Ryan Story II - Part IV
Story by Khendarian on SoFurry
Hot off the press! Got into a writing binge there's more to come...
Arlen sat at his field desk, munching on Oreos, while looking over some paperwork that Poundstone had left for him, humming tunelessly to himself. One of his men walked up and saluted him and Arlen nodded. “Yes?”
“Sir, the extra communications and surveillance equipment has arrived,” the man informed him.
“Excellent. Get it set up at the communications tent,” Arlen said. “Oh, and make sure the camouflage is still in place; we don’t need it blowing off again. Poundstone will have our collective asses if we’re discovered.”
The man grinned. “Understood, sir.”
Arlen waved him off, then sat the paperwork aside and rubbed his eyes tiredly. The last few days had been very long ones, trucking equipment to the observation site, making sure that it was hidden from view, getting secure channels set up, supplies stockpiled and put away, and all the other little things that went into maintaining a camp.
Personally, he didn’t understand why Poundstone wanted so many men, tents, and equipment here but he wasn’t going to argue with him. Poundstone’s instincts were very sharp and it was well worth putting up with some of his eccentricities to heed them.
And so they sat up a barracks, communications tent, mess and recreation tent, armory, guard posts, and of course his personal tent for when he was there. Arlen shared a portion of it with him and had no complaints. It was rather nicely set up and provisioned after all.
They cleared out a sizable area, put up some basic foxholes to shoot from (as if they expected an invasion or some such, again better to just go with what Poundstone wanted) and covered the area with camouflage netting and the like to keep it away from prying eyes. Currently a few of the men were throwing a football back and fort in the center of camp which suited him fine. If they were busy with that they wouldn’t be creating problems.
Also helped they were all being paid quite well for this.
“Sir?” one of the men said as he approached.
“Yeah?”
“You said to bring in anyone we found near the camp. We found and old codger wandering about.”
Arlen nodded. “Good man. Bring him over so we can question him.”
The man left and returned with an old man that fit nearly every old mountain man hiding away from the world that you could imagine. Long white beard, none to clean, rheumy eyes, skin tanned and rough as old leather. All he needed was a mule and a cask of whisky and the image would be complete. As it sat, Arlen could smell old alcohol on the mans clothing.
“Am I bein’ arrested?” the old man said querulously.
Arlen laughed. “Hardly, old timer, just wondering what you’re doing wandering around these woods.”
The man snorted. “Don’t need permission to wander, least not yet. Govment hasn’t gone that far don’t think.”
Arlen laughed again. “True, but we still need to check you out. What’s your name, old timer?”
The man cackled. “What difference do it make? You’ll not find hide nor hair of old Jerome in any of your fancy computers! Aint had nothin ta do with the govment in more years than you seen, youngster! No, there’ll be no record of old, Jerome and I likes it that way!”
Arlen nodded. “Feel that way myself, sometimes. So you’re out here living off the land and getting away from it all.”
“Something like that,” Jerome said, nodding. “You with the govement?”
“Something like that,” Arlen said back and Jerome cackled again.
“Figgred it was somethin like that, with all the tents and uniforms and hidin and such! So this some secret military thing?”
“Well, obviously we can’t tell you that,” Arlen said, grinning. “Lets just say we’re out doing some wild life surveys, hmm?”
Jerome snorted. “Wildlife? Aint nothing out here but bears, deer and coyotes.”
“Not seen anything else?”
Jerome eyed him. “Something like what?” he said sounding suddenly suspicious.
“Oh, well, you know the government. Always looking for strange things, even trying to find out if UFO’s or mythological creatures are real. Stupid stuff, but my pays the same right?”
Jerome grinned then shook his head. “Yeah, suppose.” He looked around as if he was expecting someone to be listening in. “I tell ya, you should think about gettin away from civilization and the govement and all. Strange things goin on.”
“Strange? Like what?”
The old man shook his head and looked somber. “Whole world gone strange. Seen things no man should have seen. Things horrible to tell.”
Arlen leaned forward and looked at him with interest. “Like what, Jerome?”
Jerome snorted. “What? Gonna believe a drunk old man?”
Arlen laughed. “Hey, I just collect the information and pass it on. Doesn’t matter to me where it comes from, real or not.”
Jerome cackled again, then eyed him appraisingly. “Don’t suppose you’d have some whisky?”
Arlen shook his head. “Afraid not. Would beer do?”
Jerome rolled his eyes. “It’ll do in a pinch I suppose. You get me some beer, I’ll tell ya some stories. Fair?”
“Perfectly!” Arlen nodded and one of the men went to the mess tent and brought back and ice cold beer for the old man. He eyed it as if it were some fine wine, popped it open, and took a long drink, then let out a huge sigh.
“Now that was good!”
Arlen laughed, not being able to help but like the old codger. “So, tell me some of those stories?”
Jerome grew quiet and his face strangely pensive. “Seen dragons in these mountains. Real ones. Big wings, teeth, tails, all that stuff you hear about in fairy stories.”
Arlen tried to keep the startlement from his face, then the excitement. “Dragons, you say?”
Jerome giggled. “Yeah, but I tells ya it’s probably just horny toads I saw after a long bout of whisky.”
“Oh probably, but I’ll report it anyways. It’ll make someone happy somewhere you know?”
Jerome snorted. “Govment is crazy, I tells ya.”
“We certainly agree there!”
Jerome grew somber again. “So do you believe in dragons?”
Arlen shrugged. “Who’s to say what’s out here and what’s not?”
The old man shook his head. “Yeah but ta set up tents and all that stuff just to look for a myth? Surely ya got to believe in something! Got to be some reason!”
Arlen considered him then shook his head. There’d be no harm in telling this old codger a bit more, something to make him fear the "govement" as he called it. “Well, we’re a secret government unit.”
Jerome cackled. “Ha! Knew it! Lookin for dragons?”
Arlen smiled. “Something like that.”
Jerome smiled. “So, you really think there are any?”
Arlen grinned. “Maybe. Do you?”
Jerome stretched out. “Well, yes.”
Arlen snorted. “Really? Where?”
Jerome’s smile changed to something feral. “You are looking at one human!” he said in a much deeper, clear voice.
Arlen stepped back startled as Jerome glowed blue and suddenly there was a large green dragon standing in front of him, spines and frills flared out. The dragon grinned at him and Arlen went for his pistol. “Holy shit, they’re real!”
“And the last thing you’ll ever see!” the dragon snarled and lashed out with his claws. Arlen managed to stagger back but still took horrid wounds. He screamed and tried to stagger further back when the dragons tail lashed around and sent him sprawling into the woods. He drug himself under some brush in a daze, listening to the screams of his men as they died and the crash of equipment being destroyed.