U-10
Chapter 4 - SEED

Koritt watched in dismay as the Human tossed the now useless Bio-Array Gun aside.

The gun was designed to analyze the DNA of the entity killed first and then eliminate all matching organisms within a 100 meter radius. It was unfortunate the group in possession of the U-10 didn’t match the DNA profile of the lifeforms attacking them. With any luck, the Bio-Array Gun should have killed all the Humans. Koritt could then have just walked into the camp and taken the U-10. No fuss or muss. It was obvious the Humans didn’t share matching DNA profiles.

The specialized weapon was to be used only if Koritt was being attacked by overwhelming bio-assailants. If a herd of dinosaurs or a thousand natives attacked Koritt, all he had to do was kill one of them. The Bio-Array Gun would then eliminate every living thing with the same DNA. Simple. Elegant.

Once again, Koritt thanked the foresight of the engineers designing the cards for single-use. The Bio-Array Gun was one of the more powerful survival tools available from the U-10.

Taking a deep breath, Koritt crept toward the Human camp. The urgency to recover the U-10 had just increased to crisis level.

***

“Crap!” Lavender yelled as he tossed the alien gun aside.

Not knowing about the single-use drawback, Frost picked up the discarded weapon and wiped off the sand. The other squad members approached Ty for orders.

“Do a sweep of the area. I want to know how many Insurgents there were and if any of them survived,” Ty said.

Turning toward Frost, he watched her heft the weapon for weight and balance. She took several photos with an M16A4 beside it for size comparison. At last she looked at Ty.

“Explain what the hell this is, how you got it and why you threw it away.”

“I don’t know what it is, I got it out of the pouch and as with everything else that comes out, it’s one and done,” Ty said with a little more heat than he intended.

“I know you got it out of the bag, Moron. What do you mean it’s one and done?”

Trying his best to remain calm, Ty described his initial experiments. He detailed how the knife and grenade had worked one time and then deactivated. The alien devices and the cards that made them only worked one time.

Frost scowled and picked up the alien bag. The card that had produced the gun was still in its slot. She slid the card in and out of the slot several times. Each time, a yellow light blinked followed by a buzz.

“Told you,” Ty said.

“Quiet. I am confiscating this, the cards and the weapon in the name of the United States Government.”

“You can’t do that,” Ty said. “You don’t know the full capabilities of the pouch. It is some serious tech.”

“And you have no idea who you’re dealing with,” Frost said and pointed her pistol at Ty.

At that moment, Ty’s squad walked into the firelight. Sasquatch tossed a squirming bundle near the fire.

“We counted forty-two Insurgents, all confirmed dead,” Psycho said.

“A few were killed by bullets, but the others died from wounds to either their heart or brain,” Roadkill added.

“It’s weird,” Wendigo said. “We all saw the light spear. It ignored US Soldiers and killed everyone else except this guy.”

Just as she pointed at the lump near the fire, it tore the dirty rags off its face.

“You devils will not survive this day,” the man said in English.

“Well, well, well - What do we have here?” Ty asked.

Nodding at Hashtag, he motioned for the rest of the rags to be removed. A bearded, nut-brown face was revealed. The man’s hair was oily and matted.

In perfect English, the man blustered, “You will all be buried in the sands of our homeland.”

“Sounds like he’s from the Chicago area,” Big Papa said. “Let me teach him some manners.”

Grabbing the man by the collar, he started to drag him away.

“Wait a sec,” Ty said. “Where are you from? Who are your parents?”

“I was born in Herman Park, a Detroit suburb. My father was native to Karaj, Iran. My mother was African-American. When I was old enough, I saw how America was destroying my heritage and joined the Army of Allah.”

“I’ll be damned. The alien gun was able to distinguish between the DNA of native Insurgents and US born. That’s why it ignored us and killed all of them except this piece of crap,” Ty said.

“Die, infidel!” the man screamed and lunged at Ty.

Big Papa jerked on the man’s collar, and he floundered back in a cloud of sand. Sasquatch kicked him in the chest, and he stopped moving.

Daylight began to appear over the horizon and one of the MRAP guards walked up and saluted Frost.

“Ma’am, we have several wounded. They need medical attention. We must return to Base.”

Keeping her pistol trained on Ty, Frost said, “Understood. We leave now.”

“You don’t know what you’re dealing with, Frost,” Ty warned.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” she responded as she backed toward the MRAP’s.

“By the time my people are finished with this beauty, the dominance of the US Military around the World will be assured.”

Just as the last words left her lips, something thumped into the sand at her feet. There was a popping sound and a cloud of vapor spewed into the air. Ty was dumbfounded as everyone around him fell unconscious.

Feeling a growing lethargy, Ty’s legs gave out, and he dropped to his knees. Struggling to crawl to Frost’s side, he tried to pull the pouch off her shoulder. Unable to maintain focus any longer, Ty rolled over as everything went black.

***

Koritt edged into the camp.

The anesthetic gas worked like a charm except on one of the Humans. Koritt stared at the sentient and made a quick decision. Something about his physiology had withstood the effects of the gas far too long. Intrigued by the presence of a biological resistance to the sedative, Koritt decided he had found his specimen.

The sentient holding the U-10 and box of activation cards was a female Human. Koritt smiled.

“The signal from the distress beacon has been received at headquarters by now. A transport should be heading my way. I think a breeding couple would be far more valuable than a single specimen.”

Confident the gas would keep the Humans unconscious for hours, Koritt took his time. Four trips later, he had accomplished all his mission parameters. Examples of Human tech were abundant. He selected items of communications gear, weapons and clothing for analysis. The second and third trips involved lugging the Human specimens to his hideaway in the rocky crags half a kilometer away. Erasing all evidence of his presence, goings and comings, was the last piece in the puzzle.

Now it was a simple matter of waiting for rescue to arrive. Koritt checked his locator beacon. It was solar powered and operating at peak efficiency. Positive a transport team would replace him in a few hours, he settled into a comfortable position and took a nap.

***

“His transport crashed? Are you sure?” the Chief Executive asked.

The Bureaucrat ground his oral pincers in frustration.

“Who could have guessed Diviak’s transport couldn’t make the simple roundtrip to Earth.”

“Do you realize the predicament this situation creates?”

“There isn’t any problem. The loss of Koritt Diviak is of minor concern. I made the decision there would be no rescue party in the event of his failure. No corporate funds will be spent.”

“You are an idiot!” the CE thundered.

Cringing, the Bureaucrat remained silent. Saying anything would only make things worse.

“The Board of Directors authorized me to create a bio-enhancement experiment. The purpose of the experiment was to create a species of workers that could survive in the harshest environments. The Corporation stood to make billions of credits from a minor investment.”

“Sounds like a typical, laboratory experiment,” the Bureaucrat responded.

“Shut up and listen,” the CE said. “My designers convinced me an intelligent worker would have greater survival skills under extreme, hazardous conditions. The value of such workers would increase a thousand-fold. As a result, I authorized the enhancement.”

The Bureaucrat began to sweat as he grasped the implications.

“You broke several Galactic Coalition directives! DNA manipulation of intelligence is prohibited.”

“Now you understand the problem. I chose Earth for the experiment because it was remote, and the enhancements would require thousands of years to mature into something useful.”

“How can there be a problem? We follow my ‘no rescue’ plan. Diviak can rot for all I care. No one here will be the wiser,” the Bureaucrat said.

“His rescue beacon is broadcasting on the public frequency,” the CE said. “Ten non-profit salvage and rescue agencies are already clamoring for the rights to go after him.”

The Bureaucrat blanched. His careful selection of Diviak hadn’t anticipated outside interference. Once a third-party agency landed on the Human planet, contact with the inhabitants was a virtual certainty. The Human intelligence level would raise questions. The most rudimentary genetic test would disclose the prohibited DNA manipulation. Investigations, arrests and lifetime imprisonment of those involved were the next logical steps. The Galactic Coalition would stop at nothing to prevent similar violations of the law.

Swallowing to ease the nervous lump in his throat, the Bureaucrat asked, “What are your orders, Sir?”

“The Corporation shall send its own team to Earth under the guise that the environment is hazardous to unenhanced lifeforms. The bio-hazard warning will deter the outside agencies from launching any other recovery teams.”

“I’ll arrange the rescue team, Sir. There will be no slip-up,” the Bureaucrat responded.

“There better not be,” the CE warned. “Despite the financial loss, the Human experiment must be terminated. Koritt Diviak must be found and eliminated as well. He might be a whistleblower. I will not go to prison.”

***

Akhund wedged through the rocky fissure and entered the cave where Provincial Commander, Jalauddin Razaq Nafez, waited.

Fear of his Commander’s reaction to the news of his failure made him quiver.

Nafez sat by the fire whispering to the Head of his personal guards. He frowned when he saw Akhund shuffling toward him.

“Where are my deputies? Are they outside planning a celebration of the heads you liberated from the American swine?” he asked.

Gathering his courage, Akhund sputtered, “The attack was a total failure. The accursed US soldiers used poison gas. I saw the first gas grenades explode from my observation post. My warnings for retreat were too late. All my fellow fighters are dead.”

Akhund prayed his wailing tone sounded true. It was his only hope to keep his head.

Nafez’s expression went from surprise to anger to rage. He stood and paced by the fire, cursing with every breath. At last, he drew his dagger and threw it into the sand at Akhund’s feet.

“I will wash my hands in the blood of every US Soldier who still breathes the air of Afghanistan. I will build a wall with their bodies.”

Akhund’s fear disappeared. His story had rung true; however, he had witnessed the real carnage. The Americans had something that worked too well in the battlefield. Caution was needed.

“Commander, the Americans are stealthy and brutal. The only way to insure victory is with overwhelming force. They will not be defeated with ease.”

“You and I are going to visit Supreme Commander, Wakil Amed Ghaffar. He will issue a decree to gather the hundreds of fighters we need to insure victory. As soon as he hears your description of the poison gas attack, nothing will stop him from destroying the US presence in our lands.”

“Ghaffar?” Akhund squeaked.

“You think his reputation is bad,” Nafez grinned. “Just wait until you meet him in person.”

***

Fisheye struggled to force his eyelids open.

He felt drowsy, but the bright sunlight beating on his face told his fogged brain he shouldn’t be sleeping. Rolling away from the direct light, he saw the other members of his squad trying to sit or stand.

“What happened?” he croaked.

“I don’t know, but Lavender and that Frost woman are gone,” Hashtag mumbled.

Wendigo climbed to her feet and helped Sasquatch stand. Wraith walked up, her feet shuffling sand.

“Looks like everyone was knocked out by some kind of gas. There are casualties. The MRAP Marines with the worst wounds are dead.”

“How long have we been out?” Psycho asked.

“About four hours,” Big Papa replied.

“Look at this,” Roadkill said.

He was staring at something in the sand. The others crowded around him.

“What?” Hashtag asked.

“Someone was here and didn’t do a good job of hiding the fact,” Roadkill replied and pointed. “That’s a partial footprint.”

Roadkill was trained to replace IED’s. Once you knew what to look for, traces of digging and other disturbances in the soil stood out like flashlights in the darkness.

The depressions in the sand had an odd shape and spacing, but there was no doubt they were made by a foot. Well, some kind of foot. There were six toes and the ball of the big toe was twice the size of a Human’s. There were depressions in the sand at the end of each toe. They gave the impression they were made by claws.

Roadkill stood and surveyed the surrounding landscape. After a moment, he nodded.

“There is a trail. Someone tried to hide his tracks but didn’t do a good job. The path wanders toward those mountains,” he said as he pointed westward.

“Do we ride or walk?” Big Papa asked.

“I have the feeling time is short. We ride,” Wraith said.

***

The military-spec transport settled to the sandy plain with a heavy, crunching sound.

Shinol had ordered the invisibility screen into operation as soon as the craft passed the moon orbiting the planet labeled Earth by the guidance computer.

He didn’t think the screen was necessary, but the Bureaucrat had instructed him to use it.

His directive was to locate a corporate reprobate named Koritt Diviak, eliminate him and all evidence of his presence on Earth. Shinol didn’t care what was required to accomplish his objectives. All he wanted was the bonus he would receive when he reported the mission goals achieved.

His thoughts were interrupted.

“What’s so special about this guy?” Fulsa asked. “Is he a murderer or something?”

“I don’t know and don’t care.” Shinol said. “He’s a problem that needs to be removed. I want this operation quick and clean. We have to sterilize this planet and return with Diviak’s body. Those are our mission parameters.”

“Diviak’s locator beacon has been pinpointed,” Attozka announced. “He’s acting like he wants us to replace him.”

“He has no idea we’ve been sent to kill him. He will think we’re rescuers,” Shinol replied.

“Why do we have to return with his body if we are sterilizing the planet?” Exinat asked. “Let’s just do the sterilization. Diviak will be killed along with every Human.”

“He has a U-10,” Shinol said.

“What?” Attozka asked. “That changes things.”

“Yeah,” Exinat replied. “With the capabilities of a U-10, Diviak could survive a planetary sterilization.”

“Gear-up,” Shinol ordered. “Diviak is expecting friendlies. We will let him believe we are his rescue party. No use in carrying him back here when he can walk under his own power. Once he’s inside the ship, we eliminate him, take the U-10 and proceed with sterilization of the planet.”

***

Frost’s soft moan brought Ty back to consciousness.

Blinking moisture back into his dry eyes, he felt weight on his chest and looked down. Frost’s head was lying on his chest. Trying to move, Ty found his arms and legs bound. As his brain began to function, he peered around to get his bearings.

He was in a small clearing surrounded by high rocks. His equipment belt had been removed. His chest felt damp under Frost’s head, and he guessed she had drooled on him while she was unconscious. Without warning, her head snapped up. Her eyes looked wild, and she struggled to get free of her bonds.

“Whoa, whoa. Calm down, Frost. Calm down,” Ty said in a soothing voice.

“Where are we? Why are we tied? she asked aloud.

“I don’t know yet, and please keep your voice down,” Ty warned.

“If Insurgents had captured us, we would not be alive,” she said in a low voice.

Ty was impressed by the way she seemed to shake off the effects of the knockout gas. Gas had to be the answer.

A dry rustling drew their attention, and a nightmare appeared. The creature walked like a Human, but the comparison stopped there. It was around two meters tall, thin and hairless. The head looked insectoid. The ears were long, flexible tubes similar to antennas, and the mandibles gave it a praying mantis appearance. The eyes were black with white pupils ringed in purple. Its skin was dark yellow with green highlights. Each oversized hand and foot had six digits ending in short claws.

The creature, it had to be an alien lifeform, looked toward Ty and Frost and uttered a series of unintelligible buzzes, chirps and clicks.

“What the hell is that?” Frost asked.

“I think we just met the owner of the pouch,” Ty murmured without moving his lips.

The being shook its head and picked up the box of cards. It fingered through several of them until it grunted and selected one in particular. Picking up the pouch, it slid the card into the slot and the familiar green light appeared along with a beep. With a series of chirps and hisses, it lifted the flap and pulled out a thin cardboard-like sheet. The sheet was perforated into smaller squares. He bent one set of squares along the perforation and tore three of them loose. Looking at Ty and Frost and grinding its mandibles, it stalked toward them.

Bound as they were, Ty and Frost couldn’t escape. The Insectoid separated the three squares and tried to put one of them in Ty’s mouth. Struggling as best he could, Ty turned his head from side to side and kept his lips tightly closed. The being then tried to feed the square to Frost, but she did the same as Ty.

Rolling its eyes and shaking its head in a familiar Human gesture, the creature flipped the square toward its mouth where one of its mandibles caught the thing and placed it on its tongue. After a moment, the creature swallowed. Pointing at the two remaining squares, it pantomimed putting the things in its mouth, swallowing and pointing at Ty and Frost.

“It wants us to eat those things,” Ty said.

“You first, genius-boy. I can think of all kinds of reasons you shouldn’t, like poison, parasites and drugs. Go ahead and be pals with your alien.”

“For someone in the business of hunting other-worldly threats, you don’t seem to have developed a sense of adventure.”

“Just a healthy respect for the unknown,” Frost shot back.

Ty looked at the alien, nodded and opened his mouth. The creature carefully placed one of the squares on Ty’s tongue. It was tasteless and began to dissolve. Ty swallowed it with some difficulty since his throat was dry.

“Well I’ll be damned, these Humans do have a modicum of intelligence,” a computerized voice said in Ty’s mind.

Ty guessed the only source for the statement had to be the alien.

“What did you say?” Ty asked.

“Never mind. You’ll get used to it. Now can you please persuade the female to ingest her translator?”

“I didn’t say anything. I’m just waiting for your reaction to the . . ,” Frost tried to respond because she thought Ty was talking to her.

“Be quiet and listen,” Ty interrupted her. “The thing is a translator. I don’t know how it works, but it enables you to talk to it.”

“You’re kidding. I knew it was a drug. You’re already suffering from delusions,” Frost replied and turned her head away from him with a scowl.

Frustrated, Ty considered his options. At last, he looked at the creature.

“Do you have a name?” Ty asked.

“Of course. My name is Koritt Diviak.”

“Okay, Koritt. The only way I think I can convince her to eat that thing is to show her that you and I are talking to each other.”

“I don’t think you are being successful. Based upon my interactions with females, her expression tells me she thinks you’re crazy,” Koritt said.

Ty looked at Frost and she was staring at him, eyes wide. Ty thought he perceived a hint of worry on her face.

Looking back at Koritt, Ty said, “This may sound insane, but she hears me speak English to you. I need you to do as I say.”

“Maybe. It depends upon what you want,” Koritt responded.

“Okay. Lift your right hand. Good. Now stand up and turn around. Good.”

“I’ll be damned,” Frost said. “You are talking to it.”

“Now will you please swallow the translator?” Ty asked.

Nodding, Frost opened her mouth and Koritt placed the square on her tongue. In moments, she swallowed the lump.

“How long does it take to work?” she asked.

“Not long,” Koritt replied.

***

“Untie us,” Frost demanded.

“Now why would I do a thing like that?” Koritt asked.

“What are you planning to do with us?” Ty demanded.

“Orders,” Koritt replied. “Although I’ll have to admit it appears my superiors weren’t honest with me about this experiment.”

“What experiment?” Frost asked. “Planned genocide? In-breeding? Experimental genetic manipulation? What?”

“You are closer to the truth than you realize,” Koritt said. “Your logic, reasoning skills and grasp of sophisticated, technical subjects is extraordinary.”

“You wanted to communicate with us. Why?” Ty asked. “It’s obvious you understand how the bag works. You know how to read the cards. You knew there was a card to produce the translator disks. Why bother talking to us?”

Shaking his head, Koritt paced the clearing. He seemed to reach a conclusion and dropped to a knee near Ty.

“The bag as you call it is a U-10. It is a survival tool. With it, someone like myself can survive in the harshest environments. You discovered how to make it work. Explain.”

“Explain what?” Ty asked. “The thing’s simple. The only drawbacks are I can’t read the language on the cards, and the things only work once.”

Appearing thoughtful, Koritt grabbed the card box. Pulling a card from the back of the box, he held it in front of Ty.

“Read it,” Koritt demanded.

The alien letters were no longer illegible. Ty said, “Bio-Array Gun.”

Frost’s eyes went wide. “That card produced the laser beam weapon that killed all the Insurgents.”

“Correct,” Koritt replied.

“How come the things only work once?” Ty asked. “Seems like a huge waste of valuable resources.”

“Would you provide a loaded gun to an enemy?” Koritt asked. “Even by mistake?”

“I wouldn’t provide the gun, let alone the ammunition,” Frost shot back. “Kinda stupid for such an advanced race of Brainiacs.”

“Is she always so sarcastic?” Koritt asked Ty.

“She has a superiority complex that needs adjusting,” Ty said and smiled at Frost’s scowl. “Now answer my question. What are you planning to do with us?”

“My orders are to retrieve a specimen of your race. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to deliver a breeding couple.”

***

Without warning, a bullet smacked into the rock near Koritt’s head. A small cloud of rock chips and dust exploded from the impact.

Big Papa squeezed off another shot but missed as Koritt spun aside. Darting for the nearest break in the rocks surrounding the clearing, Koritt disappeared. Wendigo unleashed a volley of rounds that tracked the alien into the rocks.

“Don’t kill him,” Ty yelled.

There was a pause and then Koritt backed into the open space with his arms raised. Wraith appeared from behind the rocks with her weapon leveled at the alien. She was followed by Roadkill. Sasquatch, Wendigo, Psycho and the others appeared from their hiding places moments later. It was obvious they had surrounded the clearing while Koritt’s attention was focused on his conversation.

Hashtag and Big Papa freed Ty and Frost.

Rubbing her wrists to restore circulation, Frost walked toward Koritt and said, “Bind the alien hand and foot. Make sure the knots are tight.”

“Hold up,” Ty said. Something about the alien’s calm demeanor was non-threatening. Ty made a gut decision.

“Make Koritt comfortable. I just don’t want him to run away. We need more information and mistreating him won’t help.”

“I’m the highest ranking officer here. I am in control,” Frost said.

“Is she for real?” Big Papa asked. “What about it, Boss?”

Ignoring Frost, Ty looked at Koritt and asked, “Do we need to take extreme measures to insure you won’t escape?”

“Now that I know you’re not going to kill me, you couldn’t drag me away from here. At the very least, my curiosity about your intelligence level and adaptability has been tweaked. I will not try to escape.”

Ty noticed his squad members were looking at him like he was crazy. He was speaking English to a chirping, clicking and hissing cricket-like alien as if he could understand it. They kept their weapons trained on Koritt.

“Stand down,” Ty said. “I think it’s time to introduce you to Koritt Diviak, the alien. There’s no need to tie him. He isn’t going anywhere. He wants to study us dumb animals.”

***

Ty took the translator tabs out of Koritt’s carryall, broke them apart and handed one to each member of his team.

“Swallow this. I don’t know how it works, but it will allow you to communicate with the cricket. His name is Koritt,” Ty said.

“I’m not eating some alien gizmo,” Big Papa declared.

Frost and I have already done it. The thing won’t hurt you,” Ty responded.

Hashtag popped the tab into his mouth as soon as Ty handed it to him. New tech always excited him, and he wasn’t disappointed.

“Do you understand me?” he shouted at the alien.

“I’m not deaf,” Koritt replied. “I have never understood why people think yelling improves communication.”

“It works!” Hashtag said in amazement.

“How long does the effect last? Wendigo asked as she swallowed. “Everything else the pouch produces only lasts one use.”

“The life expectancy of the Translator is dependent upon the metabolism and immune system of the recipient. Once your digestive system is finished and your body has absorbed the molecules, it will take days for your immune system to recognize the particles as foreign bodies. White blood cells will eradicate the device over a period of time,” Koritt replied.

“Does it work with any language? Wraith asked.

“The device is capable of translating over 30,000 languages from twenty galaxies,” Koritt replied.

“Talk some Spanish to me, Fisheye,” Sasquatch said. “I want a test.”

Fisheye sang the first verse of the Mexican National Anthem.

“Mexicanos, al grito de Guerra

El acero, aprestad y el bridón,

y retiemble en sus centros la tierra.

Al sonoro rugir del cañón.

y retiemble en sus centros la tierra.

Al sonoro rugir del cañón.”

Sasquatch repeated the phrases in English.

“Mexicans, at the cry of war

Make ready the steel and the bridle

And let the earth shake to the core

At the roar of the cannon

And let the earth shake to the core

At the roar of the cannon.”

Everyone was dumbfounded. To be told something strange would work was one thing. To see and hear it work was something else. Even Frost was impressed.

“Give me the rest of the Translator tabs. If my scientists can duplicate the effects, the uses for the tech are endless,” she said.

“All gone,” Ty replied. “Big Papa just ate the last one.”

“Damn it, Lavender, stop wasting resources!”

Ignoring her, Lavender turned to Koritt. “Why are you here? What is your purpose?”

“I was sent to retrieve a specimen and examples of your tech. My transport crashed. You know the rest.”

“A specimen is the result of an experiment,” Frost said. “What kind of experiment?”

“You are a prototype. A lab animal for lack of a better term,” Koritt replied with a dismissive wave of his hand. “After watching you interact with each other and explore the crash site, I decided the retrieve a breeding couple instead of taking just one specimen.”

“You chose Frost and Lieutenant Lavender as the breeding couple?” Psycho chortled.

Wraith looked stricken, but only Wendigo noticed.

“What do you mean prototype?” Frost asked.

“My people created your species over six thousand years ago. We left you on this planet to breed and mature. Our goal was to create a race of laborers suitable for use in hazardous environments,” Koritt replied.

“We’re a lab experiment?” Hashtag asked.

“Interesting,” Koritt said. “Your specie’s ability to understand abstract concepts is extraordinary. The designers have created something far beyond expectations.”

“What do you mean by ‘far beyond expectations’? Ty asked.

“Hold on,” Frost said. “The cricket said his transport crashed. Even we have locator beacons for emergencies. I’m betting he’s talking gibberish to give his buddies time to rescue him.”

Koritt said nothing, and Ty interpreted the silence as an admission.

“Wraith, you and Fisheye get to high ground. I need eyes on our surroundings. Roadkill, hide a few party favors. We may have uninvited guests. Hashtag, get in touch with Natureboy. We need reinforcements. The rest of you replace some good hiding places,” Ty ordered.

“Your preparations are useless,” Koritt said. “Whoever is coming to rescue me will sweep through you like wind through a picket fence. They will have no mercy.”

Picking up the pouch and card box, Ty said, “We’ll see.”