B008IFNJZM EBOK (28 page)

             
“Yes and watch what happens next.”

             
The group watches as seven Bigfoots come out with large baskets on their backs.

             
“Females?”

             
“Yes they are a little smaller.  Watch what they do.”

             
The cameras are moving and following the group as they make their way along the far wall.  Many shots show only bits and pieces of what these creatures are doing.  Finally, the cameras do lock in on a distant shot where neither the green top mushrooms nor the grass is obstructing their activity.  The video cameras then zoom in on the activity.  The female Bigfoots are approaching a female Bunyip laying on her side with several young ones suckling her.  It is obvious that the mother is somehow being communicated with and she does not move as one might expect to protect her young.  While one of the female Bigfoots pets the mother, another picks up her young one at a time and sets them into a basket on the back of the third.  When she is done, only two young remain.  The mother does nothing to stop the extraction of young ones.

             
“We believe that these young ones are being removed from this valley to insure the balance between these creatures and the existing food supply of the valley.”

             
“So you think the Meeratts are relocating those to another valley somewhere else?”

             
“Possibly or maybe they will train the little ones.”

             
Elizabeth looks up from her notes.

             
“Or maybe they are taking them as their food source.  We have no idea.”

             
Jerrick now asks a question.

             
“So in this valley we have only four pair of Bunyip creatures to be concerned about?”

             
“That is hard to say.  Like all big cats, these four families on this end of the valley are territorial by nature.  They seem to patrol their portion of this valley.  There could be another pride on the other side of the valley also being controlled in size.  This is the only pride we can capture on video.”

             
Elizabeth looks at her notes.

             
“If we try to develop a time line on this pride’s movements, we would propose that when it is eight in the evening topside, it is early morning in the valley and the pride should be settled in for their day time.  We can then predict when they hunt given that all information we have at this point indicates that these animals are nocturnal hunters.”

             
“So our best opportunity for Tom and his party to cross the valley safely would be around midnight our time during their daytime rest period when activity by the pride is at its lowest.”

             
“We think that is correct.  That would be the best time to avoid the females hunting for their young.”

             
“Remember that the males do patrol their territory and that would mean that as far as the males are concerned there is no safe time to really cross the valley.  All we can say for sure is that the females are not likely to be out and about if you begin your journey around midnight our time.”

             
Nathan looked up with a serious face.

             
“There is one other thing we are sure of.”

             
“What’s that professor?”

             
The Meeratts know we are here.  That is the single fact I am sure of.”

             
Once the entire team arrived, Nathan and Elizabeth began another complete briefing showing the video.  They could tell that by the time the last images went up on the monitors there was no longer anyone with a doubt regarding all the creatures they were told about back in the Capital.  Willie leaned over to Henry.

             
“If those things don’t kill us, we are going to be millionaires!”

             
“Yeah and we will actually have money in the bank for a change.”

             
Willie turned to Elizabeth.

             
“You know, this whole world might be lined with valleys like this.  I mean wherever there are deposits of this substance making this light, the Meeratts may have actually constructed similar game preserves.”

             
“Aye, and that is what this valley is… a managed game preserve.”

             
“Yes.  And other valleys might even have more varieties of what our world would call extinct creatures.  Maybe these Meeratts collect and save animals from the topside for just that reason.  Think of all the species that we consider extinct on the surface.”

             
“You know Miss Elizabeth, taking the young ones from their mother at such an early age, would give the Meeratts a powerful weapon of defense.”

             
“What do you mean?”

             
“Being that young and being able to communicate with them, they could be trained.  Like someone who trains killer attack dogs.”

             
Nathan responds.

             
“Yes.  That is a distinct possibility.”

             
“Where are Crosley and Jerrick?”

             
“They are pulling cables and wenches down to the ledge.  They will then set up their hoists to be our equipment and personnel elevator down into the valley.  We are not going to use the stone stairs.  They are too narrow and carrying equipment down them would be a danger in itself.”

             
“Well we aren’t making any money standing around here.  Let’s go down there and help them.”

             
“Yeah, the quicker we start, the quicker we get rich.”

             
The men start to leave and Nathan stops them.

             
“Okay.  I need you all to see the Sargent Major.  He has a list of material that has to be taken down to the overhang area.  Keep in mind that neither he nor any of his men know what we are doing below the surface.”

             
The young Shawn interjects his thoughts about all that he has seen.

             
“According to the legends I was told as a kid, the Aborigines always knew when a Bunyip was about to attack.  It would always let out these loud terrifying screams.  The people would immediately tell each other that is was time to hide their children.  Legend said those things always came after children first.”

             
Henry smiles at the young lad.

             
“Well son, I guess you better be careful cause that would mean they are coming after you.”

             
Some of the men laughed as they all piled out to suit up and find out what equipment still had to be taken down to the ledge.

***

             
As the men approached the ledge carrying equipment, they saw Platt Neander & Berdy Hahn scanning the valley below with their riffles.  Henry noticed that they were not scanning with tranquilizer rifles, they were both holding powerful  fifty caliber semiautomatic sniper rifles.

             
“Now if those boys fire, they are definitely going to put something asleep for a very long time.”

             
The men sat down their loads alongside of a accumulated mound of material already down there.  Henry walked over to see what Tom and the three women were assembling.  Most of the men had seen enough to know those three were really vampires.  A few didn’t seem so impressed that they were a threat in anyway.  Shawn was one of those men.  Tom noticed them and stood up.

             
The one already assembled was being inspected by the men.

             
“This is the first grass crawler we have ready.  It has been painted with a camouflage design.”

             
“Henry here sir.  That’s a waste of time sir.  All the camouflage is going to do is to make it harder for us to find our own equipment.  I believe those cats and the Meeratts will be using their keen senses of smell and hearing if they decide to attack us.”

             
“Yes Henry.  We got them from your military and the units were already painted.”

             
“What is that made of…? It doesn’t look like metal.”

             
“It’s not Henry.  It is made of a very strong polymer used by such organizations as the United States SEAL teams.  You see men, that when a SEAL team is deployed on a ‘search and destroy’ or a rescue mission, many times the team is dropped into the water and they use rubber rafts to take them to shore or into combat.  To protect their rubber boats from being punctured by bullets, the team has panels of this material over the rubber making it bullet proof.  Just a one inch thick panel of this material offers more protection from bullets than a quarter inch of steel armor and it is extremely light.  These grass cutters are built to hold two people.

             
“These big rollers in front and in back,  are hollow and filled with gas to make them lighter in the field.  We expect the tall weed area to be water covered with a thick mud base.”

             
Shawn had never seen this device up close.  Tom could tell and Hadiya walked over.

             
“Two people get inside and close this latch.  They are now in a sealed compartment that should offer some protection from claws and teeth.  The two men then grab these handles and push it forward or backward.  The man in front will steer.  These hooks are for your tranquilizer rifles.  The front panels come together to make a shape similar to the front of a boat.  These two front panels are covered on the outside of the craft with razor sharp metal.  The idea here is to move forward and the craft spreads the weeds and grass to the sides and you move forward with a certain amount of ease like a ship cutting through the water.  Anything in front of you will be cut if it does move out of your way.  These upper panels on the sides are transparent and perforated to serve as gun ports.  This craft eliminates men in front with machetes cutting a path for the others behind them and being exposed to direct contact with the animals in the wild.   The down side of these crafts is that something like a snake could still slither under the side panels and under the smooth ski like runners below them. “

             
Shawn is more interested in the woman than in what she is saying.

             
“Well beautiful, the down side is that it is not tall enough to fire in the upright position.  You would almost be down on one knee when you shoot.  The other drawback is that given the sizes of the Meeratts and those cats down here, I would think either could tip you over.”

             
Hadiya is flattered by this man’s attention and his smile.

             
“Well then, I would suggest that you do not allow yourself to get that close to something that big.”

             
Iolana leaned over to Chelsea.  Both women could see some chemistry developing between the two.

             
“That’s funny, I didn’t hear any rifle shot.”

***

             
As soon as the units were assembled, the team was sent down, Shawn along with the two mercenaries, took up positions to offer a cover fire if needed.  The trio stood on the rocks scanning the area as the crafts were brought down one by one.  Shawn would disconnect the guide cables and push the unit from the back to make a space for the next unit to come down the wall.  Each of the three women came down with their special coffin bed rolls on their back.  Two of the members stayed topside as Crosley mounted a red flag on a light pole so its location would be seen from the ledge as the lead vehicle.  Chelsea came over as Crosley inspected his clipboard.
             

             
“So who do you have assigned to each of the grass cutters?  Am I with you?”

             
“Of course and Iolana is with Tom in his unit.”

             
“Did you say that young man’s name was Shawn?”

             
“Yes.  Why?”

             
She tugged on his arm and smiled up as Crosley lost his concentration.

             
“Put him with Hadiya.”

             
“Playing matchmaker?”

             
“No, actually I am playing chemist.”

             
“Who will be in the lead of our convoy?”