Chapter 274: Inactive watchers.
Before they could get carried away, Major Elio pulled Sunshine aside and said, "To prevent accidents like the ones which occurred when we went after the beetles, I suggest we do some training first. The snake is cunning, we don’t know if one of us is being targeted. Safety should come before assumptions that is it is too weak to defend itself."
She pondered on his words and saw sense in them. He was a soldier. Before all missions, they always made adequate preparations. It made sense that he was not on board with this unplanned hunt. "Two days." She looked at him, narrowing her eyes. "Have the teams ready in two days."
Elio sighed. Time was tight but they could make it work.
****
There was excitement in the base, especially among the soldiers. Favors were traded in exchange for sports on the team that was heading out to fight the snake.
There were some constant individuals that were going, like Major Elio, O’Toole, Nimo, Philip and Siegfried. Among the villagers, Morris and Nala had automatically made the list.
Superhumans were obviously going on the mission. It was the ordinary soldiers that were trading favors or trying to bribe Dwayne and Carson for their names to be added to the list.
In the end, sixty people were chosen. Three teams were formed, twenty in each group and then training started. The lab had long created a snake dummy at Sunshine’s request and it was finally unveiled.
The dummy was not just wires and rubber--it was an engineering masterpiece with synthetic tendons that allowed it to simulate a strike from the tail and head. It had heat sensors, allowing it to detect body heat and lash out accordingly.
It even had venom sacs which were balloons stuffed with neurotoxins that would simulate real side effects of a snake bite.
The creators were very proud of their work as they controlled the dummy on the field.
The teams underwent two day training during the day and night because Sunshine wanted to be ready for all hours of the day. From crawling in snow to handling hallucinations which were a side effect of the snake bite, they mastered it all.
Those who did not make the cut were eliminated. Those who showed extreme fright were eliminated. Replacements were made immediately. Only those who emerged from the simulation with limbs intact and no lingering fear from hallucinations were deemed ready for the mission.
On the third morning, they were ready to set out for the mission. Hades group which was not part of the three teams was burdened with buckets of fish. They trudged through the snow towards the ridge where they always left the buckets.
The creatures were watching, still as statues. When they emptied the buckets, the watchers didn’t lunge as usual and remained stiff. Hades never understood why they always let the fish sit for a while before descending.
"These are today’s offerings, hear us superior beings and be appreciative." Warren shouted to the sky like he was talking to small gods.
Hades stared at him briefly. "Superior my foot."
On the bubble, Pink looked on like it could understand their language, then shifted her eyes back to the fortress.
All the watchers did the same thing.
The teams waited.
"We need to send out the drones, why aren’t they eating." Jon asked after a thirty minute wait.
"They always take their time. Maybe they like frozen fish, who knows." Hades answered. "But today is different, we cannot wait any longer." He said as much to Sunshine through his walkie-talkie and she agreed.
From where she was in the command center, she ordered for the drones to be released. They were using the new drones she had acquired from Boulder Creek. With their insect like structures and crimson lenses that looked like red eyes, they had fascinated the engineers and comms officers.
When they were released, they spread their wings, appearing like real insects flying through the sky. Only five had been sent out because Sunshine wanted to test and see what the watchers would do.
The watchers were just looking on so far. One was even sleeping face down on the bubble with one lobe leg crossed over the other. A thing that Lisha was often seen doing outside the Information center.
Sunshine shuddered and watched the drone feed as the drones glided over the snow covered forest. Everything looked ghostly and still. Then on the monitors, the snake came into view, it sprawled beside the frozen water stream.
Snow covered most of its body and it was not moving at all.
"It looks dead." Warren said, even though he was not convinced by his own words.
Nimo shook her head. "Those things do not die easily."
Sunshine was quiet, her eyes were fixed on the screen. There was steam coming from the stream. Even though it was a hot water stream, what was happening was abnormal. Under such abnormal temperatures it should have been completely frozen. Every water body was supposed to be solid ice by now.
She zoomed in, hoping to see something. Steam clearly drifted faintly above the surface, shimmering in the cold air.
She checked the map just to be certain. "The hot water stream should be ice. " Sunshine said, her voice tight.
"Not always, it always freezes partially." Morris frowned.
"This is not an ordinary winter." Nimo pointed out.
Father Nicodemus folded his hands. "Could it be possible that water gathered there is acid rain and that somehow helped the stream not to freeze? Besides, look at the size of the area producing steam. It is not a stream anymore, it looks more like a lake. There must be something unusual about it, the snake is there for a reason."
Silence filled the room, everyone looked at the feed, unsure whether to be fascinated or terrified.
Sunshine quietly asked the system to scan the lake.
[Host, you need to be in close proximity of the lake to scan it.]
"Now we know where the snake is." Nimo tapped her dragonoid. "Time to kill it."
Sunshine looked out of the window, the watchers still, had not touched the fish. Their eyes were fixed on the base, like they knew something was about to happen.
She felt uneasy. Their lack of movement nagged her a lot. A fullness formed in her chest, an instinct she could not explain.
"We are ready ma’am." A comms officer said to her.
The drones had shrunk to the size of dragonflies and some had moved lower while others stayed above. If the snake moved, the officers would alert those on ground about the changes.
Moments later, the team going out on the mission gathered at the main gate, weapons and gadgets were distributed. Among them were repaired iron shirts. Sunshine explained how they protected the wearer but also mentioned that they were experimental.
"Do not get so cocky out there, we have enemies out there. Both human and animal."
She stepped back and let Morris take charge. "Once we are out there you listen to me. No one wanders off, no matter what you see. No one takes their safety gear off. Understand?"
"Yes Sir." They announced boisterously.
"We should leave now." Jon said, his presence still shocked everyone. He was not the type to go on such a mission, maybe he had too much trust in the two body guards that flanked by his side.
"Jon maybe you should reconsider." Kris told him, all this friends were begging him to stay back.
Jon shook his head, his resolute unyielding. "We all have to protect the mountain."
Hades moved closer to them, eyes narrowing. "You better not pull some stupid shit like Sheldon did." He warned.
"You insult me with your words friend." Jon adjusted his gloves. "I have a brain, unlike Sheldon."
Sunshine told them that it was time to leave.
"Be safe out there." Hades said to her.
Sunshine gave him a nod and jumped into the car.
The gates groaned open and the vehicles rolled out, the watchers stirred. Their heads turned towards the departing vehicles. But instead of following like they usually did, they simply reached for the fish and began to eat, slow and deliberate.
Sunshine’s stomach twisted. "Am I the only one that thinks that something is up with those watchers? Since when are they not interested in stalking us? Even Pink is eating. She has never accepted our fish before."
"Must be the aroma and that golden skin on the fish. It is extra crispy today." Nimo answered.