Under the cover of sleet, the recovery team entered the expedition's base camp. An abandoned cooking station lay in pieces, covered with dirt and loose leaves. Mud covered the lower portions of the nearby vehicle, caked onto the rims and tires.
"Hopps, Check the trailer," ordered Pearce, looking at Judy.
"Aye," she replied, tepidly approaching the rear of the expedition car.
Judy found the sliding door ajar, the interior damp and dirty from exposure to the elements. Loose nothings littered the floor of the empty trailer, open cases and cabinets made it look as if looted by raiders.
Pulling away, she spotted Nick giving the cab a once over whilst Isaac's pink paw pads poked out from the undercarriage. The Major stood a few paces back, keeping a firm hold on his rifle.
Once she'd pulled away from the trailer, Pearce silently waved her over. She gathered her thoughts during the approach.
"Fox is looking for anything useful and Cat is having a look at the clutch. I'm taking it as good news that he's still under there," explained Pearce, quietly.
"Agreed. By the way, the trailer looks abandoned. Picked clean, in a way that's almost suspicious."
"There's no mistake, this base camp is deserted and has been for some time. With that in mind, I apologize for my harshness," said Pearce flatly.
"What do you mean?" queried Judy.
"I could say nothing at the time, but our 'client' warned me of possible involvement of 'hostile elements'. That is to say, other groups with a vested interest in what Phoenix is doing here."
Judy frowned, "What is Phoenix doing here?"
Pearce managed a slight smirk when he commented "No fucking clue, I'm just the dog with a gun."
"So you thought we might have walked right into an armed confrontation," murmured Judy, half to herself.
Nick approached with a frown. Behind him, Isaac had emerged from under the vehicle to stare at the ground and fidget with some rocks.
"Is he alright?" asked Judy, pointing over Nick's shoulder.
"What? Yeah sure. Anyway, the cab is devoid of . . . Well, anything," started Nick.
"Just like the trailer," Judy remarked.
"Right, sure. Let me finish, Carrots. There's tons of dried up blood on the seats. If it weren't clear from the mountain of other evidence, something went wrong," explained Nick, urgently adding "wherever they are, they must be in pretty bad shape."
Judy tried her best to listen but all the while couldn't help noticing Isaac crawling along, meticulously examining stone after stone in a line leading away from the car.
"Agreed," muttered Pearce, giving his magazine a rough smack and shouldering his rifle "the question is, where to start looking?"
"You've done special ops stuff, right? You can track them, just got to find a trail of some kind,"
Pearce's smirk flashed again as he said "No need. I think our field mechanic is way ahead of us," regarding Isaac, who stood at the mouth of a very well formed cave.
The entrance stood 8 feet tall and 6 feet wide with right angles at each corner and smooth, flat stone between them. As Judy got closer, it didn't look like stone at all. In Isaac's left paw, he held a rock with a smattering of reddish brown on one rough side.
"Oh," he said idly, noticing everyone behind him, adding "I found a bunch of bloodstained rocks. Trail leads into this spooky cave that matches the description of a geological feature in our briefings."
Before anyone else got the chance, Pearce barked "Recovery team! Take five, then we're going in."
Seeing Nick make conversation with Isaac, the Major subtly stepped over to Judy. Now just a foot between them, he took a knee and unholstered his sidearm.
"What level of training do you have regarding firearms, Hopps?"
"Single shot tranqs. Although I did have a go with one of those self-loading ones - far too bulky for me to use," explained Hopps flatly. She knew why he asked, so honesty felt best.
"Clearly I asked the wrong question. Can you shoot straight? I'm not expecting Ramses level aim, just better than your partner."
"Who's Ramses?" queried Judy.
"Nevermind," Pearce calculated for a second before nodding to himself and gently holding out the weapon for Judy to take, saying "you're highly unlikely to need it, but better safe than sorry."
Judy took hold of it in both paws and pointed it downward, looking back up at Pearce with a nervous expression, "What are you not telling us?"
Pearce gulped, "Good trigger discipline, just be aware that when you do fire, it'll kick like a mule. Don't try too hard to fight it."
Judy gave the Major a dark look and forced the handgun back into his paws. Her foot thumped as she pointed furiously up at him and declared "Pardon my language Major, but it's time you cut the shit. I'm not taking this instrument of death into my care unless you can tell me why you think I need it!"
Pearce froze for a moment, long enough to make Judy question if she'd pressed a bit too hard. With a brief shake, the grizzled timberwolf cast a glance toward the unattentive fox and cat behind him before drawing a deep breath.
"Full disclosure, I know very little. You've seen for yourself, the fate of the expedition team is still unknown and with every step we take, the outlook gets more grim," explained the Major, before delivering a very serious stare and adding "I refuse to take any chances with our safety."
Judy relaxed her posture, letting her expression soften, "Okay. I'll take the gun, so long as you give me a spare clip."
"Don't point it at anything you don't want destroyed," said Pearce flatly as Judy once more took hold of the gun, "grab what you need from your pack and stow in the expedition trailer. Want to go in light."
"Roger dodger, Major."
Judy set down her bag and knelt beside it. She eyed Nick and Isaac, who stood just a few feet away. Quiet anxiety had replaced eager conversation very quickly. With that in mind, Judy unclipped her soft-vest.
From her bag she drew an assembly of firm armor plates that unfolded into a sort of carapace. She retreated into the trailer to change out her standard neoprene uniform and into a complex navy blue bodysuit covered in small hardpoints.
Judy equipped a high tech smart watch and slipped the carapace over her head. With a few button presses, the plates clipped themselves together and formed to her chest. The device on her wrist emitted processed speech as she emerged from the trailer.
"Watterson Textiles L Class semi-powered recon and patrol suite online. Onboard power supply connected, power level: Ninety nine percent. Onboard sensors: Active. Environmental control: Nominal, life signs monitoring online."
With one more hesitant glance at the gun, she clipped a holster to her thigh and slotted the pistol in, "New hardware detected: Watterson Advanced Mechatronics universal handgun retention device, registered weapon detected: Continental Pistol, Caliber .40, M26."
"Hey now," Nick remarked, "haven't seen you in that since-" his voice trailed off.
"Since November," said Judy, reserved.
"Alright, alright. One more fancy toy and then we absolutely must get down there," said Pearce, setting up a rugged little gadget in the stone entranceway.
"And what might this one do?" asked Nick.
Pearce gave Isaac a look and so the cat explained "It's an emergency satellite beacon. The Major has a high power transmitter that triggers a pulse that will alert the Phoenix FOB in Bunnyburrow that the situation is critical- beyond critical."
"It calls roadside assistance assistance," Nick commented.
Isaac nodded happily.
All preparations now complete, the recovery team finally crossed the threshold. Just beyond the doorway, they found themselves in a cavernous space resembling a hangar of sorts.
On the left side, all that remained of a larger entrance lay in a heap of ancient rubble. Time had rendered it undetectable from the exterior. In the dimly lit space, Judy couldn't make out the area opposite the pile.
After a few paces into the shadows, she felt a strong pull on her collar. She turned her head and looked into Nick's face - gritted teeth, shocked eyebrows.
"Turn your spotlights on Carrots!" he admonished.
Judy abashedly flipped a switch on her wrist and aimed her shoulder mounted flashlight out in front. She stifled a gasp as she realized she came a hair's breadth from plunging into an immense chasm.
"Shiver me timbers," said Isaac, taking a peek, "that's a long way down."
"Aye," said Judy, tepidly stepping backward.
Isaac idly muttered something about elevator shafts. Pearce took note, but refused to acknowledge the commotion. He took point and wordlessly led the others down a descending hallway.
Isaac drew a claw through some precisely incised sections of the walls, frowning whilst incomprehensibly mouthing.
Amongst the sound of their own steps, Judy could detect the dripping of water. As they trekked deeper, the air felt more damp. A musty smell hung in the air, with a tinge of metal and earth. The boxy echo of a thunderclap bouncing from behind them heralded the arrival of another downpour.
"You alright there, Isaac?" asked Judy quietly.
"Huh?" said Isaac, taking a moment to respond, "Yeah. Why do you ask?"
For someone who talked so much, Isaac seemed capable of great discretion when it suited him. Perhaps Pearce had him under his thumb, time would tell.
Judy had only met Isaac three or maybe four times. Anecdotal interactions and a hasty rescue that happened to benefit her as well.
As for the day she met Pearce, within hours she'd ended up comatose in a hospital - Nick had explained the Major's role in her survival in that instance. To be clear, he had nothing to do with the coma issue.
Judy had to put her thoughts on hold as the hall levelled out and the group entered into an atrium lined with decayed technology. A flat slab, thickly laden with debris took up the centre of the dark room and a doorway on either side led to more hallways. The worrying part being the puddled water on the floor.
"Izzy, Is this great war tech?" asked Nick, examining a nearby console of sorts.
"No. Looks much older, yet bears traits of something much more modern…"
"Is it phoenix tech? Could it have been put here by the expedition?" asked Pearce.
"Don't be ridiculous, they didn't bring anything like this," remarked Isaac abruptly, frowning and not even looking at Pearce.
"Watch your tone, you-" barked Pearce.
On some sort of impulse, Judy stepped up and gripped Pearce firmly on the forearm to stifle him. It worked perfectly so she didn't waste seconds trying to figure out where the notion came from.
Pearce gruffly shook off Judy's grasp and asked "Uninvited guests, then?"
"I think not."
"I agree," commented Nick, investigating where the consoles met the walls and adding "looks like they're 'part of the furniture,' as they say."
Judy barely heard Isaac mutter "Curiouser and curiouser."
"Artifacts aside, where does that trail lead from here?" asked Pearce, having a decent gander at each doorway.
The blood spatters ended at the bottom of the ramp that led to the atrium. Some poking around with her spotlights revealed soggy rubbish and remains of bandages, among other evidence of a wound being treated.
"It doesn't," said Judy, a little discouraged.
Pearce cursed under his breath and announced "Going against my better judgement, we're going to split up. Hopps, take Mr. Katzendale and check out the nine O'clock hall while us canids will take the other."
"Making the same mistakes as the protagonists of every second rate horror movie ever? Let's do it," said Nick with a sardonic glance up at Pearce.
That comment fired a shot of anxiety right up Judy's spine, sending her hastily over to Nick. In an attempt to deflect her own feelings, she asked "Are you going to be alright? How will you see?"
Nick smiled, "Captain Jarhead and his long arm of death will keep me out of harm's way."
"As you well know, Captain Jarhead and his vulpine companion have excellent night vision. A pair of red lamps will be more than enough," explained the Major in gruff reassurance, "Isaac will cover everything your lights don't."
"Sweet! Everything is sorted then," replied Judy, feigning confidence.
"One last charter: If you hit another crossroads or don't find anything of note after twenty minutes, come right back here," ordered Pearce.
Judy nodded and turned to leave, before Nick gently pulled her within arms reach. He delivered a gentle kiss to her cheek before saying "See you in twenty minutes, Carrots."
Admittedly, that felt pretty damned satisfying.
"Alright then, Isaac. Let's go," said Judy, leading him into the right-side hallway.
Judy and Isaac had reached the ten minute mark in their respective search and had a whopping nothing to show for it. Two things took up Judy's thoughts: First of all, even more water had gathered on the floor, fresh water. Rainwater. Pearce's time limits aside, the imminent threat of flooding would be the deciding factor in how long they could stay down here.
Isaac's inability to focus on the task at hand seemed a more immediate concern. Judy had to pull his attention back to the present on multiple occasions.
"Something is bothering you, am I right Isaac?" asked Judy, once again finding the feline zoning out.
Isaac looked at her then averted his gaze, eyes clouded in thought. After a few moments more he said at last "It's related to the mission, but I didn't think anyone would really want to hear about it."
"You don't really know me, I get that. But any friend of Nick is a friend of mine too. Whatever you want to tell me, I'll listen," said Judy calmly.
"I could say the same though. You don't really know me, so why should you listen?"
Judy had to pause. Isaac's words and tone made him sound like some kind of dramatic, depressive, introvert. That said, she sensed genuine confusion and curiosity in his voice.
"Because it's the kind thing to do. Something everyone should do."
Isaac nodded, then began "It's this place. It feels wrong."
It did. This place, described as a 'tomb' by the writer of their briefings, had a very unwelcome air about it. Admittedly, Judy had ignored it until now.
Isaac continued "Let's say you're at an unfamiliar house. You're headed to the bathroom and end up wandering into a bedroom?"
Memories washed over, experiences of visits to relatives' homes with bedrooms by the score.
"Like you shouldn't be there. Seeing things you shouldn't see, touching things you shouldn't touch," Judy remarked.
"And then there's the smell. It's only getting stronger, no thicker as we've trekked deeper and deeper."
The smell. Another thing Judy had somehow ignored. Every twitch of her nose brought a fresh wave of that now pungent odor, strong enough to follow to its source perhaps.
"It smells familiar, but I just put it down as damp, musty," said Judy after a pause.
"It triggers something in me, something instinctive," said Isaac, grimacing and starting to rock back and forth, "I know that smell. It's not a good smell. It's a bad smell, Judy."
"Hey, come on. You're all right," said Judy, gently putting an arm around him, "what is it?"
Isaac stopped moving and looked up at her, saying "It's a smell every predator knows. They teach you in health class, so you know how to cope with it. The smell of flesh."
Judy froze and stared back in horror. "Are you sure?" she asked hoarsely.
"Positive."
No more assumptions. Judy readied the handgun Pearce had given her and stepped forward "I'm going to track it down, wait here."
Isaac reached out and gripped Judy's upper arm. He made sure to hold her gaze as he said "No. It's not worth the risk, I've got your back."
She wanted to argue, but Isaac couldn't have been more right. She gave him an encouraging smile and said "Thanks. Let's go."
Isaac followed closely behind Judy as she crept forward, eyes front and firearm steady. She could see only what her flashlights iluminated; more of the same dust laden corridors.
It seemed a shame to skip the myriad of rooms they passed. Ideally the expedition team would have had the chance to check them out before what happened to them, happened to them. Judy could tell their target lay just around the corner. The scent reeked enough to make her eyes water.
With Isaac in tow she entered a tall room stacked with ancient crates, each one constructed of pitted and fatigued metal, hinges and latches corroded shut long ago. On the far wall, hanging from some kind of gantry, Judy saw the source of the putrid stench that had wafted through the tomb.
After drawing her spotlights up and down what lay before her, Judy had to avert her eyes. Skewered on a mangled hook, a twisted mass of meat and fur dangled above a sticky red puddle of liquified viscera.
The form of a large canid could still be seen beneath the bloodied mess, face frozen in an open mouthed expression of agony and terror.
"I-I can't look away," said Isaac quietly, stammering slightly.
Judy had to use all her concentration to keep her self from blowing chunks and thus, could say nothing in reply.
"Mister Clark Muskens, age twenty-five, studying paleontology at the University of Clawbec," Isaac commented flatly.
Judy, somehow keeping it down, managed to get some words out: "Did you know him?"
"Never seen him before in my life. At least, I've never seen him in the erh... In the flesh," he said.
"Right. So how do you know it's him?" Judy queried.
"Muskens was the only timberwolf."
"Ah, I see. We need to link back up with Nick and Pearce, as soon as possible in case whoever did this is still around," said Judy, reaffirmed.
The two hastily turned and began retracing their way back.
"I didn't see anything of the other expedition members," said Isaac in passing.
"Neither," remarked Judy, adding "with any luck, they're safe and sound. You with me?"
Hearing no reply, she skidded to a stop and came about to find the cat had vanished.
"Oh God, no," she said quietly.
From the shadows her spotlights couldn't reach, her ears picked up splashing puddles. After several tense heartbeats, a pair of dirty, scraggly arms seized her and began to pull her deeper into the darkness.
As she struggled to free herself, a voice implored "Hurry! It's not safe in the corridors!"
End Notes
Longest chapter yet. All the things I thought I could cram and here we are, seven chapters deep into this story.