//------------------------------// // Monster Hunt Gone Sideways: Earth (December 15, 1996) // Story: Fight the Future! On a Budget. // by eraser //------------------------------// Environmental Alert People went missing in the vicinity. With help from the local forces, we have located a possible reason: some unidentified creature glimpsed several times. We should identify this threat and put an end to it. A rental sedan that had seen better days was crawling uphill somewhere in Mississippi, USA. Inside were two men in cheap business suits. The driver was a short lively redhead, who never seemed to stop moving and talking; the passenger was deceptively slow tall tan brunet. The driver preferred "Pyroxyline" or "Pyr" to his given name. The passenger bore an unusual name Kamran, which had already caused problems clearing the airport customs. That was why he let Pyr rent the car and drive. "Any more premonitions?" Pyr asked not taking his eyes off the road. "No. You?" Kamran replied, checking his Glock. "Not as such... Just thoughts... Extrapolating from previous missions. First, we were called to investigate one mangled body and found a bloodthirsty furry chicken, who shrugged off buckshot—" "Good thing car insurance covered ramming," Kamran remarked. "—Second time, there was one corpse mauled beyond recognition and one missing, and it was a horse-sized wolf—" Pyr continued. "Who got shot by tourists before we got there." Kamran chuckled, recalling their surprise. "—Third time, there were three bodies and four missing people, and those four attacked us as zombies—" "Which reminds me..." Kamran put his pistol to the holster and pulled out a sawed-off shotgun. It looked almost like a pistol in his large hands. "—And now we have eleven missing and no bodies at all. Should we expect all of them to turn against us?" "Did you discuss it with Central?" "Ask them if they got any news." Pyr waved his hand at the radio. "Sure." Kamran fumbled with still-unfamiliar controls. "Central, this is team one. Anything new on the case?" So far, they were the only team, but the boss optimistically numbered them, hoping to expand someday. "Brshhhhhht—the gamekeeper, who was going to meet you, doesn't answer," said the radio. "You're on your own. He went after a sheepdog-sized purple animal and hasn't reported since." "Another giant wolf?" Pyr shouted so that he would be heard without taking the mic. "Unlikely, he described the animal as a small horse," boss replied. "The wolf we saw stomped like a horse," Kamran interjected. "When he was alive, I mean. As the witnesses say." "And he insisted it was purple," boss repeated. "Purple horses? How about pink elephants? Are you sure this gamekeeper was mentally sound?" Pyr shouted. "Yes, sure. Yes, he was. No delirium tremens either." Boss didn't want to elaborate any further. "Pyroxylin here suggests the missing people here may have become zombies too," said Kamran. The boss spent a few seconds digesting the idea. "That's possible. The study of zombies sugges—brshhhhhhh-zzzzzzz-crkl-wwwwwwwwp If the purple animal dispenses the zombifying agent, try to capture it. Tasers should work." "If the woodsman is gone, any chance to get a local tracker with a dog?" Kamran asked. "Not today, I'm afraid." Boss sounded apologetic. He took over X-COM's field and research assets only two weeks ago and was still trying to straighten this mess. "Why the hell!? They ask us to come and help with this crime, yet won't lift a finger to assist? Why shouldn't we turn around and let locals deal with that!?" the driver shouted. Most of the time he controlled himself just fine, but occasionally demonstrated the temperament that earned him the nickname "Pyroxiline". He almost let the wheel go to gesticulate better. Almost. "Because they won't." The boss sounded grim. "Best case, this thing migrates and—gwwwww-grgrgrgrgr-bleeeep—ost case, the police starts covering it up and fabricating the evidence." "Do you know something we don't?" Kamran voiced the obvious. "Yes, and it's strictly need-to-know. And before you ask, no, you being there doesn't amount for 'need'. Unless they start shooting at you. Sorry, guys, it's not for me to decide. Just try to avoid the local police." Silence fell. Even the noises from the radio disappeared. "Any more questions? Requests?" the boss asked. "Next time we need to leave the car, I want real walkie-talkies, not this untransportable pre-war crap!" Pyr shouted. "I've filed the request last week. Soon." "And bigger guns," Kamran added. "The whole science team is searching for loopholes in the rules. But don't hold your breath. I'm afraid, I'll have to raise the issue before the Council in January." "And hire more agents!" Pyr shouted. "It's a matter of money. Keep up the good work as you did so far, and Council will increase funding." 🚗⌚🚙⏱🚐⏲🚛⏰🚜 The forester's jeep was parked beside the road. Pyr parked next to it and both stepped out. Both looked less convincing in business suits than guests at a costume party. Police uniform would've suited them better. Maybe even SWAT. Besides, muddy forest isn't the best place to cosplay Men in Black. They circled the Forestry Service jeep. The footprints were easy to read on the wet soil. The forester went out of the car and into the woods, then came back for something, then left again. Searching the car yielded a note on the dashboard and a map in the glove box. Pyr dashed to their car. "Car one calling Central. We found the Forestry Service jeep, but nobody's there. Just a note." "Read it," commanded boss. "The purple thing's in the cave 1 mile NE," Pyr read, "I'm going there. And... coordinates, I guess. 401-414." "Those numbers mean 'the enemy listens' and 'don't use unscrambled radio'," boss explained. "Should we stay silent then?" asked Kamran. "No need. This 'pre-war crap', as you called it, uses state-of-the-art wide-band burst packets. With compression. Deciphering it requires an insider agent and even computing your precise bearing requires military-grade hardware. Costs a fortune, unfortunately." "Uh." "So, do you have a map of the area?" "Yes, we do." Kamran took the microphone from Pyr. "There are pencil marks, including a cross with a word 'cave' near here." "Near the 1238 elevation mark," Pyr added. "The distance and direction match." "So, what's the weather like in America? Care for a stroll through the winter forest?" "Hollywood films keep telling it's always summer in the USA," said Pyr. "Except 'Home Alone'," he quickly corrected himself. "And it's not far from truth. We won't freeze." ⛰⏳🏔⌛🌋 The hill slopes were very gentle, but seeping strength nonetheless. On top of it there were several six-metre bumps with protruding jagged rocks. The chain of human footprints went into a narrow gap between the two slabs. There were also a lot of prints of... Something. "Looks like a shoeless horse," Kamran remarked. "But it's too light for its size." He looked at the gap and added with doubt: "And a horse won't fit there." "It's the only cave we found. Let's check." Kamran took point with the shotgun. Pyr followed, with a pistol and a flashlight. The damn thing had a huge power supply, could double as a club, but cost more than the rest of their arsenal. They still couldn't afford the second one, but weren't allowed to acquire anything cheaper. Pyr suspected the secrecy was meant to save the writers of the regs from angry field agents. After the second turn of the tunnel the light reflected off something metallic. The path was blocked by three thin bronze disks spinning around orthogonal axes intersecting in one point. Except that bronze is normally solid and doesn't allow disks to spin one through another. The thing was over a metre wide and blocked the path completely. "Looks like the teleporter thing from the 'Contact' film," Pyr observed. Kamran lay on the ground and tried to study the tunnel beyond the obstacle. "I think, I can squeeze under it, but there's no tracks on the other side. They all end here," he said. "Do you suggest jumping in there?" Pyr brought a long tree branch from the outside. It smoothly went into the disks, disappearing a few centimetres before touching them. But bore no damage when pulled out. Agents tried probing the other side of the portal — and felt large open space and solid ground. Finally, Kamran risked pushing his arm and then head through the disks. "There's a wooden platform high above a town of cottages. Very colourful. Should hold our weight. Let's go?" "Is the air breathable?" Pyr inquired. "I don't think I breathed," Kamran replied hesitantly. His head disappeared in the portal again to emerge a minute later. "Yes it is." And they went through. The case was not resolved Civilians killed: 1 X-COM agents missing in action: 2 Vehicles lost: 1 Rating: feeble