[Mkguild] Return to the Islands part 7

[cokane8116 at aol.com]

    “Where are we?” Maelstrom snarled. She wasstaring out a frost covered window at a landscape of ice and snow.    “We are in the exclusion zone around theisland,” the Captain explained.    “How did we get there?” She asked.    “We drifted,” the captain explained.    “Turn the ship about and get us out ofhere,” she ordered.    The captain pointed to the helm; the ship’swheel used to guide the ferry boat. The large wooden wheel was supposed to beattached to a steel column. The wheel itself was gone, and the column hadseveral fist sized holes in it.    She growled in anger and shook her head. “Itold them to go easy. This is not a big problem.”  **********     The object of all the attention and fightingrested in the middle of the #1 hold. It was a crate 2 meters long by 1 meterhigh and wide. It looked to be of heavy gauge metal and was held to the deck by4 steel straps. These were welded to the deck itself.    “What is it? Killer Storm asked.    “It’s ours,” The Whaler responded.    “Steel Horn can easily carry it to theboat,” Killer Storm said. “Once we break loose the straps holding it.”    "That sounds easy enough"    BZAAAAAT! A bolt of electricity shot outfrom the box and caught Killer Storm in the chest. It sent him flying into thewall.    "They electrified it?” Sea Viper asked.Surprised.    Crash!    There was the loud crunch of steel bendingand twisting and the ship came to an abrupt halt. Everyone was sent tumbling tothe deck.    “We hit something!” Sea Viper commented asshe quickly stood up. “We hit something.”    The group made its way up on deck. A bittercold wind whipped through the passageway as Killer Storm opened the hatch tothe deck.    The ship had beached herself onto a barrenlooking beach. Snow covered trees dotted a landscape covered with waist highsnow and ice. There was no trace of civilization at all.    “Where the hell are we?”  ************     When they arrived, the supers foundsomething there weren’t expecting; a fully armed U.S. army special forcessquad. Sort of. Of the six only three were human. The rest were a cave bear andtwo leopards.    All were wearing light armor including ahelmet. The humans had standard army light protective armor. The animals toohad armor adapted to their feral forms. Including helmets.    “Welcome to the Ice age!” The leopard said.    “This is the strangest looking special opsunit I’ve ever been in,” the bear commented.    They all laughed. “It beats using spears andbows,” A human joked. joked.    The leopard walked around the new arrivals,examining each carefully. “Good. You’re all well equipped for the weather,”Kristen commented.    “Not our first time at the rodeo,” Bobresponded.    “How far is it to the ship?” Strela asked.    “Not too far,” Kristen responded. “Only afew miles.”    “What are the Sea Wolves up to?” Orca asked.    “They’re still on the ship,” Kristenresponded. “Which is solidly locked in the ice.”    “Let’s get moving,” Silvermane ordered. “Wehave a good trek ahead of us.”  ****************     The bitter cold wind whipped past them asthey stepped outside.    “You really weren’t exaggerating about thecold!” Moonshine said as he pulled his jacket tighter around himself. “I knewit would be cold but not THIS cold.”    When it comes to winter Geimhreadh, doesn’tkid around,” Kristen said.    Waiting for them right outside was an old-fashionedlooking sleigh complete with one elk power to propel it along.    “Seriously?” Bob said sarcastically.    “Walking will take too long and flying isnot possible in this weather,” the leopard explained.    “The Finns beat the Russians in 1939 usingsleighs and skis,” the elk added.    “TheRussians have a long history of using them in warfare.” Strela added.    “This is Martijn,” the leopard explained.“He has graciously agreed to pull the sleigh today.”    “Here is something else the Russians used,”Phillipe said. “Winter camouflage covers.” In his hands were a half dozen,white jackets.    “A simple idea,” Stealth said. “That worksperfectly.”    “Do we really have to use a sleigh,”Moonshine asked. “You must have a snowmobile.”    “We are in Geimhreadh’s world now,” theleopard said calmly. “We have to do things his way.”    Stealth nodded. “I understand. His game, hisrules. Besides. I think it’s cool.”  *************     The passengers were bundled up against thecold but it was not as difficult as they expected. It might have been a sleighpulled by an animal, but the seats were heated. Geimhreadh had relented atleast a little and the wind had died down.    The sleigh was making a good pace throughthe snow. The sun was out and the snow on the ground glistened. It was likesomething out of a Thomas Kinkaid painting. What amazed Misha was how quiet itwas. Only a faint shush of the sleigh’s runners as they cut a path. It was almostsilent. Only a faint sound came to his ears.    “I hear music?” Bob asked suddenly.    “I hear it too,” Orca added. “Is that jingleBells?”    Misha listened and sure enough there was thefaint music of a Christmas song playing for all to hear. He had grown so usedto the nanites antics that he simply tuned them out. He had heard the music butnot realized that everyone could hear it too.    “Guys,” Misha communicated silently to thenanites. “Chill out and stop the music.”    “Why?Everyone loves Christmas music!”    “Not now,” Strela added. “It’s August.”    “Sorry about that,” Misha added out loud.“The people we work with tend to get a little relaxed.”    “I’ve heard about them,” Moonshinecommented.    Misha titled his head to one side. “Whathave you heard?”    Moonshine shrugged. “A few things. That theyare superb hackers but Why are they so reclusive?”    Misha shrugged. “We all have our secrets.”    “No one has been able to track them,”Moonshine commented.    “Please don’t try,” Misha commented in atired tone. “It is liable to simply annoy them.”    “Or worse,” Strela added. “They might getinterested in you and decide to have fun.”    “That sounds dangerous,” Orca saidnervously.    Misha, Strela and Stealth shook their headsin answer.    “Not dangerous,” Misha responded.    “But confusing,” Strela added.    “And exciting,” was Stealth’s comment. “Ihope you like the Three Stooges.”    “We’ve been communicating with him foralmost a year,”was the Nanites comment. “He thinks we are Camila in El Salvador.”    “Are you sure about that?” Stealth asked.“He might know more than you think.”  ************  
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