.D. had the chance to speak, one of the men addressed him.

“We have listened to you talking. You speak in the old tongue”

 J.D. and Watkins were taken aback. They knew from this simple statement that they were talking to people who knew much more than they had at first thought. Watkins made the opening gambit in the conversation by asking who they were and what they were the keepers of. The men explained that they were part of an ancient order of specially selected people who gave their lives to the cause. Selection to the order was made at a very early age. Orphaned children would be taken in and raised by the custodians in the ways of the sect. From all of the children cared for by them, only the very devout would be selected to become members of the hierarchy, sworn to protect the faith. The rest would be free to find their own path with the assistance of the keepers. The order of the keepers had been in existence for many centuries and many generations.

The three men stopped talking, rose to their feet and walked a short way, away from J.D. and Watkins who remained seated around the base of the rock. After their impromptu meeting the men returned and sat back on the ground forming a small circle with the other two. They had decided between themselves that they had said enough at this juncture, and that it was time for the others to reveal a little about who they were and what they were doing in this region. 

JD glanced at Watkins and with his left hand he squeezed his lips. An almost unseen nod was passed between the two, then, J.D. took a deep breath and moved his hand away from his mouth and began to explain. He began with what he thought would be his last sentence,

“We are not of this world”

He expected that this phrase alone would produce some reaction from the men that would end all talks, but to his surprise, he received no untoward reaction. He paused for a while, and then he looked slightly into the air and said, to no one in particular,

“Captain could you confirm my translation please?”

Daniels confirmed that what he had said had indeed been accurate. He cleared his throat and continued to give answers to their questions. He decided that it would be best if he did not try to blind them with science. Trying to keep his story simple he began. He explained that he was from a world that travelled in the sky and only came near their world once every two thousand, five hundred years or so, and that they were only here for a very short time. He told them that they were here on a mission of great importance to their people and that they had a deadline to meet. As he spoke, the three sat quietly, taking in all that was being told to them, their faces were expressionless. He had thought that what he was telling them would be exciting or shocking or even unbelievable but, there was nothing, no emotion whatsoever. Continuing, he explained that his people had visited their world before many generations ago. Three travellers were left here to observe this place, and to make records of their stay, which were to be collected at this time, and that they were the chosen ones who were to locate the documents. One of the men raised his hand to stop J.D. from speaking. He acknowledged the stranger, stopped speaking and waited to hear what he had to say. What the stranger wanted was a little more conformation as to who they were. What they wanted was information that could not have been made up or supplied by a third party. What they wanted was information about the first mission, information only they would know. J.D. was at a loss as to the answers he should give, he stumbled in his thoughts then offered the fact that their mission number was Alpha 1472, and that the original mission was Alpha 106. At this the three men slowly nodded, almost with an air of confirmation. They also wanted to know the names of the first visitors. Both J.D. and Watkins knew the answer to this question. It was part of their history. Malcolm Keogh, Garry Parr and Balvinder Hasar. At this the men began to smile for the first time since their meeting. There was one more thing they wanted to know. The sign of the fish. Why did J.D. use the sacred sign? J.D. explained that when the first mission was planned, the three visitors had said that they felt like a fish out of water, a phrase on their world which meant someone who is in a situation they are unsuited to, and so this became the word that they used to identify each other.

With this final piece of information, the three men fell to their knees bowing before them pledging their allegiance. The two travellers bid them to stand up and not to do this again. It seemed that from this point onwards they had found at least three allies.

JD spoke to the ship.

“Captain, can you hear me?”

“Go ahead JD”

“Everything is under control here Sir, we can now continue with our mission”

“Very good. Carry on, Daniels out.”

Chapter 9 - The Catalogue