Traps:
Gad stood on the bank of a river with his sky hawk perched on his left arm. He examined it carefully and then let it go into the night beneath a full moon. It screeched as it flew. Then he activated a metal egg by pushing a green button on its side. Six thin legs unwrapped from around the egg’s surface and then it sprang from his hand. As programmed, it started searching the ground with its red eye. He activated several more before he headed to the ship.
“I activated 12 spiders for you guys to follow into camp.” Gad said to the group standing on the cargo bay ramp.
Ben gathered all of his brothers around in a circle. “Watch out for each other, stay focused and return home safely.”
They clapped their hands and patted each other on the back as they walked out into the night. Everyone’s spirits were good, knowing that they were almost finished with their assignment and would soon be going home.
They split into two teams. Rueben’s team (Izzy, Zeb and Levi) ran in a single file in their human form to the upper camp. Their pupils were as full as the moon over head as they made their way through the boulders, shrubs and grasses without a sound. The air smelled of campfires, sweat and dirt. They would enter the camp from the south following the small glowing red lights the six metal spiders ahead of them gave off. Ben’s team (Simeon and Ash) would be entering the camp from the north following Gad’s spiders also. Dan and Gad remained with the whale as surveillance.
“Why couldn’t Gad make something cooler then spiders?” Simeon complained. “They move too slowly.”
“Yeah why didn’t he make mini monster trucks instead?” Ash growled softly as they neared the perimeter of the camp. Simeon growled his agreement.
Ben signaled and they slowed their pace. “You two keep quiet. I like the spiders, a monster truck would make too much noise-like you two.”
Gad’s spiders entered the camp first as Ben and his team laid on the ground and took aim at five soldiers sitting around a campfire. Squinting one eye Ben took aim. Fump, fump, fump sounded from the dart gun in his hand as he fired on the soldiers. Simeon and Ash fired too. Like mosquitoes each dart penetrated the skin of their target. The soldiers sitting around the fire tilted over like dominos as they fell one by one to the ground fast asleep.
The spiders went to work doing their job as Ben and his team waited until they could see tendrils of white mist leak from the tent openings. They put on their gas masks and shifted into their Warrior form. Slowly they crept into the first tent and zip cuff the sleeping inhabitant, but when they clawed the covers off all they found was bedding rolled up and made to look like someone was sleeping there.
“Gad, call back the spiders!” Ben commanded in a growl. “The tents are empty. They’ve been waiting for us.”
On the south end Rueben’s team watched as the first spider entered a tent. Its thin metal leg caught on a wire. Then there was a click and the tent burst into a big bonfire, setting everything inside it on fire. The sound sent them all to the ground. Smoldering pieces of canvas floated softly down on top of Rueben’s team like snowflakes.
“Don’t go into any of the tents,” Rueben growled over the intercom as the spider landed about three feet from Zeb. “The tents are booby trapped.”
“It’s totally destroyed.” Zeb said as he crawled near enough to examine it.
“Cool!” Levi breathed picking up another piece of it by one of its still remaining legs. “That explosion blew it to bits, just part of the shell and a couple of legs are all that’s left of it.”
“Sorry Gad, you lost a spider,” Rueben announced as he pointed to the left signaling his group to take cover there. They all pulled their gas masks off so they could see and smell. They were still in their human form.
“Buttons!” Rueben swore. “They’re moving in on us fast.”
“I smell them too,” Zeb said who was right beside Rueben. Zeb stuck his nose into the air. “There about twenty feet away in the surrounding rocks and bushes. They hooked their masks back on their gear straps.
“Well it looks like this is going to be noisier than we planned,” Rueben hissed.
The sky hawk circled the building in the middle of the camp. “They are heat signatures in the building in the center of the camp,” Gad said over the intercom as he watched the monitor. “You also have some hiding in the forest closing in behind you, Rueben. I didn’t see them until they started moving. They must have buried themselves in the ground and the explosion tipped them off. They are moving in the direction of the fire.”
“Yeah,” Rueben said, “We’re very aware of that already.”
“Ben,” Gad growled. “They haven’t been alerted to your presence yet, so stay low and watch out. I’ll let you know if I see movement.” Dan started the engines of the Whale and with a great whooshing it flew up into the air, concealed from their enemy they flew over the camp. Dan ran another scan on the upper camp again.
“They have been busy preparing for us. Look at that!” Gad said to Dan in amazement as he looked at the monitor. The screen showed several holes with one to two men in each. Gad quickly reported this information to both teams, “They are scattered all throughout the west and east side of the camp’s perimeter. There are people in the building, as I said before, but not very many. They must be bait. I think they expected us to attack it first.”
Levi had collected the spiders in his bag. Without a word, he emptied his bag as he lay on the ground, and Zeb and Izzy who were lying beside him helped him reactivate them. The spiders came to life and crawled off into the rocks and bushes as Gad programmed them from the whale to go to the manholes. They were like a little metal army.
Just as they were about finished activating spiders, Rueben caught the scent of three humans slowly crawling along the ground just outside of the camp about five feet away from him. With a keen eye, Rueben leveled his dart gun and fired three shots. The air rushed from the gun as the darts sailed to their targets, zip, zip, zip. Levi, Zeb and Izzy quickly stopped what they were doing and looked at Rueben. Their eyes followed the darts. The figures stopped moving. They waited not wanting to give away their position.
“I wonder what Kate’s doing right now?” Zeb whispered to Izzy as if they were having a casual conversation.
“She’s probably having a better time than we are,” Izzy replied as he lay uncomfortably on a bed of rocks near a couple of big boulders. “I don’t know what’s wrong with her. Why would she want to get shot at and crawl around in the dirt?” He whispered.
“Well you have to admit it is fun,” Levi commented.
“Yeah well, we have protection, she doesn’t,” Izzy hissed.
Behind them, they heard a snapping sound and smelled the sweat of the soldiers creeping up behind them. Quickly, they turned and aimed their dart guns. The soldiers shot first this time.
Rueben and Zeb took several hits before their attackers were all darted and sleeping. They crawled over to the soldiers’ sleeping bodies; zip cuffed them, and took their guns.
“All the gun fire is bringing more soldiers out of hiding.” Rueben hissed to Gad.
“The upper west and east side has movement all headed towards your team,” Gad warned. “My spiders have gassed several of the covered manholes. Ben and the twins are securing them as fast as they can.” Gad paused for a moment as a thought came to him.
“Rueben, I’m going to have the spiders spray the area around you. It should save you from any surprise attacks or from getting shot again.”
“Thanks” Rueben said as he rubbed his sore chest and arm. He growled quietly at the others. They all put their gas masks on and hooked their dart guns to the front of their gear strap and shape shifted into Warriors. They moved away from the outer perimeter into the camp and split up into two groups. Rueben and Izzy crouched beside one tent. Zeb and Levi hid several feet away from them by another. Rueben scanned the rocks and bushes as the spiders sprayed crystals into the air. The air around the outside perimeter filled with white mist and it drifted across the camp.
“We’ve moved back into the camp.” Rueben growled to Ben. “We could use a little help here.” “I’m tired of playing hide and seek.” Then he growled to his team, “It’s time to come out and play!”
They pulled off their gas masks and roared as they huddled up like football players, in lion form, then dispersed. Each of them carefully investigated the opening of several tents until all of them were crouched down in front of a tent. Rueben started the game by extending his claw and pulling on the tiny web like wire directly in front of him. Before it could click he took off running. In succession they each tripped wire after wire until the camp was well lit by the flames of burning tents. This sent a wave of soldiers crawling towards the camp. Those who reached camp first entered it wide eyed they watched two lions with no tails running around the camp. The soldiers didn’t see the two dark cats, Izzy and Levi, creeping up on them from the side.
Izzy made his way through a group of boulders on one side of the group while Levi stood on a rock above them.
“This is a little game we call cat and mice. You are the mice.” Levi growled as he shifted into human form and started darting the group below him.
Izzy hurried to help Levi from the other side of the group. “Save some for me!” he growled as he approached the fray
. His back paw tangled in a bush or so he thought and he swiftly tried to pulled it free. Then he heard a click as the wire slackened on his foot. Izzy tried to jump out of the way shape shifting as he leaped, but the wire held him to the ground. A huge rock tied securely to rope came swinging silently towards him. It was almost invisible suspended by a two by four between the two big boulders Izzy was standing between. It struck Izzy right side with deadly force slamming the left side of his head into the boulder he had just tried to leap up on. He made no sound when it struck him. The twigs and leaves of a small bush crackled beneath his body’s weight as he fell to the earth in a heap-unmoving and silent.
“Izzy!” Levi yelled and leaped from his rock. “Izzy’s down,” Levi announced to everyone.
Zeb and Rueben leaped forward and transformed into men right before the soldiers eyes. They began shooting tranquilizer darts at them, taking them down as quickly as possible. Levi was still in his Warrior form. He crouched down low as he crawled over the sleeping men to get to Izzy. He took several hits of gunfire as he made his way. Rueben and Zeb covered him the best they could, darting anyone who tried to fire at him. Ben and the twins ran to help and soon all the soldiers were asleep or had surrendered. Levi was at Izzy’s side afraid to touch him except to make sure he was still breathing.
“Izzy!” Levi said. He didn’t answer. Ben joined him after the shooting stopped and together they rolled him carefully over. He hissed with pain and opened his eyes for a second.
“Ben, his arm is broken,” Levi said as Ben picked up Izzy arm that was bent back awkwardly. It sagged as if the upper part of his arm had no bones in it. Ben set it down carefully in the right position.
“He has a head wound too,” Ben added. “Dan we need the stretcher now.” He called on the intercom. Over their heads the rock continued to swing back and forth. Zeb took his knife and cut the rope that held the rock suspended in the air. It fell to the ground with a thud by the other boulder. Dan landed the ship as near to Izzy as he could and ran out of the cargo bay carrying a stretcher in one hand. Levi, Dan and Ben carefully rolled Izzy’s body onto the stretcher and carried him into the ship.
Dan pushed a button on the wall in the cargo bay and a door opened to a sleeping chamber. Dan pushed another button on the bed frame. The mattress and frame swung out from the chamber so they could stand on both sides of it. They carefully moved him from the stretcher to the bed. Izzy moaned and Dan gave him a shot for pain. Dan pushed the button again on the side of the bed frame and the bed moved back into the sleeping chamber. A clear door closed over the chamber so they could see Izzy inside it. Ben and Levi ran back to the camp to help the others secure the soldiers before they woke.
Dan watched over Izzy as a purple light ran up and down his body. A monitor over the sleeping chamber showed a three dimensional picture of his whole body. His injuries blinked red. Gad came down to the sleeping chambers to see how bad Izzy was.
“It looks like he has three broken ribs on his right side, his right upper arm has a compound fracture and he’s got some internal bleeding,” he touched the monitor and enlarged the picture of his right arm. “His arm is a mess!” he said to Gad, who was standing beside him now looking at the monitor too. Dan pushed a button on the side of the chamber and it quickly began to lower Izzy’s body temperature to near freezing. “That should slow the internal bleeding down long enough to get him back to base.” Dan explained.
Gad watched over Izzy as Dan ran down the ramp to help the others load prisoners into the ship. They needed to hurry and get Izzy back to base. When all the prisoners were loaded Gad ran back up to the monitor and sent the scan of Izzy’s injuries to Naph.
Ben and Rueben stood in front of the wooden building in the center of the camp. Ben slowly opened the door just enough to let in a couple of spiders, but when the door opened someone from inside started shooting. The spiders entered anyway and sprayed sleeping crystals into the air. A white haze began to form. Rueben and Ben entered the building with their gas masks on only to find a female, two small children and a teenager inside. Rueben was furious. He growled loudly as he and Ben carried the female and the two children from the building into the fresh air. Ash took the children and Simeon carried the female to the ship. Ben went back in to get the teenager. When Ben’s hands touched his body he felt tape and tubes that went around the young man’s waist. Ben’s eyes widened as he ripped open the young man’s shirt, popping buttons everywhere. “Levi you better come in here,” Ben called. When Levi saw the bomb he grabbed the young man by the arm and dragged him carefully out of the building so he could work on him without his gas mask. He quickly removed his mask as soon as he was out in the fresh air. Ben ran into the Whale and waited with the others. Three spiders moved close to Levi and the largest end of their egg shaped bodies opened up and a bright light burst from them and shone on the young man.
Everyone hurried inside the Whale and Dan closed the cargo bay door, leaving Levi alone as he worked to remove the bomb strapped to the teenager’s body. He flipped him over, following a wire. “Is everyone inside? I don’t want anyone to get hurt if I make a mistake,” he opened a pouch on his gear strap and pulled a pair of needle nose pliers from it and wire cutters. He worked quickly.
“The only ones we didn’t get inside are in holes, so I think they will be safe,” Ben said.
“Ben, can I keep this bomb if it doesn’t go off?” Levi asked.
“No, you can’t keep the bomb. I don’t want the machine shop blown up again.”
“You take the fun out of everything!” Levi moaned as he slowly cut the last two wires and unraveled the teenager from the bomb.
“You better not try to sneak it on board either,” Rueben growled.
Levi hurled the bomb into the air as soon as he removed it from the young man and run towards the ship dragging the teenager in the dirt behind him. The bomb went off before he got to the ship. It’s explosion it shook the ground. Levi dove away from the blast, still dragging the young man. They fell to the ground and were covered with dirt.
“What in the devil happened?” Rueben barked.
“It was on a timer and I ran out of time,” he coughed. Dan opened the cargo bay doors. Levi picked up the teenager and carried him inside.
Everyone hurried to finish collecting the prisoners, who were now waking. It was faster to load them into the ship when they could walk on their own. It took very little time before they were in the air and flying for home. They would return to finish their work after they dropped off Izzy and their prisoners. They flew over China and the Bering Sea to Alaska. Rueben landed the ship in the storage building. It was almost noon in Alaska. Naph ran out to greet them on the patio, wearing a pair of goggles like Gad’s on top of his head. Ben and Rueben came around the corner of the garage carrying Izzy on a stretcher while the Whale took off to General Richards to deliver their prisoners. They carried Izzy into the recreation room and down the hallway to the lab and then transferred him onto the bed in the operating room. Kate was waiting for them, ready to assist Naph. Ben watched her as she worked quickly to prepare Izzy for the operation. Kate started Izzy an IV and spread a brown stinky antibiotic over the surface of Izzy’s ribs on his right side and his shattered arm. She hooked Izzy up to a monitor so they could watch his vitals while they worked.
“Ben, would you be willing to give blood if Izzy needs it?” Kate asked.
Naph cut open Izzy’s right side and blood gushed out. Kate suctioned the opening as Naph glued a tiny artery back together. He checked for more bleeding. Then he pulled the skin up exposing the broken ribs. He checked the lap top that had the scan and data from the Whale. He looked at Kate.
“Will you pull my goggles down please?” Naph asked.
She reached forward and pulled them down.
Ben’s chest started to rumble a growl. He looked away and began pacing the lab floor.
Rueben looked up at him, smiled a half smile and shook his head. “Relax,” he whispered to Ben.
“I know,” he said as he let out a big breath of air and stretched his arms high over his head. He continued to pace.
Naph pulled the rib up and asked Kate to hold the bone in place while he applied a gooey looking substance to the broken bone and exposed a blue light to it. He tapped it to test its hardness and then he did the same to the other broken ribs. He checked again for internal bleeding and found none. When he was finished Kate glued the incision closed and taped it. Naph then cut into Izzy upper arm exposing his humerus, which was shattered into several pieces.
The lens twisted in and out as he adjusted them before he began to piece together the bone, applying the gooey substance as he worked. Kate held the blue light on the goo to harden it. When Naph was done he glued the incision on Izzy’s arm closed and put tape on it.
“I think he could use a pint of blood,” Naph said looking at Ben.
Ben nodded and clicked his teeth together.
“Kate, can you do that for me while I do another scan on him? I want to make sure we got everything.”
“Sure,” Kate said. She grabbed the items she needed from the cupboard and handed some of them to Ben as she pulled him by the arm into Naph’s quarters. Putting the items she had in her arms on the coffee table she pointed. “Lay down on the couch please, Ben.” Kate asked. He closed his eyes for a second and franticly looked back at Rueben with a pleading look. Rueben followed behind them. He sat at the table and watched Kate as she worked. Then she spoke. “Rueben, what happened?”
“We underestimated them and they knew we were coming,” he said, looking down at the table.
“They set booby traps for us and Izzy ran into one. It was nothing more than a big rock,” he shook his head.
Tia heard them talking and walked into the room, surprised to see them. She touched Ben’s head and said, “Good to see you, Ben.” Then she walked over to Rueben and hugged him. “Do you want some toast?” Tia asked.
Kate laughed, “That’s my job!”
Ben looked at her. Then he tilted his head back to look at Rueben as Kate stuck him with a needle and taped it in place. His blood flowed quickly into the bag.
Rueben shook his head no at Ben. Ben squinted his eyes at him in disbelief.
Rueben growled and clicked his teeth together this time. Kate looked at Rueben and then at Ben. “What are you two arguing about?” she asked. A big smile came across Tia’s face as she handed Rueben two pieces of toast with jam and butter on them. She sat beside Rueben with both of her elbows on table trying to hide her smile by resting her face in her hands. Rueben offered her some of his toast. Tia gladly took it and started eating it as she watched Kate and Ben.
“We aren’t arguing,” Ben said. “He’s just holding back information from me,” he looked at Rueben again through squinted eyes.
Kate smacked him on the head. “Stop that,” she said. He looked at her, shocked. She ruffled his hair and dust flew everywhere. “How long has it been since you took a shower?” Kate teased and they all started laughing.
“I’ve been playing in the dirt for the last two days,” he said as he beamed up at her. She pulled a couple of leaves out of his hair.
“And you were swinging in the trees too.” She handed him the leaves as she smiled at him. He smiled back. Then he sighed and it was almost a purr, but it was so very faint only Rueben could have heard it. The buzzer went off and Kate took off the tape that held the needle in Ben’s arm. She grabbed a cotton ball. Pushing it against the needle she quickly pulled it from his arm. Kate lifted Ben’s hand up as she applied pressure.
“Have you had anything to eat or drink today?” she asked Ben.
“No,” he replied, “I’ve been too busy.”
“Tia, will you give Ben something to eat and drink? I don’t want him to get sick?” Kate asked, smiling at Tia. “Keep pressure on that for the next twenty minutes,” she commanded. “And eat and drink whatever Tia gives you.” She took Ben’s blood into Naph. Rueben and Tia sat smiling at Ben. “You like Kate,” they both said together. His face fell.
“I do not. I’m just glad to be home.” Tia gave him a tall glass of water and made him some toast too.
Kate returned smiling and sat with the others at the kitchen table. “Ben, you need to drink another bottle of water before you leave and eat some fruit too,” she said in a professional tone. Kate looked at Rueben’s face to ask him another question when she saw the edge of a large bruise on his neck. She stood and walked over to him. Gently, she pulled down on his protective garment at the neckline to see the bruise. A low growl erupted from Ben. She looked at him threw squinted eyes. “This is professional touching I am not breaking the no contact rule,” she said annoyed at his growling and continued to examine the bruise. “This goes all the way to your shoulder and down your back. What did you get this from?”
“I got shot a couple of times. Our garments do absorb some of the impact, but it still hurts and like I told you it leaves bruises, especially if we’re in our human form.” Rueben said rubbing his arm.
“It’s better than being dead,” Ben said through gritted teeth and with growling undertones.
“Do you have any more?” Kate asked Rueben.
He sighed and looked at Ben who was struggling with all his might against his natural instincts.
“I have one on my chest and my left thigh. My arm is the worst because it got hit several times.” He winced as Kate touched the center of the bruise lightly.
Naph came in and joined them at the table. “Do you need something for that, Rueben?” he asked.
“Yes, do you have any of those bruise patches? We could use about thirty of them for me and the rest of the guys.” Naph went into the lab and came back holding a box of handmade circular compresses filled with herbs. Kate grabbed one and smelled it. “It smells like tobacco. Could I have one?”
“No!” Rueben growled. He held the box away from her. “We need all of these.”
“You can make the next batch. Then you can study their contents.” Naph smiled at her curiosity.
“How is Izzy doing?” Ben asked.
“He is doing very well. Ben, your blood must have more D-14 in it than the rest of us because his strength is returning quickly.”
“He does have the highest concentration out of everyone,” Kate agreed. “I’m going to have to sit down with you and study your diet. Are you here to stay?”
“We’ll be home in about three days. We’re almost done,” he sighed at the thought of being home again.
“Will Izzy’s arm be permanently damaged?” Ben asked. “The bone was shattered pretty badly when I looked at the scan.”
“It was, but I got it all pieced together. It will be tender for about six months, but after that it will be as strong as it was before. I don’t want him shape-shifting until his bones heel. His ribs are going to be very painful for the next couple of weeks so he will have to remain calm.”
“That will be extremely difficult for Izzy,” Tia said. “When can we see him?” Her eyes looked hopefully into Naph’s.
“As, soon as he is awake which will be in about two hours. His body will need lots of rest so it can heal.”
“Oh,” Ben said sitting up straight listening to his intercom. “Well, Dan is here and they’re unloading our new helicopter. We’ll have to leave soon,” Ben said politely. They could all tell that he didn’t want to go.
“There is just one more thing I would like to do before we leave.” Ben looked at Naph. “May I listen to the babies heartbeats?” he smiled.
“You’ll have to ask Tia,” Naph said. Ben looked at her his face pleading.
She rolled her eyes at him. “Oh, okay,” Tia said.
He got down on his knees and held his head to Tia belly and hissed to quiet everyone. Ben closed his eyes as he listened. A huge smile filled his face.
Dan called on the intercom again. “If you don’t get out here now we will mutiny and leave the ship. Rueben and you can do the cleanup by yourselves,” he threatened. Ben eyes flew open and he stood.
“Goodbye,” Ben and Rueben said as they raced out of Naph’s quarters.