Greenflies Read online

  “I’m also willing to share some information about your family.”

  Bingo. The girl’s eyes went wide. Marshal moved to the other side of Meg’s bed and sat on the next unoccupied bed in the row.

  “I had a hunch they were keeping you in the dark, so I took the liberty of investigating them before I came in here. Officially, they’re saying they withheld the information so as not to disturb you. That’s crap. You’re next of kin, and you’ve stood up to worse than bad news. It’s not even that bad… could be worse.

  “Your brother was stung by one of the insects that killed your father. They tell me that there are a dozen different poisons in that sting, but your brother is still alive. He’s in a coma, just as are all the other single sting victims, but the doctors say there is every sign that they will eventually wake up, once the paralytic part of the venom works its way through their systems. You’ll probably be able to visit him as soon as you’re done with quarantine yourself.”

  “And my mother?” asked Meg.

  Marshal winced a little, “Physically, she’s fine, but the trauma appears to have been too much for her. She’s recovering at a mental health clinic in Richmond. I’ve been there myself once… visiting an old army buddy. It’s more of a spa, really.”

  The conversation and subtle spin came hard. It was totally against his nature, now, as was most social contact for members of Gamma Team. However, it was also against his beliefs and training to allow any harm to come to his team, and right now this girl had the power to destroy the team with a single scream. He would do anything to keep that scream from coming. Right now, Meg appeared to be saddened by the news, but she was no longer in the dark, and there was gratitude for that.

  “Why were they after me?” she asked. “Those things. They didn’t want Macon; they didn’t want Pa. Your friend was beating the crap out of one, but it was more interested in pulling me out a window than fighting back. Hell, they chased me five miles.”

  The answer to her question was classified, but he felt it essential to keep in the girl’s good graces. Also, it was a classified secret she’d find out in a few days anyways when she found herself inducted into the military. Already, Marshal was aware of the troop and equipment relocation to a base intended to focus the effort against the aliens. Meg was destined to be relocated there, for her own protection as much as anything.

  “You’ve probably been told that the Greenflies are taking samples of animals from earth. Who knows what they intend to do with them, but they seem to be taking one or two animals from every species they can find. Maybe it’s an alien Noah’s Ark. But the animals they collect don’t need to be alive. That’s why they were willing to kill you to get you into their transport.

  “There’ve been a couple occasions where the Greenflies have gone after people. A prison inmate in Turkey; a Chinese farmer; maybe more we haven’t heard about. In the case of both, blood samples from the scenes of the attack showed that the abductees were different from normal people. Just minor ‘chromosomal abnormalities,’ they called them. You have a similar abnormality. It doesn’t do you any harm, and you probably never would have known you have it. But the Greenflies sense it somehow, and that’s why they were after you.”

  Meg sat dejected, but clearly believing, “So, I’m some sort of freak?”

  Marshal forced himself to smile, “I’ve been a freak since the late seventies, and trust me, you’re not one of us. You’re a young woman. The difference in your genes doesn’t seem to have given you a third arm or anything, and the doctors here say you have perfectly normal physiology. Maybe it just makes you smarter or live longer or allergic to guinea pigs… you get the idea. It hasn’t hurt you yet, and it’s not likely to.”

  “It hurt my Pa.”

  Marshal stared her in the eye, “The Greenflies killed your father, and they’ve done that and worse across the world. Never forget that. They are criminals of the worst sort, coming unbidden and with no respect for human life. They’ll make a much better target for your anger than yourself. Any interest in helping in the fight against them?”

  Chapter 6: Gamma

  Most of Gamma Team had been released from isolation under the condition that they remain confined to their training installation. With the Colonel and Ramachandran indefinitely detained, the remaining members of Gamma Team could look forward to some time without an actual op.

  This in no way reduced the amount of activity that was expected of them. The remaining members were expected to continue their rigorous training. Any refusal or poor performance on their part would lead to a discipline. Discipline for Gamma was easy to predict. It always involved withdrawal.

  The training compound was a batch of ten ugly concrete buildings in one of the more rural parts of Virginia. The buildings had been constructed there back in the early sixties for a similar, though less successful, project and while the equipment inside those buildings had made quantum leaps in complexity, the exteriors would have fit just as well in a World War II battle zone

  The perimeter was guarded by razor wire and a small, dedicated group of conventional soldiers. The dogs of the eighties and nineties had been replaced by infrared and starlight cameras in the woods. While the security forces were aware that the facility was dedicated to the training of elite special forces, not one among them had ever actually seen any training exercises. All of them took place inside the windowless concrete bunkers. There was a school of thought that covert facilities would be better concealed in plain sight. The designer of Gamma Team’s training facility did not hail from this school.

  Liam Hegerty emerged from the infirmary, his arm in the lightest of slings. The minor injury he sustained would not exempt him from training, and he had already lost several hours in which to do it. In theory, the intensity of some of the exercises would be reduced. In practice, he was expected to perform every aspect of training as the rest of the team, plus his own specialty training. If he did not perform every exercise, his lack of progress would be noted and his dosage reduced. Gamma soldiers could not be coddled, even when injured. Coddling would lead to apathy, apathy to discipline, discipline to painful withdrawal. Besides, Hegerty was nearing the time for his next dose, and he had nervous energy to spare. Training would serve as a welcome distraction.

  He was dressed in a simple T-shirt and running shorts, unmarked with any insignia as to his organization or unit, but there was no doubt that he was one of the elite special operatives the facility was here to train. Gamma Team training seemed to engender a specific build in its soldiers. While they were significantly muscled, most of Gamma Team had a whippet-thin build with virtually no body fat. Hegerty was one of the best examples of this body-type. Even for the close combat specialist, bulk could be counterproductive to the job. Muscle mass, even chemically enhanced muscle, was only one component to strength. The others were focus and speed, both of which Gamma Team members had in spades. The team was certainly fed well enough, but it was rare for any member to top two hundred pounds.

  He intended to begin at the gun range, but he found the door to the building locked with the light bulb above the door indicating it was in use. Decker was no doubt working through his specialty exercises. Despite the thick concrete walls, the sounds of gunfire and shattering masonry could be heard. Within that building was an ever-changing maze of sliding walls, through which a soldier had to not only navigate but also avoid getting squashed in. The entire chamber was filled with mist, providing a visibility similar to London fog. Ghost-like apparitions swept through the mist, firing blood red lasers at the trainee, courtesy of a holographic system in the ceiling.

  Hegerty made his way down one of the paths, curtly returning the salute of one of the security guards before reaching the PT building. While essentially a gym, it was probably one of the few gyms in the world requiring a retinal scan. The breakdown of the building was similar to what might be found in other gyms. Half of it was dedicated to empty mat-floored rooms for exercises requiring space or in whi
ch to hang punching bags. The other half was filled with exercise equipment, such as treadmills and weights.

  The differences lay in small details such as the complicated punching bags which would strike back or the personal trainer who was a licensed MD with top level security clearance.

  “Liam,” said the trainer, as Hegerty walked up to the front desk.

  “Dr. Barker,” replied Hegerty before waiting patiently. Here, the trainer was God. Originally, Gamma Team had been allowed to set their own PT schedules, but it did not take long for the apathy to set in. Even machines which automatically recorded progress were insufficient. Being trained in information systems infiltration, it had not taken long for one of the earlier members of the team to subvert the system and provide false reports while he stood motionless on the treadmill. That member had been long before Hegerty’s time, but he had heard that one’s mind and body eventually rejected the program. It made for a good cautionary tale.

  “Treadmill with reflex training. I’ve already set the course,” said Dr. Barker, “Your handler sent these for you to absorb.”

  He handed Hegerty a small DVD, labeled only with a number. Hegerty took it wordlessly and made his way to the first of ten treadmills. There had not been enough members of the team to warrant that many in a long time, but there was no need to eliminate the surplus. Each treadmill was topped with a video monitor and a bulky mechanism on each handrail. The display that normally read out the time or distance had been replaced by an array of colored buttons that would light up when struck. In practice, it was very similar to the children's game Simon but with dire results.

  Hegerty inserted the DVD, slid a pair of earpieces into place, and felt the treadmill move beneath him. It quickly accelerated up to a warm-up pace of nine miles per hour while the video screen sprung to life. It began displaying scenes from the recent attacks on Australian and Chinese zoos. There was a voice over the earpieces, that of his handler Maria Caufield. She had most likely dictated a general briefing not only for Gamma Team but also for the Pentagon staffers. The video accompaniment had most likely been added by Caufield’s assistant.

  “The attacks on Australian and Chinese soil revealed several capabilities of the alien forces not before seen. Foremost among these was the presence of air support in the form of bomber aircraft designated Arrowheads by field observers. The alien bombers possess the same insertion capability as the ground craft but also implement it as an effective evasion tactic, teleporting a distance of a several hundred meters when they are under threat. Despite several opportunities, and the inherent ability to appear at the six-o’clock position of allied craft, it made no effort to engage air targets. Currently, the aircraft is being considered a dedicated bomber.”

  The accompanying video showed several isolated Arrowhead bombers flying in nothing resembling a formation, the location of the incident impossible to determine because the camera was ground-based and pointed upwards. A group of late model Migs approached the red bombers, indicating that this was most likely the Chinese incident, but as the Migs fired missiles, the Arrowheads would vanish, only to appear at a different location to continue their disorganized meandering. In addition to this basic tactical information, Hegerty made a note that Caufield had referred to the human craft as allied. On one level he knew that this was a subtle attempt to drill in the necessity of international cooperation as well as an us-versus-them mentality to the Pentagon staffers who might view this briefing. On most levels, however, the politics didn’t interest him in the slightest.

  The treadmill accelerated to the cruise rate of 12 miles per hour. This was mostly likely going to be a run of five five-minute miles, which was typical for his training regimen. The others generally only had to do four, but close combat was considered an endurance specialty. He knew the tough part would come in a minute when the treadmill would begin to buck like a bronco. Sadly, close combat was also considered a balance specialty.

  “The ordnance used by the Arrowhead bombers is a spherical device which apparently teleports the area of effect to an unknown location. As of yet, this location has not been identified, and it is possible that the matter is being truly disintegrated. Accompanying the use of this device is a sudden vacuum effect, potentially as destructive as the blast itself.”

  The accompanying footage showed scenes of the Australian zoo from the air after the encounter. The grounds looked much like a golf course, the greenery of trees and grass interspersed with neatly circular divots in the ground. Closer views of the spherical craters showed an array of wreckage within the divots, apparently sucked there by the vacuum caused by the teleportation weapon.

  Not only were there human bodies and trees in the hole, but also mid-sized cars. The military vehicles had apparently been heavy enough to resist the winds. The images gave Hegerty pause, though, as air support was the bane of Gamma Team’s existence. Given their past covert missions, rarely had air support ever been on their side. This weapon, in its way, appeared as destructive as a five hundred pound bomb.

  Hegerty’s expectations were thwarted as, instead of the machine beginning to sway, the apparatus on the arm rail began popping up targets. Reduced to only one arm, Hegerty did his best to hit them all with fist and elbow, but they were appearing at what was normally his maximum rate. Every time he failed to strike a target, an electrical shock went through the treadmill. The reasons for this weren’t purely Pavlovian, as that didn’t work so well on Gamma anymore, but as a form of pain threshold training. Missing one target would not reduce his score, but allowing the pain to distract him from striking the next target would.

  “Significant changes in alien infantry equipment have also been observed. The most notable of these is the plasma weapon…”

  The briefing continued for the remainder of his time on the treadmill, informing him of the plasma weapons and silvery armor bugs that the alien infantry had adopted as standard equipment. Most of these summaries ended in the phrase “pending analysis” implying that some scientists were very busy indeed at Quantico or wherever else the alien equipment was being shipped to.

  When he was completed with the course, he walked up to Dr. Barker and extended his arm. Early recruits had a tendency to quiver or twitch prior to their reward, but that only served to reduce the dose. Dr. Barker quickly swabbed a spot on his arm with alcohol and gave him a quick jab with a small tab the size of a thimble. The small dose of narcotic and muscular growth factors was just enough to give a momentary rush; not like the large weekly dose administered directly by their handler. The dose was dictated by performance and his had been subpar, making the dose barely enough to whet his appetite. His next stop, the hand to hand practice dummies, would find him motivated even by Gamma Team standards.

  He passed Rice who was on his way to the treadmills.

  “Communal jump training at 1530.”

  “Acknowledged.”

  Chapter 7: Captive

  The Greenfly sat quietly in his evacuated cell, his four lower limbs positioned much the same as a cat in its sphinx position. Its right eye had turned milky white since its capture, and the shattered glass covering had shown no signs of healing. In fact, all of the Greenfly’s skin seemed to be slightly eroded, the edge of each little pylae slightly brown. The little bumps still moved up and down across its skin, moving in crazy patterns even as the alien’s eyes seemed raptly intent on the human on the other side of the glass. The glass wall of its cage bowed inwards a little, a sign of the reduced atmospheric pressure in the room.

  “There are definitely multiple repeating patterns there,” Butler said. He was looking at his alien charge through an infrared rifle sight one of the soldiers on the base had provided him. The alien seemed to be accommodating him, flashing a wide variety of ripples and ridges with the bumps on its skin. While the writhing skin was noticeable in visible light, it was crystal clear in IR. Evidently each of those tiny bumps on its skin was generating heat on only one side. When they were moved rapidly in a pattern…r />
  Dr. Gerald Butler was certain he had discovered the key to communication with these sometimes aggressive aliens, but much improved hardware would be needed to make use of it. The alien visual system evidently went deep into the infrared with finer resolution than most human IR cameras. As such, discerning any symbols in the alien’s skin was nearly impossible. They were just too small. Butler was convinced, however, that the alien language was nearly fractal. The basic impression of a message was connoted by the overall shape of the skin response. Further details of a message could be gleaned by looking at sub-elements of a pattern. At least, so went Butler’s theory.

  Butler was the linguist thrust into this position by the US Army, along with a staff of slightly less-qualified personnel. He’d been preparing for his sabbatical in the Himalayas to investigate language evolution in isolation when the alien incursions had begun. A day later, an officer had appeared at his Yale office with a letter the bearer himself wasn’t permitted to read. Butler’s skills had been drafted, and he himself was all for it. He was going to be the first human being to communicate with a creature from beyond the solar system. At least, so went Butler’s theory.

  Yet, the thing was thoroughly non-communicative. Butler suspected it was trying, but it simply did not understand what the humans were doing, and its method of communication was not quite legible to human eyes. Verbal speech had proven useless, as it appeared the alien was most comfortable in near-total vacuum. Print didn’t seem to work, as the creature just didn’t seem to understand the purpose. It would react to a book as an object, ignoring print entirely. It had a fair similarity to some aspects of human intelligence. For instance, if Butler were to hold up an object on one side of the glass, the alien was able to hold up a matching object on the other with 100% accuracy. It could duplicate spatial intelligence tasks such as stacking blocks with decent success. So, it understood. There just had been very little progress in actual communication.