Antonio grins at the two New Yorkers. "Next you're going to tell me that you have pizza in the back!" He laughs. "But yes, Sergio, has there been anything odd that's happened here? Something you struggle to explain, especially with respect to the soldiers?"
"Nah, no pizza. Even the tamales ain't so good out here. Know what I miss? Calzones from Spinetti's on 123rd. Damn, what I wouldn't give...oh, sorry, Father. Well, they're good. Anyway, yeah, those soldiers're bugnuts, know what I mean? Everyone knows they ain't right, but everyone's afraid to say something. Know what I think? It's that reefer they go down here. Like them boys up in Harlem got, but way stronger. I think they're on some kind of native bender, if you understand me. They're strung out is what I think."
"Pizza? I haven't had pizza in weeks." Minerva mentions as she walks up to the Father, and Abraham. She shakes her head when she hears no good food is to be found in the camp.
"Drugged up? That could explain their behavior. Do they all act the same? Spacy, and not paying attention?" She asks thinking about the Captain being called a devil, and wondering if he acts like his men. "The ones we ran into in the jungle were acting oddly. Like nothing would stop them."
Antonio thinks about it for a moment, then nods. "Drugs could explain it, though I have never seen a man fight so well while on them. Bolivians tend to chew the coca leaf and make tea of it. It is...ah, what is the word...ah, cocaine."
"Sergio, can you tell me which of the men is the Captain? Has he been behaving any differently than the other soldiers? Any incidents with the medical staff?"
"He's a thin looking fellow with a peaked hat. Kinda like mine, I guess, but with Bolivian markings. Bolivian soldiers mostly wear helmets or no hat at all. Captain Lafuente, they call him. Guy gives me the willies."
"Spinetti's? Stop hurting me with better memories Sergio." Abraham murmurs with a grin nodding to Minerva in agreement. His frown quickly returned though as he mentioned that they were imbibing some natural plant and it was what was putting them into this state. He had heard of chemicals being tested to see a performance increase in soldiers, even now research was being done on the men who had survived the chemical attacks in the trenches. "Drugs could fit the bill. A psychotic rage brought on by it. I've seen men bury themselves in anything when war becomes too much. " Abraham quickly committed the name to memory; Captain Lafuente.
"You know where they pick it up, the reefer? Anywhere specific?" How did this tie in to dealing with a mummy? Things were too bizarre to just be coincidence now.
After breakfast the next morning Louise goes to shift to make her rounds. It doesn't take a long time with so few patients presently. Mostly she sees to Enoli's and Minerva's injuries, checking them for infection and re-bandaging them.
Afterward Louise tells a nurse she will be conducting and inventory of camp supplies as she adds the new supplies brought by the caravan to their stocks. Luoise adds she expects it to take several hours so she won't be available for other things until after lunch in the afternoon.
She finds Minerva and they take the radio out to a location far enough away from camp to avoid notice. When the radio is set up, they put a call out to Caduceus.
"Spinetti's? Stop hurting me with better memories Sergio." Abraham murmurs with a grin nodding to Minerva in agreement. His frown quickly returned though as he mentioned that they were imbibing some natural plant and it was what was putting them into this state. He had heard of chemicals being tested to see a performance increase in soldiers, even now research was being done on the men who had survived the chemical attacks in the trenches. "Drugs could fit the bill. A psychotic rage brought on by it. I've seen men bury themselves in anything when war becomes too much. " Abraham quickly committed the name to memory; Captain Lafuente.
"You know where they pick it up, the reefer? Anywhere specific?" How did this tie in to dealing with a mummy? Things were too bizarre to just be coincidence now.
"I don't know, Father. I ain't never actually seen it or smelt it, you understand me? That reefer's got a strong smell and I ain't smelled it. I just don't know what else it could be. Maybe they brought it with them? Maybe they got some from the natives, I don't know."
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"Yes, it must be the coca leaf. I hear it can numb you to pain and help relieve sickness. I didn't know they smoked it too though." He frowns, shaking his head. "Ok, tomorrow we will speak to this Captain Lafuente. I think we all need some rest and food after today's attack though."
Antonio limps over to help with the cooking and cleaning of the camp. He stays away from the soldiers, unless necessary, but is willing to share some food with them.
"I think I'm going to try to get some rest unless someone needs help with something." Minvera heads back to her tent to rest her leg.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
In the morning, Antonio wakes up and goes to the cooking area again. After some hot mate, he offers to help deliver food to the soldiers, both injured and healthy. He sits with a few of the injured ones, offering them some conversation, a measure of comfort, and an offer of prayer and confessional. "We are all God's children even if we are in a mortal conflict. In times like this the spirit can suffer as much as the body if not more. I am here to help you if you need."
As any are willing to talk, he asks them about their unit and how their fellow soldiers are doing, even their commanding officer.
The next morning, after being patched up and getting some rest, Enoli asks Elena, Elena, is there anyone in the camp who speaks the Guarani's language? Perhaps I could talk to the tribe's medicine man about what they think is going on in this jungle."
LOUISE
Louise takes out the big backpack radio, climbs a tree some distance from the camp and sets up an antenna. After some experimentation, she finds a remote and wavering signal. "This is Caduceus Base," says a nasal-sounding voice, replete with the warbles and pops of long-wavelength radio. "This is Shapiro. Who's there?"
In the morning, Antonio wakes up and goes to the cooking area again. After some hot mate, he offers to help deliver food to the soldiers, both injured and healthy. He sits with a few of the injured ones, offering them some conversation, a measure of comfort, and an offer of prayer and confessional. "We are all God's children even if we are in a mortal conflict. In times like this the spirit can suffer as much as the body if not more. I am here to help you if you need."
As any are willing to talk, he asks them about their unit and how their fellow soldiers are doing, even their commanding officer.
The soldiers stop Antonio before he arrives. They neither thank him nor seem to recognize his attire. They simply bar his path and take the food. They all look ghastly. Unkempt, listless, unshaven. There is clearly something wrong with them.
Eventually, an officer arrives. "I am Lieutenant Rodriguez," he says. "What do you want?"
The next morning, after being patched up and getting some rest, Enoli asks Elena, Elena, is there anyone in the camp who speaks the Guarani's language? Perhaps I could talk to the tribe's medicine man about what they think is going on in this jungle."
Now no longer protected by Enoli's spell, Elena seems hesitant and uncertain. He has to ask her twice before she responds, seeming surprised to find that he is real.
"Gregorio. He is a native, but studied in Valparaiso. He speaks Spanish and a little English. This is his home village."
Antonio looks the man over as he approaches. "Good morning, Lieutenant. I am Father Antonio Peña. I arrived to the camp recently and I wanted to check on your men. The battlefield can be a harsh place. I would be happy to sit and speak to any of them, or take confessional if they need. Even men who seem ok can use a someone to listen to them. Do you have a chaplain in your group? And I had hoped to meet Captain Lafuente too."
Louise is sorely tempted to take his head off when the voice answering on the radio identifies himself as Shapiro. As satisfying as it would be though, temples and mummies are certainly not part of her residency contract with Caduceus, Louise really wants some answers. She decides she'll wait now, and tear him a new one if she doesn't like what she hears.
"Mr. Shapiro? You're just the person I need to talk to. This is Dr. Lian Zhao, in Bolivia. Dr. Ursini is dead. He was shot and killed by Bolivian soldiers before we even arrived at the aid camp. Right before he was murdered, Dr. Ursini mentioned something about a change of plans, or alteration to what we would be doing here. But we never learned any details about what he meant."
"We have his paperwork though, and there is a letter from you saying we're would be taking a mummy from a temple? We made it to the camp yesterday and things are very tense. A bunch of Bolivian soldiers are staying there also, and everyone is nervous about their presence. We have no idea what's going on. What's happening here? What are we supposed to be be doing?"
Antonio looks the man over as he approaches. "Good morning, Lieutenant. I am Father Antonio Peña. I arrived to the camp recently and I wanted to check on your men. The battlefield can be a harsh place. I would be happy to sit and speak to any of them, or take confessional if they need. Even men who seem ok can use a someone to listen to them. Do you have a chaplain in your group? And I had hoped to meet Captain Lafuente too."
The Captain is out on patrol. And so will these men be right after they eat. I will inform them of your...confessional. Any who feel the need for religion will seek you out."
Give me the campaign's first SANITY roll!
"Mr. Shapiro? You're just the person I need to talk to. This is Dr. Lian Zhao, in Bolivia. Dr. Ursini is dead. He was shot and killed by Bolivian soldiers before we even arrived at the aid camp. Right before he was murdered, Dr. Ursini mentioned something about a change of plans, or alteration to what we would be doing here. But we never learned any details about what he meant."
"We have his paperwork though, and there is a letter from you saying we're would be taking a mummy from a temple? We made it to the camp yesterday and things are very tense. A bunch of Bolivian soldiers are staying there also, and everyone is nervous about their presence. We have no idea what's going on. What's happening here? What are we supposed to be be doing?"
There is a long pause and then the quavering, static-laden notes of Shapiro's voice comes back. "Ursini is dead? You're quite sure? Oh my. Yes, that does change things."
"Listen, Dr. Zhao. This is very important. You're probably aware by now that Caduceus does more than provide humanitarian aid. Our teams also seek out threats against humanity and deal with them. You are one such team. Ursini was supposed to explain this all to you."
"On March 4th, an artillery shell hit a site of interest near to the aid camp you are now in. Some kind of ancient guardian was released and may still be at large. We don't know what it is, but we consider it to be dangerous, so be careful. We're interested in what this guardian is protecting. We believe you'll find a temple in the local area. Inside the temple, you'll find a mummy. Your job is to bring the mummy back to us. Alive!"
"Now, we knew that the situation there would be fluid. We told Ursini that once he had surveyed the situation we could arrange for an air drop of any necessary supplies. Keep that in mind. Also, keep in mind that it will take a few days to arrange. Good luck, Doctor."
At the end of each Chapter.
Antonio's eyes go wide as he sees the human skin slip off the creature's scaly skin. He takes an unsteady step back, his body wanting to flee, but his mind is stuck staring at the gaping skin suit.
"Go now," says the thing that wears the Lieutenant.
Abraham had gotten up as early as he could, the night was rough and there seemed to be no brevity from the heat of the jungle. The others were off accomplishing their own missions; looking into the radio or investigating the soldiers. For himself, he began to do what little maintenance he could on the rifle that was given to him to keep any chance of a misfire at a minimum. He did the same for the others, the busywork helping put his mind at ease as he puzzled over the strange situation that they all found themselves in.
Antonio jerks back as the Lieutenant speak to him and the next thing he knows, he's fallen back, half turned as he tries to flee. He scrambles to get up and rushes away from the...thing.
He whirls around, looking for anyone else, his mind begging for the safety of numbers. "Abraham! Abraham, Dios mio!" He grabs the American by the shoulder, speaking in low, panicked tones. "Something...something is wrong!"
He looks back towards the soldiers.
Abraham's eyes widened as he watched the priest come back as pale as a ghost, desperately trying to get as much distance between himself and the soldiers on the other side of the camp. Abraham stands just in time for Antonio to grab onto him, the panic in his voice earning a steely gaze for just a moment before the detective spoke.
"Breathe Father, breathe. C'mon, lets get you somewhere private, alright?" He would gently put an arm on the man's shoulder, leading him into the tent where Enoli was laid up still in bed. Making sure that they had privacy, he would whisper in a low but calm tone. "Tell me what happened. Take your time, don't rush alright? You're with friends here." Enoli would see the concern on the private eye's face; his brows furrowed and dark eyes widened just enough. The good priest was a calm and confident man, something fierce had to have shaken him to have him so wild.
Enoli looks up from his bed as Abraham and the Father enter the tent, he sees the look in Abraham's eyes, and the Father was behaving as he had never seen him before. Enoli struggles up out of the bed to meet the men.
"Father! What is wrong?! Are you sick? What has happened?" says Enoli as he searches the Father's eyes, then he sees it, the same look that Elena had, that same fear.
Minvera wakes up the next morning and heads out to the Mess Tent. She eats her breakfast, and then offers to help. "I'm a horrible cook, but I can clean. Point me to the pots and pans that need washed."
While she washes up she chats with the cooks and helpers. "How long have you been here at the camp? Our attack on the way in was very odd. They seemed to keep coming no matter what we did. I've never been to the jungle. Are your soldiers here super soldiers?" She babbles on trying to engage them and see if they will share anything about the soldiers or what's been happening in the camp.
MINERVA
Father Antonio sits down in a chair next to Enoli, his hands trembling. He looks at Abraham and Enoli for a long minute before he can bring himself to speak. "I...I think was too harsh on Nurse Elena." He takes a sip of mate that he keeps close at hand, like many Paraguayans. It seems to steady him some. "I spoke to the Lieutenant. Rodriguez, he called himself. But...but I saw..."
He looks at the two men. "He is...not human. Around his mouth, the skin sagged...like a cheap suit. I saw scales underneath!" He doubles over, putting his head in his hands, unsure if he's going to be sick. "Oh, Dios mio! Elena was right. El Diablo walks among us!"
"Grandfather mentioned things like this, skinwalkers, creatures that looked like men. But does this mean there are two of them? The Captain and the Lieutenant? How many more?" Enoli shakes his head. Then he puts a hand on the Father's shoulder, "Father, do not worry, this is not you devil, just an evil creature, and when they enter our world they can be stopped, it just could take all of us to do it.
Louise is so baffled and taken aback by Shapiro she sits for a while, slack-jawed and blinking rapidly. Before she had contacted Shapiro there were possibilities that, while far-fetched, still explained things in ways that made sense. Maybe Shapiro and Ursini traded practical jokes. Maybe there had been a mixup and Ursini had received a message meant for someone else. Maybe all the unbelievable stuff was code for something else.
No more. With Ursini dead, there's no way Louise can believe Shapiro is just egging on a big prank. He was serious, and so he's insane. That's bad for them because now, aside from lying to get out of Bolivia, their only choice is to find a way to talk sense to him, or find someone else back in New York who can do something about Shapiro.
Louise packs up the radio and walks dejectedly back to the camp. She secretes the radio away, then goes to find the rest of her team. She finds them gathered with Enoli in the tent used as a recovery ward and glumly delivers her news.
"I contacted the Shapiro who wrote the letter Ursini was carrying by radio. He's completely serious about what he said in the letter. We really are supposed to find some old temple and ship back a living mummy from it. If it makes anyone feel better, he offered to airdrop supplies."
"I suggest we request a large amount of quality alcohol be dropped, along with any supplies the relief camp needs. We can use the booze to buy our way back to civilization and get the hell back to the U.S."
If Louise is kidding it's the driest delivery of a joke anyone there has ever heard.
Abraham listened to Enoli go on about skinwalkers and other non-sensical nonsense and it earned a scowl from the detective as he cleared his throat and stepped in.
"Look I...I'm not saying that you didn't see what you saw but maybe there is some other explanation for it outside of the devil or skinwalkers or whatever the hell else you're thinking of." Abraham was a cynic to the absolute core and the belief in the supernatural was humorous to him. There was no definitive proof of anything being out there, just stories that mankind made up to feel better about themselves. "Maybe it is a disease or something. You won't believe the things I've seen growing out in the trenches in France. A jungle like this is a minefield of things like that. Maybe the lieutenant has the same thing, right?"
When Louise walks back into the tent, Abraham let out a sigh of relief. He respected Enoli and the good father a great deal but they were willing to jump into the deep end a little too quickly for his own taste. He was about to ask about the radio conversation when he noticed the glum, dejected look upon her face. As she explained the situation, he couldn't help but shake his head at the insanity of it all. There were too many things that weren't making sense, too many things that were confusing here, and he would begin to pace the small, curtained room they were all in now. Suddenly he would stop and a grin would spread across his face.
"I got it." Abraham said with an almost triumphant smile on his face. "Maybe this...mummy or whatever have you was uncovered and released some kind of disease into the area. It'd explain the soldiers, the weirdness you saw with the lieutenant Father, and why Caduceus wants it so badly. If it is a new disease, it needs to be examined and tested in order to identify its vectors, symptoms, and ways to treat it. Nothing better than getting the actual source, right?" It made some level of sense to Abraham. The Geneva Conventions had been written up recently to stop the war crimes from growing in number. A dangerous disease could be a hell of a biological weapon.
"I think we should stay, see this through. I don't think Caduceus just took us in randomly; each of us are skilled, have some history with the others, and bring unique talents to the forefront. That and the people here are in danger. We should examine this site and look into what the hell happened there, see what we can learn about this mummy, and then get extracted as best we can." There was still a mystery here and Abraham couldn't just ignore it. He looked towards the others, nodding at them. "You all in?"
"It was no disease!" Antonio hisses at Abraham, clutching his rosary. "You wear a human skin like a...a halloween costume, and it is demonic!" He looks up as Louise enters and reports on the radio.
The priest fingers the rosary beads as he considers what Shapiro had said. The feel of the beads in his hand seem to focus him. "Are you certain he said that a 'guardian' was released as may be at large? These fool Bolivians have unleashed a horror on us. If it is a danger, we cannot just abandon them. If Caduceus knew this, then maybe the thing in the temple can be used to fight back."
"Shaprio wants the mummy, but is that the same thing as what the guardian was protecting? Or are we talking about two different things?"
"There are many questions Father, I think the guardian was there for this mummy, but are there two of these...things? The captain and the lieutenant?" Enoli wonders out loud.
"I hope you are right Abraham, that this is just a sickness, but just because you don't believe in the spirits, in the shadow creatures of this world, doesn't make them any less dangerous." Enoli says, with a dark look on his face.
Looking up towards the sky, Enoli mutters under his breath, "Perhaps I see now why I have been brought here..."
Minerva walks in the tent as she hears "and it is demonic." She stops and looks at everyone. Then she hears the rest of wat the Father and Enoli says.
"I take it that you all believe the temple is real, the mummy is supposed to be there alive, and this guardian is an actual demon." She shakes her head. "There has to be a logical explanation. Mummy's are real. I saw one an exhibit, but one that's moving on it's own. I don't believe it. Temples in this jungle? That I can believe. Who knows what's hiding in those trees and vines." She takes a seat on one of the beds. "Father you think the Guardian is a demon? It can't be. I've seen people who were evil enough you thought they should be demons, but no actual demons. Tell me Father, if you can, what one does about a demon? Our bullets didn't seem to do much before."
Antonio just stares at Minerva for a moment. Then he shakes his head. "Señorita Ashford, the Church doesn't teach that kind of thing in seminary. If we ever spoke of demons, it was in a metaphorical or maybe metaphysical sense. Not in a real physical sense, like silver bullets or stakes to the heart."
He takes a deep breath. "I've heard of exorcisms and spirits being cast out or fought, but at best those were spiritual battles of will, if you even believe they are real. If I had access to the Church libraries, perhaps we could find accounts and see what was done, but other than this..." He holds up his rosary. "...I could only tell you to shoot it in the head." He pauses. "Unless...holy water?" He shakes his head. "But you might as well be asking me how to fight the Frankenstein monster.
"Father, I know this situation has been...stressful. We were shot at, we were attacked, a man was killed in front of us and we had to do our own killing. I need you to step back and think; what makes the most sense? This man being a demon...or something else." Abraham gives a pointed look towards Enoli and the meaning is clear behind it; don't rile the priest up more. Minerva's words of confidence and of reality were a welcome addition to the conversation and Abraham let out a breath.
"I could've just clipped him though Miss Ashford. Those men took gunshots that would put a normal man down. It could be a disease, it could be a drug-crazed frenzy. The man we captured is totally out of it but I suggest that we do not engage the Bolivians unless necessary. We investigate this site and get to the bottom of things."
Louise feels irritated and impatient that any serious talk of demons or possession is happening within her own group of people. She tries to keep it concealed though, superstitious people tend to be stubborn by nature in her experience.
Since her suggestion to leave has received no support at all, she backs Abe's theory. It at least makes some sense, but only some.
If it's a new disease we're actually facing, why wouldn't Shapiro say so plainly and directly without all the hokum?
"It could be a disease, like Abraham said. If there's been an outbreak here of something previously unknown, we would be here to get samples for vaccine development. Quite a few vaccines have come out in the last few years, lots of progress in the field.
"Maybe there was information linking the source to the temple. It was opened up and people who were there started getting sick. The symptoms could very well be unusual so the disease isn't easily recognized for what it is. We may as well go and take a look as soon as we can. Either what we find matches what Shapiro described or it doesn't. We'll know what to think then. I can get us some surgical masks and gloves from supply, as well as sample containers."
"Can we go as soon as tomorrow? If the soldiers are infected it's best we stay away from them. That's on top of the fact they seem to like shooting people. Let's slip out and get this done before we attract any unwanted attention."
"I'll be ready to go tomorrow. Enoli? Will you be well enough to travel in the jungle? I'd like to get this over and done with as quickly as possible. I much prefer New York to this."
Abraham quietly nodded with Louise's assessments; there is some good to be done here and the mystery was calling for them to investigate. There were other, possible explanations but they bordered dangerously into the realm of the occult and superstitious. Facts were what would keep them alive out here in this godforsaken jungle.
"I think we should go tomorrow as well. Gives you all a little more time to mend your wounds before we go looking for answers." Some of them looked pretty beaten up there and another day to rest would be good. "I'm going to make sure our friend is still alive, maybe he sobered up some." He looked over towards Louise, giving her a nod. "If you want, doc, you can come with me. He's been pretty passive, has taken water and food alright. We can check him over for any signs of disease or what else may be plaguing him."
"Sure, it would be good to have samples from a soldier and I doubt we're going to get them from anyone else. I'll need to take a blood draw and so forth. I'll get what I need now, and when you're ready to go stop by my tent."
On her way out, Louise stops and turns back with one more thought before she goes.
"We should take provisions to be away for a couple of days. It's better to stay gone until we're finished once we leave. Somebody is going to notice sooner or later if we keep sneaking into and out of camp."
Antonio nods. "We will stay here and cover for you." He holds out his rosary to Louise. "Here. For your protection, just in case. Humor me. I will feel better if you have something of the Lord's protection while you deal with the man. If this is a demonic force, it is possible he will react to it."
He priest rises, shakily at first. He pats Enoli on the shoulder and then heads to his tent for his bible and to pray.