CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
The Dominants led by Paul saw the boy fall and the father took something from his pocket, and with his brother, go after the man. They moved as hunters, stalking their prey.. Paul heard the click as the Naval Officer loaded his weapon, and looked around for any other guards and then with his brother go up the hill. .
So far the other humans had not noticed. They were too busy hiding that van and getting their weapons ready. They had not noticed the father of the dead boy and the Navy officer leave their car and move towards the cave.
The Dominants decided to join the humans in the rescue, but in such a way so their enemies were unaware.
"I'll go after the father and the Captain, alone" said Paul, "and keep in the shadows."
"We'll approach Attwood's group, offer a temporary truce," said one of Dominants who got back in his car with the others, leaving a young Dominant of about fifteen or sixteen behind.
"Look after Lupe!" Paul ordered him, "You have not been bloodied yet. It is your job to watch."
Paul passed the body of the one who had shot the boy and examined his neck. It was broken and a thin blood line encircled it. The man had been garroted. He watched the Navy man and his brother enter a cave, the former putting his hand on a certain part of the wall, pressing an invisible set of numbers, remembering each 1-4-8-2-7.
"What's going on?" asked Ed who came from behind, "and where did everyone go?"
Paul who was in the shadows, drew his gun. Ed started to reach for his, and then the Dominant shot.
"What the he..." Tate did not finish, for the man behind him fell and now he got a good look at him.
"Who was that?" asked Sloan who came with Walter, Ray, and the other Dominants.
"Jake." He looked around, but Paul had already masked his presence. "Thanks who ever you are. Come we've got to find Tom."
"But we can't. I just saw Carl and Enrique enter and then disappear."
"I believe there's a section of the wall around here." Ed felt around, and then heard a voice nearby.
"To your right, the part near that fissure. Put your hand on the wall, move it two inches to the right, no down a quarter of an inch. Now there. The numbers are 1-4-8-2-7. I believe a code box. "
:"1-4-8-2-7 whoever you are," said Ed. It was a code box painted to look like the wall. Part of it opened, revealing a long passageway. He and the others continued, until they came to another wall. "Do you suppose they left a clue here?" He started to search around. "Now if I was a Captain in the Navy, how would I do that?"
"Maybe in one of the rocks," said Sloan who started to turn them over. "Looks like someone's been drawing on them dot, a dash, another dot."
"Wait," said Attwood, "It's the Morse code. Back up about forty paces, Sloan, while I press this section of the wall." He did so, and part of the floor seemed to lift. "I'll need a hand. It appears to be locked from below."
"I can do it," said 'Scott' grabbing one edge. The trap door now swung open.
Paul came from the shadows, stepping behind them, making sure no one except the other Dominant saw him. He waited until the others had descended, and then followed. He then paused for a moment, his eyes seeing what the humans did not.
The door had meant to be closed, but now it was ajar and with a distinctive odor of blood and death in it. He saw Attwood turn on a flashlight and Paul went into the Masking routine. He saw Attwood turn and say, "I thought I saw someone. No must be my nerves."
"All the excitement getting to you?" asked Ray.
"No. It brings me a sense of what I was when I was younger before my injury."
"Well I'm not young either."
Paul made his way to the door, slipped through it, seeing what he had smelled. The men who had kidnapped Tom were no more. They lay in positions of death, necks broken, a knife in the heart, one in the back, another had been shot. No one above would have heard the noise. The cave was well insulated.
He made out the Captain, and the brother feeling around for something on the top of Tom's cage just as the others came in. Paul listened to their surprise and anger at Tom's condition, their invoking God, which the Dominants knew as the Divine, to do something terrible to his captors and made his way to a shadow on the other side of the cave, a shadow he was sure was a door.
He heard Sloan's voice telling Tom, "We'll get you out in a minute," and the Captain turning the key that opened part of the cage.
Paul, however, had other things on his mind, for he had opened the hidden door and found a site that even sickened him.
A several cylinders with a clear top were on one side of the wall. As he looked in each cylinder, he saw a small shape, not quite human yet, just beginning to form. It was almost ready for implantation. Paul heard a creak and another door started to open. He was already starting to unmask. Quickly he masked once more and hid behind the opening door.
A man in a white coat entered from a small room, and went over to the cylinders. "Yes, my children. We can't afford to sacrifice us humans, but you will pave the way to space for us. Think of the greater good, giving your life with no rewards. After all, you're part Dominant, well now we're dominant not you!" Hearing a squeak, he turned around. "Whose there?"
The Dominant grabbed him from behind. "Any last requests?" he asked and then snapped his neck. "I didn't think so." He then turned to the cylinders. "Our own kind mingled with theirs, to be used as fodder for their Space programs. No more."
The other Dominants that came with Attwood's group gingerly carried the containers out the room, past Ed and Sloan who now had Tom on the ground, covering him with a blanket.
"He seems so cold," said Sloan.
"The Dominants originated in Mexico, a warmer climate," said Ed, "Too bad we can't get someone to testify against the Limo lady. They're all dead."
"Vendetta," said Attwood.
"Vendetta? I heard a bit from the Italian side of my family."
"I didn't know you were part Italian."
"I have some Italian relatives here, but have no idea what they're doing. Anyway about this vendetta, they killed Enrique's son. He was a bit cold, and strange, but he was innocent. That was murder."
6/28/2003
The Dominants led by Paul saw the boy fall and the father took something from his pocket, and with his brother, go after the man. They moved as hunters, stalking their prey.. Paul heard the click as the Naval Officer loaded his weapon, and looked around for any other guards and then with his brother go up the hill. .
So far the other humans had not noticed. They were too busy hiding that van and getting their weapons ready. They had not noticed the father of the dead boy and the Navy officer leave their car and move towards the cave.
The Dominants decided to join the humans in the rescue, but in such a way so their enemies were unaware.
"I'll go after the father and the Captain, alone" said Paul, "and keep in the shadows."
"We'll approach Attwood's group, offer a temporary truce," said one of Dominants who got back in his car with the others, leaving a young Dominant of about fifteen or sixteen behind.
"Look after Lupe!" Paul ordered him, "You have not been bloodied yet. It is your job to watch."
Paul passed the body of the one who had shot the boy and examined his neck. It was broken and a thin blood line encircled it. The man had been garroted. He watched the Navy man and his brother enter a cave, the former putting his hand on a certain part of the wall, pressing an invisible set of numbers, remembering each 1-4-8-2-7.
"What's going on?" asked Ed who came from behind, "and where did everyone go?"
Paul who was in the shadows, drew his gun. Ed started to reach for his, and then the Dominant shot.
"What the he..." Tate did not finish, for the man behind him fell and now he got a good look at him.
"Who was that?" asked Sloan who came with Walter, Ray, and the other Dominants.
"Jake." He looked around, but Paul had already masked his presence. "Thanks who ever you are. Come we've got to find Tom."
"But we can't. I just saw Carl and Enrique enter and then disappear."
"I believe there's a section of the wall around here." Ed felt around, and then heard a voice nearby.
"To your right, the part near that fissure. Put your hand on the wall, move it two inches to the right, no down a quarter of an inch. Now there. The numbers are 1-4-8-2-7. I believe a code box. "
:"1-4-8-2-7 whoever you are," said Ed. It was a code box painted to look like the wall. Part of it opened, revealing a long passageway. He and the others continued, until they came to another wall. "Do you suppose they left a clue here?" He started to search around. "Now if I was a Captain in the Navy, how would I do that?"
"Maybe in one of the rocks," said Sloan who started to turn them over. "Looks like someone's been drawing on them dot, a dash, another dot."
"Wait," said Attwood, "It's the Morse code. Back up about forty paces, Sloan, while I press this section of the wall." He did so, and part of the floor seemed to lift. "I'll need a hand. It appears to be locked from below."
"I can do it," said 'Scott' grabbing one edge. The trap door now swung open.
Paul came from the shadows, stepping behind them, making sure no one except the other Dominant saw him. He waited until the others had descended, and then followed. He then paused for a moment, his eyes seeing what the humans did not.
The door had meant to be closed, but now it was ajar and with a distinctive odor of blood and death in it. He saw Attwood turn on a flashlight and Paul went into the Masking routine. He saw Attwood turn and say, "I thought I saw someone. No must be my nerves."
"All the excitement getting to you?" asked Ray.
"No. It brings me a sense of what I was when I was younger before my injury."
"Well I'm not young either."
Paul made his way to the door, slipped through it, seeing what he had smelled. The men who had kidnapped Tom were no more. They lay in positions of death, necks broken, a knife in the heart, one in the back, another had been shot. No one above would have heard the noise. The cave was well insulated.
He made out the Captain, and the brother feeling around for something on the top of Tom's cage just as the others came in. Paul listened to their surprise and anger at Tom's condition, their invoking God, which the Dominants knew as the Divine, to do something terrible to his captors and made his way to a shadow on the other side of the cave, a shadow he was sure was a door.
He heard Sloan's voice telling Tom, "We'll get you out in a minute," and the Captain turning the key that opened part of the cage.
Paul, however, had other things on his mind, for he had opened the hidden door and found a site that even sickened him.
A several cylinders with a clear top were on one side of the wall. As he looked in each cylinder, he saw a small shape, not quite human yet, just beginning to form. It was almost ready for implantation. Paul heard a creak and another door started to open. He was already starting to unmask. Quickly he masked once more and hid behind the opening door.
A man in a white coat entered from a small room, and went over to the cylinders. "Yes, my children. We can't afford to sacrifice us humans, but you will pave the way to space for us. Think of the greater good, giving your life with no rewards. After all, you're part Dominant, well now we're dominant not you!" Hearing a squeak, he turned around. "Whose there?"
The Dominant grabbed him from behind. "Any last requests?" he asked and then snapped his neck. "I didn't think so." He then turned to the cylinders. "Our own kind mingled with theirs, to be used as fodder for their Space programs. No more."
The other Dominants that came with Attwood's group gingerly carried the containers out the room, past Ed and Sloan who now had Tom on the ground, covering him with a blanket.
"He seems so cold," said Sloan.
"The Dominants originated in Mexico, a warmer climate," said Ed, "Too bad we can't get someone to testify against the Limo lady. They're all dead."
"Vendetta," said Attwood.
"Vendetta? I heard a bit from the Italian side of my family."
"I didn't know you were part Italian."
"I have some Italian relatives here, but have no idea what they're doing. Anyway about this vendetta, they killed Enrique's son. He was a bit cold, and strange, but he was innocent. That was murder."
6/28/2003