When Stars Fall Silently Stormwolf Blair Sandburg readjusted the old worn backpack over his shoulder and strode purposefully through the entrance doors to the hospital ignoring the two alien guards that stood on either side. The aliens, tall dark furred dog-like beings that reminded Blair of the staues of Anubis, did not hinder his entrance. Indeed, one of the guards opened the door for him smiling the toothfilled smile of their kind. Blair ignored the smile moving quickly through the doors. Once inside the human built hospital, Blair made his way to the elevators avoiding the alien doctors and nurses that worked there. Pushing the button for the up button, Blair waited with a knot of humans and aliens for the elevator car to reach their floor. When the doors opened, the group waited for the elevator to empty, then boarded the car. Blair immediately pushed the button for the fifth floor and then pushed buttons for the humans who called out numbers. An alien then pushed other floor buttons while Blair ducked out of his way. At the fifth floor, blair exited the car and headed for room number 547. Inside the room Naomi Sandburg lay quietly on the bed within. IV's ran from her unencumbered right wrist, while of the other wrist a band made of lightweight unknown metal encircled it. The band was a deep red color with no seam. Blair did not know how the aliens had placed it on his dying mother's wrist, but he knew the significance of it. After having spoken with several patients over the course of the last month, Blair, an anthropologist who had been working on his PHD at the now obliterated Rainier University, had found out what the bands and their colors meant. Red meant terminal, green meant a patient that was recovering from sickness or injury who eventually be released, purple was for patients who were not terminal but through some injury or another would never be released from the hospital, black signified a psychiatric patient.On the black bands three different colors were used for a stripe that bisected the band. A green stripe meant that the patient would eventually be released, an orange stripe meant a patient who would never be released. But it was the rare blue stripe that Blair found significant amongst all others and which he had only seen once. The stripe of blue said that the patient was a soldier, or at least had been one up till the Occupation. The soldiers patient had disappeared two days after Blair had met him. However, Blair had not been surprised. When the aliens had first began Occupation, soldiers had disappeared one by one. Though there was much speculation by the civilians, no one knew for sure what had happened to them. Blair went immediately to his mother pushing away thoughts of aliens, soldiers, and bands from his mind, so as able to concentrate his full attention on his dying mother. Kissing her forehead, Blair seated himself in the chair beside the bed clasping her hand beginning his vigil. Naomi did not stir. The day before, Naomi who had been diagnosed with Leukemia several months ago, had slipped into a coma. The aliens, tough highly advanced, had not known how to treat or cure cancer. However, their drugs had kept away the pain while allowing lucidity. For that Blair had been grateful. Blair stayed at his mother's side until she slipped away into oblivion. With tears in his eyes, Blair kissed his mother's cheek, and said his goodbyes again. Blair continued to sit in the chair and grieve silently for his mother while the alien nurses swarmed around her removing IV's and catheters, and wrapping her body in white silk. Blair knew that the aliens would cremate the body and spread the ashes over the Rainier Mountains just as they had done with all the bodies of the hospitals patients. When the aliens left taking his other's body with them, Blair stood up still numb from grief and walked out of the room. So intent was he in his grief that he jumped when a hand fell onto his shoulder. "Blair, are you alright?" A familiar voice asked, and Blair looked up at Brian Rafe. "She's gone, Bri." Blair replied in a low grief filled voice. "Oh Blair, I'm sorry." Rafe pulled Blair into a hug and allowed the young man to cry into his shirt. They stood there for what seemed like hours but in reality was only minutes before Blair pulled back and looked at Bri. Blair wiped the tears from his eyes. "I'm sorry." He said. "Don't be. That's what friends are for, to catch your tears." Rafe said with a small smile on his face. "How's Henri?" Blair asked. "He's doing better. Pissed that he can't sign out AMA like he normally does, but he says he doesn't want to wearing that band for the rest of his life." Henri Brown was Rafe's partner. Both had been police detectives before the Occupation. Henri had been injured in one of the many riots that had occurred when the aliens ships had first appeared in the skies. "So Blair I mean to ask you last time we talked. Where are you staying at?" "The West Brook Elementary School." Blair answered. "Oh man, that place is practically a dump, and overcrowded." Blair nodded at that. When the aliens had begun Occupation, they first made all missiles and weapons non-functional and sent a sonic pulse over the entire world that stopped all computers even those that were protected. Within weeks, all soldiers had been rounded up and taken away. In the cities all buildings were dismantled by the ships, while humans were herded out of the buildings Streets, buildings, automobiles, ships, all technology was transported piece by piece into the large spaceships. The only thing left standing were hospitals and public schools. The people in the cities crowded together inside the schools or camped out with tents in the many parks that were left untouched. To make everything seen stranger, the aliens atarted soup kitchens at the schools, passing out trays of food five times a day including baby bottles filled with a nutritional milk tasting substance for infants. It had taken a few weeks, but humans had gotten used to the aliens and no longer feared for their lives. In fact, with the aliens patrolling the newly made alien city streets, human were safe. The aliens did not tolerate violence. Those caught fighting or hurting others were taken up and placed in what was referred to by humans as the Pound. The building was one of the new alien built ones that looked like a purple glowing mushroom only more sleek. Inside were individual cells made from glowing forcefields where those who were caught committing violent acts were placed. Eventually they were released wearing white bands on both of their wrists. If caught committing violence, the aliens would somehow cause the two bands to magnetically attract effectively pinning the assailant's hands together and to the nearest metal object. After the third violent act by an individual, that person disappeared as mysteriously as the soldiers had. Within a month violence became very rare. Blair returned his attention back to Rafe once more bringing hismind out of the past and back into the present. "I'm sorry Rafe, my mind was wandering. What did you say?" Rafe smiled, "I asked why don't you come stay over at Highland Elementary?" Blair laughed, "Because I'm not a cop or a firefighter." Highland Elementary had been taken over by the police and their families as well as the Cascade fire Department and their families. "You'll be my guest." Rafe said. "Why?" "You're smart Blair. Smarter than a lot of us. You've been able to figure out more about these aliens in the short time they've been here. Simon told me he likes how your mind works. He's hopin that given enough time you'll be able to anticipate what these aliens will do next." "I have my doubts about that, Rafe." Blair said. "I don't. Come on, Blair." "Alright. Even if I couldn't figure ou these aliens, I might be able to figure out cops. Damn, what a paper that would have made!" He said jokingly. Rafe laughed, "Hate to tell you Blair, but you'll never figure out cops." Blair laughed with him and the two of them headed away from the hospital toward Highland Elementary. They both reported to Simon Banks, the former Captain of Major Crimes. Blair found it interesting, however, to learn that despite everything, most of the cops still though of themselves as cops. Rank still counted amongst them as did seniority. Banks welcomes Blair into their group and told everyone that he was their expert on the aliens and a consultant to the department. Simon Banks, though divorced, had brought his son to stay with him. Apparently Darryl had been staying with his Dad while his mom had been in New York when the aliens had arrived. Darryl Banks turned out to be a rather smart kid with something of an attitude, but Blair gained his confidence and respect right away with his looks and his own attitude. "I was meaning to ask you, Mr. Sandburg." Simon started to say. "Please, call me Blair." Blair interrupted. "Alright, Blair. I was meaning to ask you about Henri. You told Rafe that they release those who wear the green bands, and I am just worried because Henri seems to be okay." "I wouldn't worry about that, Captain. Henri still has some Healing to do, and normally a regular hospital would send you home with some antibiotics and maybe a pain killer and let you heal at home. But this isn't a regular hospital. The aliens don't release patients until the patient is completely healed because they aren't going to hand out any meds to us." Blair explained as they walked to the chow line. Behind some counters, aliens dressed in flowing blue robes of a strange metallic material passed out trays of food. The food was human, vegetables, beef or pork, bread, fruit, salad, and sometimes oatmeal, cereal or blended fruit drinks depending on the needs of the humans, their ages, or any health problems. Baby bottles filled with the milk substance awaited the nursing mothers to pick up. The women had first tested the substance before giving it to their babies. When nothing had happened to them after tasting it, they reluctantly gave it to the babies since some of them were not producing milk or not enough milk. So far no one had gotten sick from the food. When they received their trays, Simon, Rafe, Darryl and Blair went back to the room that housed most of Major Crimes and their families to eat. When they were done the trays were discarded in strange metal boxes that weren't trash cans. If anyone left a tray out, an alien would pick it up and discard it himself. The aliens were very environmentally conscious. In fact, they had built huge platforms oout in the oceans tha looked like oil rigs. But instead of oil spewing out of the top, water fountained out in a constant stream. Large cylindrical machines were set up in several places. Someone who had braved the unknown and went to touch the machine said that air was being sucked inside and air was being blown back out. A scientist from Rainier had speculated that the aliens were cleaning the water and the air. Despite the fact the aliens were cleaning up the earth, and feeding and caring for the people, humans widely mistrusted the aliens for the very fact of the disappearance of the soldiers and those at the Pound. Blair, as well as his colleagues with whom he met on a regular basis to discuss the aliens, weren't sure what the aliens had done with the soldiers, but felt that eh answer would also be the answer to why they were there. PART TWO When Jim Ellison had awakened from his catatonia he had been shocked by the presence of the aliens in the military Psychiatric hospital in Seattle. After spending eighteen months in the Peruvian jungle, the sole survivor of his unit, Captain James Ellison had been finally rescued. However, once back in the states, the heightened senses that Incacha, the Shaman of the Chopec tribe who had taken him in, had helped him control had been overwhelmed. Due to that, Jim had slipped into a catatonic state that the military doctors had said was due to PSTD and he had been transferred to the psychiatric hospital in Seattle. Two weeks later, the aliens had arrived. The military hospital had been left intact and alien doctors and nurses had taken care of the patients. The healthy soldiers on earth had been taken away and only their families remained behind. The aliens had better technology to identify and treat mental disorders. The doctors ha eventually found the right combination of drugs to bring Captain Ellison out of his catatonia. Like Jim, the few patients left in the hospital were all soldiers either in the Army, Navy, Marines, or Air Force. They wore a black band on their left wrist with a thin blue line bisecting it. Even with his heightened sense of touch, Jim could find no seam. He learned from the other patients what had happened and he wondered about the Chopec's welfare. Jim was not content, however, to wait in the hospital for his fate. Therefore, three days after he had awakened from his catatonia, Jim slipped out of his bed, quietly, dressed in his camoflauge BDU's and boots that were stored in a locker. Using all his skills as a Ranger and the heightened senses Incacha had said were a gift from his ancestors, Captain James Ellison snuck out of the hospital into the streets of an alien city.
Moving through darkness, Jim made his way to the surrounding forest and found a place beneath a sheltered Digger Pine and burrowed beneath pine needles to sleep. When morning came, Jim made his way through the forest stopping at a stream to drink. A high pitched whinny reached his sensitive ears and Jim, curious, followed the sound to its source. He came upon a cabin with a corral of horses. As he came closer a man stepped out the cabin eyes wide with shock. "My God! Quick, son, come inside." The older man motioned looking aorund quickle as if expecting something dangerous to come out of the forest. For some reason, Jim's insitncts told him he could trust the older man, and he immediatly went inside. The man shut the door behind them and turned to ook at Jim. "Names Justin McHarvey, retired General United States Army." The man introduced himself holding out his hand. Jim took the man's hand in a firm handshake and replied, "Captain James Ellison, Army Rangers." "Take a seat, Captain." Justin gestured to the couch. Jim took the invitation. "If you don't mind my asking son, but how on Earth did you keep from being found?" Jim sighed, "I didn't really." He pushed up the left sleeve of his uniform revealing the black band with its blue colored stip. Justin seemed to recognize it for what it was. "I'm guessing you escaped from the military psych hospital in Seattle. Or what's left of Seattle." Jim nodded, "My team was shot down in Peru and I was the only survivor. I was rescued eighteen months later and brought stateside. I fell into what the doctor's called a catatonic state due to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I woke up three days ago into a nightmare." Justin nodded, "I remember when it was called shell shock. too many veteran sufferred for too long before anyone ever thought o do anything about it." Jim nodded at that. "Son, you know that the aliens took away all the soldiers. No one has any clue as to where they are or even if they are still alive." "That's what the other patients said." "The aliens come to my house and bring me food supplies every week. I would hate for you to find out what happened to those soldiers first hand if you get my meaning." "I thought to go deeper into the mountains. Find shelter and prepare for winter." Jim said. "That sounds like a good idea son. Those laiens don't go into the mountains. I will help out son. Come with me." Justin stood up and Jim followed the man through a door and downstairs into a basement. "Them dog aliens took my guns, but left these." Justin said turning on the lights. Jim looked at the man's collection of crossbows, compound bows and longbows. Justin also had several different kives displayed. "Take what you need, Captain. And no I don't want to hear any objections." "Why are you helping me, Justin? Because you're retired Army?" Justin hesitated then said, "My son. My only living family since my wife passed away three years ago." The old man smiled fondly, "He was a seaman on one of the Navy's destroyers, USS roosevelt. I would hope that if my son was running from these dogs that someone would help him too." Jim laid a hand on Justin's shoulder, "I'm sorry, Justin." "Don't worry about it son. You just stay safe and don't let yourself get caught." Jim nodded. In the end Jim took a compound bow and some broad headed arrows along with a K-bar, a hunting knife, and a Swiss Army knife. Justin left him a pack with food and blankets alond with a camoflauge two man dome tent. Justin then gave him some civilian clothes. He then told Ellison to mee him outside when he was finished changing. Jim came outside to find Justin holding the reins of a beautiful black mare saddled and ready. "This is my Shadow. She aein't just for show. Shadow here is part mountain goat. There aein't a better horse for riding in these mountians." "Thank you Justin. You're a good man. Your son would be prod." Jim said. "You take care now, Jim. These are bad times to be a soldier. That band will mark you wherever you do, for the rest of your life. I'd stay far away fromt he alien cities if I were you." Jim nodded as tied the pack behind the saddle and tied the compound bow to the leather ties near the horn. Pulling the quiver of broadhead arrows over his head strapping it to his back, Jim mounted up into the saddle. With a last farewell, he turned the horse's head to the mountains and urged her to a fast trot. Justin watched him dissapear into the woods, "God be with you, Captain." he said. Jim spent several days riding deeper into the mountains before he came upon the abandoned cabin. With his enhanced hearing, Jim determined that no one was inside, and tethered Shadow to a tree so that he could investigate the cabin. Inside the smell of death told him why the place was abandoned. The faint, old scent of aliens nearly had him bolting out the door, but common sense told him the scent was weeks old and that they were the ones who removed the body of the occupant. He explored the cabin looking for items that might prove useful wether now o later on. Old musty blankets, a rusted axe, and an old deer hide were tossed aside during Jim's search. Dissapointed, Jim left the cabin and went around back where he saw a shed. Breaking the rusted lock, Jim opened the shed and peered inside. There were tools hanging on the wall. Tools that were not rusted. Several bags of cement mix lay in the floor next to an overturned wheelbarrow. Jim took the fishing poles and net that were hanging on the wall, leaving the rest for later marking the location of the cabin in his mind. Then he left the shed. Another lock broken, and Jim made his way carefully down the steps of the cellar his sentienl eyes allowing him to see in the dark space easily. Shelves line with canned vegetable made up one wall of the cellar. The dates, however, on the cans told Jim that the canned goods were unsafe. Boxes of empty unused Mason jars sat on the dusty floor, as well as a medium sized iron pot. More exploration turned up a frying pan and a smaller pot which he took, and some iron hooks and poles which he left for later. Leaving the cellar with his prizes, Jim went back to where Shadow waited patiently. He packed his acquisitions in the pack, then untethered the horse. Patting her neck, Jim swung up into the saddle and headed deeper into the mountains. The scent of aliens in teh cabin had told him that he was not yet far enough in the mountians to be safe. He rode for several more days stopping only to eat and rest. At first his camps had been cold, fear of drawing aliens with the smoke. As he got deeper into the mountians, he risked small fires built to eliminate the amount of smoke. He ate the supplies he had only adding to them when chance and luck allowed. Once he had spotted mushrooms, King's Crown, growing along the shade of trees. He collected them quickly and added them to his meal when he stopped that night. With pieces of elather he had made himself a sling which he carried at the horn of the saddle a pouch of well chosen stones beside it. If a rabbit or bird happened by, a well slung stone would bring them down adding fresh meat to his diet. The Chopec had taught him the use of the sling and with his sentinel abilities his accuracy was second to none. Other edible plants found along the way also added to his meals keeping him healthy. Som days, though, luck and chance were not with him and he was forced to eat from his meager supplies. Some seven days after finding the cabin, Jim's eyes caught the sight of what he had been looking for. The sentinel knew that he was cery deep into the mountians, perhaps as safe as he was going to be from the laiens and had therfor begun looking for what was to be his new home. Following a deer path through the trees, Jim came upon the rocky slope. At the end of the trail some eight feet from the dark mouth of a cave, Jim dismounted. This would be the eighth such cave he had explored in the past two days. His supplies were running low and he would soon be forced to stop and replenish them. The entrance was low and Jim had to crawl on his hands and knees to enter which he did not like. However, once inside he found he could stand. The cave wall and floor were solid stone. The caves size would was about twenty feet by thirteen feet though it wasn't an exact square. In fact it was more rounded. Jim went over every inch of the cave and the more he saw the more he liked. When he was done, he knew tha the had found his new home. Leaving the cave, Jim went and tethered Shadow near water and good grazing, and unsaddled the mare. He placed all the items inside the cave. Taking his bow and quiver, Jim left the cave and went hunting. He spent a few hours tracking a deer till he found the young buck drinking from the same stream that a few miles downstream would pass close to his new cave. He took the shot with careful aim and the arrow took the buck through the heart. The deer leaped and died. Jim left his hiding place and went to his kill which he field dressed quickly, but efficiently. He carried the deer back to the cave over his shoulders. Once at the cave he used rope to string the deer high in a tree, then slung a cloth bag over his shoulder and went in search of firewood. As he picked up pieces f wood he also found and collected in his bag edible roots, wild onions, and Digger pine cones. Once he had enough he returned to his cave. Digging a pit and lining the outside iwth stones, Jim started his fire with flint and steel. Once it was going, Jim sharpened a strong branch and usning a rocked hammered to Y shaped branches into the ground. He then finished cleaning the deer, adding the roots, wild onions, and pine seeds to the deer's cavity which he sewed back up with the buck's own sinews. Spitting the deer over the open flame, Jim allowed his meal to cook. Whiel the food cooked, Jim took stock of his supplies. Knowing winter was about four months away, Jim knew he would be working hard to store enough food and supplies to last him the entire winter. He would not have any help unlike his time during the Chopec, but Jim knew that he could do the tasks neccesary for survival. He had been taught those lessons mos tof his life and they would hold him in good stead. Eventually dinner was ready, and Jim ate as much as he could knowing for now that he could not store the meat to last him just yet. Night had fallen while the deer had cooked, and when Jim finished his meal, and had cleaned up so as not to attract predators, Jim rolled himself into his sleeping bag and slept. When morning came, Jim saddled Shadow and rode back to the cabin. Using the hand axe he chopped off two long poles from a nearby ash tree. He tied each pole to one side of the saddle, and then tied an old deer hide between the poles building a travois. He then loaded the travois with the cement mix, wheelbarrow, the boxes of jars, pieces of wood he tore from the cabin, and the tools from the shed. By the time he returned to the cave it was midafternoon. While Shadow grazed, Jim ate some raw roots he had dug up along with some of his ever-diminishing horde of jerky. After the quick lunch, he started n what was to be a smokehouse. The long pieces of lumber he had torn from the cabin made the walls and ceiling while using rocks and cement for the floor. By the time the sun was near setting, Jim was mostly done with the smokehouse. Covered in sweat, cement and dust, Jim stripped nude, and taking his dirty clothes with him along with a bar of soap from his saddlebags, Jim entered the cold stream that ran not far from the cave. He used the soap to clean both his body and to scrub his clothes, turning down his sense of touch to deal with the icy coldness of the running water. When he was done, he dried off with a towel he had packed, then hung his clothes over a line he had tied between two stick stuck into the ground near the fire, then slipped beneath his sleeping bag while adding wood to the fire. Beneath the sleeping bag, Jim redressed in his extra clothes. Once dressed, he took the fishing pole to the stream. Using his sentinel sight to see beneath the surface of the water like an eagle, he was able to catch a few fish for dinner. He cleaned the fish, and then wrapped them in large leaves with some wild onions and mushrooms he'd found, and then Jim buried them beneath the hot coal to cook. The meal was tasty, and Jim ate every bite. Once the campsite was cleaned up, Jim rolled back into his sleeping bag and fell asleep quickly. At dawn, Jim awoke and took his bow and quiver. In his camouflage BDU's, Jim tracked a deer through the forest while chewing on bits of jerky for breakfast. He found the deer in a clearing fighting with another buck. Jim drew two arrows and planted on in the ground by his foots then nocked the other one on the bowstring. He drew the bow back until the fletching touched his ear. As soon as he released, Jim grabbed and nocked the other arrow and let fly. The first buck fell dead instantly, and the second tried to flee and fell to the ground an arrow in its haunch. Jim moved quickly going to the deer and slitting its throat to end its suffering. Jim field dressed both deer, and carried them back to his camp over his shoulder. By the time he returned to the camp he was exhausted form carrying the heavy load but he knew he was not yet done. Instead of resting, Jim skinned the deer and laid the hide out to dry. Cutting up the meat and cleaning it, Jim then hung the meat inside his new smokehouse. He cleaned out the intestines, and filled them with water hanging them up to dry in the sun. The fat that he had cut form the meat was kept, and rendered to be stored in the intestine bag for later use. Collecting wood, Jim started a fire in the firebox near the smokehouse to begin the process of smoking the venison. Once that was done, Jim then emptied the deer's bladder into a jar, then deciding it wasn't enough, he unzipped and added his own urine, then left the jar in the sun. While the urine transformed itself into acidic ammonia, Jim used a knife to scrape the tissue, blood vessels and dead cells from the hides. Once the hides were cleaned on that side, Jim took the urine and rubbed it into the hides turning down his sense of smell as he did. Once rubbed in, he let them dry, then did it again. He continued to do that for a few hours until he was sure the ammonia and acid were doing their job. Eventually, Jim's stomach reminded him that he had only eaten some jerky that day. He fished again, catching a few trout, which he cleaned and cooked quickly. After he ate, Jim worked on the hides again rubbing the urine into them. While the hides dried in the sun, Jim cleaned himself of blood, urine and dirt washing his uniform as well. After redressing in the clothes from the day before, he hung his uniform up to dry. Jim then spent the afternoon collecting roots, berries, nuts, pinecones, and bringing down rabbits and birds with his sling. He made it back to the campsite before dark, built up his fire, checked on the smoking house's fire adding more wood, then skinned and plucked the rabbits and birds he had killed. Saving and cleaning the feathers, Jim piled them inside a sack, and then tanned the bunny hides using the same process he used with the deer. The meat was hung in the smokehouse after he cleared out the smoke. The venison was done and was brought out and hung inside the cave for now. One ptarmigan stuffed with its own eggs, water chestnuts, pine nuts, and wild onions was cooked for Jim's dinner that night. The next morning Jim ate the rest of the ptarmigan eggs which he had buried, and some berries, and then he went to the river with a sack. He collected river rocks, placing them in the sack as he went up and down the large stream. When the sack was full, he dumped it just outside the cave, and started again. By mid afternoon Jim had filled the sack eight times and decided it would be enough. With his sling Jim had also taken down four rabbits while collecting the rocks. Two of the rabbits went toward his lunch and the other two were placed in the smokehouse to await smoking. Once lunch was done, Jim took the hammer, chisels, a shovel, and the wheelbarrow into the cave. He spent the afternoon chiseling his way through the rock in one corner of the cave. Hi hearing and sense of touch allowing him to tunnel without any major collapses. Finally the sun set and Jim's longest chisel punched its way to the surface. Jim widened the hole to the outside, and then wiped his face with his shirt. Jim peered through the hole and smiles when he saw the half moon. Loading the wheelbarrow with the last of the dirt and rock, Jim wheeled it out to dunp in a nearby crevice. Again Jim bathed in the stream washing his clothes as well as himself, then redressing in his spare jeans, socks, and shirt. Lacing up his boots, Jim went back to the fire and cooked a pheasant for dinner. When he was doe eating, Jim then wrapped up in his sleeping bag and slept The next day he went hunting again, this time saddling up Shadow to go further. He left the horse tethered to a tree and went on foot until he came across what he had been tracking mostly by scent. A big horn sheep stood near a female and her kid. The large ram was alert, but Jim was downwind and hidden. Jim planted four arrows into the ground at his feet knowing that one arrow would not take down the ram. The first arrow sunk deep into the ram's chest and would eventually kill the ram, which bleated and tried to leap away. Another arrow in its throat had the ram misstep and fall. Jim made his way to the fallen ram. He avoided the animal's hooves and grabbed one of the curled horns and slit the ram's throat ending its suffering. So intent on the ram, Jim's senses didn't register the danger until nearly too late. Jim rolled avoiding the grizzly's charge. The sentinel regained his feet in time to avoid a second charge. The grizzly was a huge male almost as big as the grizzlies that lived on Kodiak Island. Jim un-slung his crossbow and sent a bolt into the grizzly's thick hide. Though blood seeped, the beer continued to fight enrage. Jim avoided the bear and fired another bolt. The bolt took the grizzly beneath its chin. Blood poured from the wound and the bear's mouth as the grizzly choked on its own blood. The grizzly fell over dead inches from where Jim stood. "That was close." Jim said out loud. . Ellison worked quickly field dressing both the ram and the bear. "Now I'm really glad I brought that horse." Cutting two poles from a nearby pine, Jim made a travois and placed the beasts on it. Shadow was a little jumpy at the smell of blood, but Jim clamed her by talking to her and stroking her neck. He led the horse back to the cave. It took a few hours but Jim had the meat form the bear and the ram inside the smokehouse smoking and the hides cleaned and ready to tan. Lunch was rabbit with wild onions and mushrooms. That afternoon, Jim used his shovel and dug a pit to his waist and about the size of his cave in the area surrounded by tall rocks and even taller trees. The area was in constant shade during the day and stayed reasonably cool even on a hot day. Using the cement he made a concrete floor about three inches thick, then used boards to support the walls that he made of cement and rock as well as the ceiling. Wooden beams kept the ceiling up and supported the walls as they dried creating Jim's storehouse. He placed iron hooks in the ceiling, and shelves along the walls for use later. The door was made of solid oak with metal bracings. Jim left the storehouse to dry while he cleaned up then made supper. The next morning Jim checked on his storehouse pulling on hooks to make sure that everything was secure and sturdy. Pleased with the construction, Jim began to mix up more cement in the wheelbarrow, and went inside his cave. Using the cement and river rock, Jim began construction of his fireplace. The base was first with a pit for the fire, and then the walls were built using boards to keep them in place until the cement dried. Just above the hearth, Jim made an oven area, the finished with the chimney all the way to the ceiling. When he was done, Jim left the cave to allow the cement to dry taking the wheelbarrow down to the stream with him. There Jim washed it clean, then bathed himself and washed his clothes. Lunch consisted of rabbit meat with a few roasted edible roots. The afternoon Jim spent gathering, and hunting. He also spent more time on tanning the hides. The smoked meat was placed in his new storage house hanging n the hooks. The tanned hides once cleaned and finished were placed inside the cave. The next day Jim checked on his fireplace to find the cement was dry and the fireplace was holding up very well. He removed the boards that held it sturdy and no stones fell. Tapping it a few times with his fist proved it to be well built. Jim pulled on the iron rings that he had placed inside and they did not come loose. Once of the rings was hinged and Jim attached a metal pole to it. Using a hooked pole Jim could swing the pole out of the fireplace thereby making it easier to get what was being cooked. Using the wheelbarrow, Jim cleaned out the cave of excess rock and dirt. He then put his sleeping bag inside along with his packs. The rest of the morning Jim spent cutting down a few trees and chopping it into firewood, which he piled next to the smoke house along with another pile near the entrance of his cave. That afternoon Jim fixed his lunch in his new fireplace. After lunch, Jim dragged out the pressure cooker he had found at the cabin and placed it over the fire filled with water. Jim collected all the mushrooms, wild onions, and berries he had collected and began the process of canning them. When all was canned, Jim stored the jars inside the storage room on the shelves. Inside the cave, Jim started dinner, making a rabbit stew in the smaller pot. He had cut the rabbit meat to fine pieces, added some rendered deer fat, mushrooms, roots, wild onions, water chestnuts, coltsfoot, and pine nuts then filled the pot with water and put it over the fire. While dinner cooked, Jim plucked the nuts from the pinecones he had collected, and placed them in a clean jar. He hoped to grind them down later to make oil. By the time dinner was ready, Jim had taken all the nuts from the pines cones, which he then threw into the fire to burn. The stew was delicious, and Jim covered the pot to save the leftover for breakfast. Now that all the construction had been done, Jim spent each day doing about the same things. In the mornings after a quick breakfast, Jim would go hunting. After hunting, Jim would clean his kills, hang the meat to smoke, render the fat to be stored inside the intestines, which he hung in the storage house. The hides were tanned using wither animal urine or his own stored in pots to become ammonia/acid mix. After lunch, Jim collected wood, and even used his axe to chop down trees as needed. He spent a few hours cutting and splitting firewood, then spent the rest of the afternoon collecting roots, mushrooms, pine cones, coltsfoot, willow bark, wild onions, thyme, and other herbal items. When night fell, Jim would spend a few hours picking the nuts from the pinecones, grinding down the willow bark for teas, and canning the other items. The summer days tended to past quickly for Jim was constantly busy each day. He filled the storehouse with meat and canned foods. Once he had made a pot of venison stew which he canned. He labeled the jars using a charcoal stick writing the contents and an approximate date. He used a stick to keep track of the days notching a mark for each day. Some days hunting was good, and some days not even his sentinel senses could find game. Fishing took up some mornings especially when the salmon ran. The roe he canned to be used later for cooking giving food a salty taste. His stores were filling, but Jim calculated what he thought he would need to last the winter and he had not yet reached that goal. However, Jim figured that he would before winter came. One morning in the fall, Jim got up and made some traveling cakes from rendered fat, smoked meat, nuts, roots and berries mixed together. He wrapped them in rawhide and placed them in his pack along with some venison jerky, and filled his water bottles. Jim locked the door of his storage house with a padlock he had found at the cabin. He placed a barrier made of wood lashed together with rawhide in front of his cave entrance and lashed it in place. Saddling the mare, Jim checked his supplies making sure the small pot was there, and then pointed the mare to the northwest. Knowing he was taking a chance, Jim traveled slow using his sight and hearing to decide his path trying to avoid any alien or human habitations. At a distance he saw what had once been Cascade, WA., and now was an alien city with its glowing mushroom like buildings and its glowing paved streets. Eventually following the forest, Jim made it to a place where the forest gradually gave way to a beach that became the Puget Sound. Jim sent his senses outward. All he could detect were a few humans camped some miles up the beach, but no aliens. Unsaddling the mare, Jim sat up camp. Using his axe, Jim brought firewood to the camp, and started a fire. While the fire burned, Jim immediately went to the ocean and filled his pot with seawater and set it to boil. While the water boiled Jim chewed on a journey cake and drank from his canteen, his senses alert for any intrusions. When the water was finally boiled away, Jim used a knife to scrape out the salt into a jar. When all the salt had been removed from the pan, Jim refilled it with seawater and set it to boil. Jim continued the process until night fell. He then smothered the fire with sand, collected his jars of salt and resaddled the mare. He led her on foot into the forest, his sentinel sight allowing him to see easily in the moonlight. He traveled keeping his ears open for danger until he found a secure spot to camp the rest of the night. Unsaddling the mare and tethering her, Jim forgoed a fire, ate a few bites of journey cake, and then rolled into his sleeping bag. Morning came and Jim returned to the beach to spend the day collecting more salt. While the water boiled, Jim swam in the ocean body surfing back to the beach a few times. Nude, Jim was careful to not stay in the sun too long, or in the water since it was cool. Warming up next to the fire, Jim huddled in his sleeping bag waiting for the water to boil away. By mid-afternoon all twenty jars were filled with sat, and Jim again smothered the fire with sand and water, then returned to the forest and headed back to his cave. Jim made it back to the cave in the early evening of the following day. Tracks said that a few scavengers had been by, but none had broken into the storage shed or the cave itself. After unsaddling the mare and turning her loose to graze, Jim removed the door from the cave and carried the saddle, bridle and packs inside. He stored nineteen of the jars of salt inside the storage house and placed the last jar inside the cave on a shelf on the fireplace. That night he made venison stew with a light salt taste. While the stew cooked, Jim used a large needle and a tough sinew to sew some furs together. Sewing together deer hides and rabbits hides, Jim made a mattress which he stuff with feathers he had collected from the birds he had killed. He had been working on his new bed for months, whiling away the evening hours with sewing. Once stuffed, Jim closed over the hole, then laid the mattress down, rabbit fur side up. He then used the bear hide and rame hide to make a thick soft furry blanket to cover the mattress. Pillows made from rabbit hides were stuffed with the last of the feathers, and Jim's new bed was finished. Perhaps not as soft as a real bed, but preferably more comfortable and considerably warmer than the sleeping bag. Jim ate his stew, and drank some tea made from raspberry leaves. Then Jim spent his first night on his new bed. When morning came, Jim returned to his normal schedule of hunting and/or fishing in the morning after breakfast, chopping wood after lunch, then gathering and sling hunting in the late afternoon, sewing mending, tanning and cooking in the early evening hours. During his gathering, Jim also collected any eggs from nests found. Eventually, the jar of pine nuts filled and Jim used them to make oil which he then poured into jars. The oil filled twelve jars, and Jim stored eleven of them in the storage house, and placed the other by his jar of salt. The firewood continued to be piled both against the smokehouse and near the cave entrance which was now covered by a deerskin hide. One morning, Jim left the cave and sniffed the air. His sentinel senses told him that snow was coming. Instead of hunting, Jim collected more firewood chopping down a few trees to do so. The firewood was stacked so high that Jim started another pile against the smokehouse. Jim had checked over his stores and felt he had more than enough to last him the entire winter. Of course he would continue to do some hunting during the winter as weather permitted, but Jim fully expected to be snowed in for several days at a time, and was unsure of what to do to pass the time. Mid-fall, Jim woke up feeling slightly depressed. A light snow was falling outside, and Jim wondered if that was contributing to his depression. Though he didn't want to get out of bed, the Army Ranger forced himself to get up and make breakfast. Willowbark tea helped warm him and rid him of the slight headache he had. He had sweetened it with a dollop of honey that he had collected a few weeks ago from a honeybee hive. The same time he had brought his newest acquisition back from the cabin. In the fartherest part of the cave Jim had a clawed foot porcelain and steel bathtub. Using the hammer and chisel Jim had made another opening in his cave that went straight through near the floor. Using cement, Jim had attached an elbow pipe to the drain of the bathtub, then a pipe to the elbow that led through the hole out of the cave and into a ravine. Jim had patched the hole around the pipe with cement, and used a rubber plug to cover the drain. Happily Jim could heat water on the fireplace and partially fill the tub with hot and cold water mixed, and bath without freezing to death. He had also found a large pot that he planned to use as a chamber pot during the winter when getting out of the cave was going to be a chore. Next to the chamber pot was a bucket of sand mixed with cedar chips and sweet smelling herbs. Breakfast for the day was leftover baked fish. The oven he had built into the fireplace served a double duty by keeping food warm as well as baking food. When he was done with breakfast, Jim decided to go outside despite the fact that he didn't feel like it. "I hope I'm not coming down with something." Jim said out loud to himself. Once outside, Jim wrapped his fur cloak around his shoulders and looked up at the dull leaden sky. Shaking his head, Jim walked over to the mare who is grazing loose. He looks over at the lean to shelter he had made with wood, and pine boughs that sheltered the mare. So far foraging had been good, and Jim had taken a trip down to see his friend who had gifted him the mare. Jim had brought bag bags of feed as well as a ton of hay that he hoped would last the winter. Shadow continued to graze as Jim petted her neck. Her winter hair had already started to grow in, but Jim had also made a blanket that he could tie over her back using rope made from braided horse hair. "I wish you could talk." Jim told the mare as he rubbed her neck. Shadow just leaned into the touch. "I can't believe I miss conversation." He wondered how things were faring in the cities and what the aliens were doing besides building their cities and cleaning the air. Jim had come across one of the large air filters. His sentinel senses had told him that air blowing from the machine was cleaner than the air being sucked in. The water was also being cleaned. He had followed the stream to its source to find a machine filtering the water. "Maybe I should go to Cascade." Jim told the mare. "A little reconnaissance mission. Watch the city from afar before I go into it." The more he spoke to the mare the more he wanted to go. Jim then looked at his left wrist at the shiny black bracelet with its thin blue line running around it in the middle. "I can bind it with a leather wrap, then bind my right wrist too, then wear my coat. It should hide it good enough." Jim then realized he had made up his mind to go. Energy renewed itself, and Jim got ready to go. He made some journey cakes adding honey to the mix. Packed some jerky, venison and rabbit; filled a leather pouch with salt, his canteens with water, and added some pine nut oil to a waterproof pouch he had made from a deer bladder. He rolled up his sleeping bag that he had sewn a fur lining to and filled the saddlebag with the supplies along with extra clothes, a knife, his small axe, and another fur blanket. Saddling the mare, Jim tied the saddlebags behind the cantle. He locked the storage house, then lashed the door to the entrance of his cave. Once finished, He mounted up and headed at a northwestern direction. Blair took his ladened tray to the room he shared with Brian Rafe, Henri Brown, Simon and Darryl Banks. The others were already there in the strange alien room with its light purple walls and its glowing ceiling. The floor was solid like the walls except in certain places were it was soft like gel. Those place was were the humans slept. The building had taken the place of the school. When the new alien hospital had been built all the humans in the human made hospitals had been moved there along with whatever family member happened to be there at the time. The hospitals had then been demolished like all other human buildings had been. Finally the humans living in the schools were moved to the new alien built building that were built to house humans. Aliens lived ont eh top florr which was inaccessible to humans. Those aliens were the ones who fed, clothed, and care for the humans living in that building. The schools went the war of the hospitals and the last of the man made things went with it. The humans who had been living in tents set up in the various parks and beaches had been left alone, though the aliens still brought them food. There rumors of humans living in the surrounding wilderness, mostly in cabins, though the rumors said that the aliens brought them food as well. As Blair walked through the halls his elbow was bumped and he looked to see who it was. A teenager, a blonde haired boy, said, "Excuse me." As he passed. Blair said nothing too shocked by what he had seen. The teenager had been wearing the light blue alien clothing that was sometimes given to humans, but it had been the silver metal collar around the boy's throat that had given Blair a start. The collar was a new thing and was not being forced on any humans. Some, mostly younger ones like the teenager had taken to following the aliens around. Usually a specific alien receiving candy, treats, clothes, extra food or even after awhile being groomed, their hair combed, braided, ribbons added sometimes. Eventually, the person then accepted the collar, though a few did reject it. Once accepted, they were able to go to the alien's homes, live as a pet in the alien's house. Some parents had been outraged, but the aliens stopped th parents from preventing the kids from accepting the collars. Blair shuddered at the idea but felt that it was their right to choose or not. Blair chose not. Walking into his room, Blair sat down next to Darryl. "Molly decided to K-9 today." Darryl said. K-9 was slang for accepting the alien collar. Molly was a friend of Darryl's. She was also the former police commissioner's daughter. "I'm sorry." Blair said. "I just don't understand it." Darryl continued. "It's a choice, Darryl. Some people like to be pampered, treated nice." "I'll never K-9." Darryl returned. "I'm glad son." Simon said. "Yeah, but what's going to happen later?" Henri asked. He had been released from the hospital a few days after it was moved to the alien hospital. "What do you mean?" Rafe asked. "I mean is it going to be like this forever. Us living here, being fed by the aliens, given medical care. Will it go on forever, will our grandkids live like this?" "I have no idea." Blair said, "possibly they are hoping that eventually all of us will K-9 or at least our children and grandchildren will." "That's going to suck." Darryl said, "I'm definitely teaching any kids I have that K-9ing is bad." "I hope they listen. It'll be a tough decision since I suspect a lot of their friends will K-9 like your friends did." Blair said. "so you think it will like this from now on?" Rafe asked. "I have no way of knowing. And if it is then what happened to the soldiers?" No one said anything. Most people believed the soldiers had been killed, their bodies destroyed. The rest of the meal was eaten in silence.
The next day Darryl came bursting into the room grinning and eating something. "What are you eating?" Simon asked from his position on the floor. He had twisted his ankle earlier that morning but refused to go to the aliens to have it checked. "I don't know, but it's really good." Darryl said. "I gave this guy on a horse directions to one of the parks and he gave it to me." "Darryl you know you aren't supposed to take things from strangers!" Simon was upset. "It's alright Dad. He ate a piece of it before he gave it to me." "Where did he get it from?" Now Balir was curious. "that's the cool thing. He said he made it. He said he's been living in the mountains since the aliens came! It's totally phat. The dude is a genuine mountain man!" "You're kidding! Someone whose not being fed by the aliens, I wonder how he managed that." Blair said astounded. "I don't know. He's at Lakeside Park if ya wanna ask him." Blair was up and out of his bed, "Lead the way!" "You two be careful." Simon admonished then looked at Rafe and Brown. The two immediately got up and followed the two adventurers at a discreet distance. Blair followed Darryl through the eerie aliens streets. They made it to Lakeside park within an hour, and Darryl asked some of the tent dwellers where the rider was. They pointed him to Ma Kender's tent. Ma Kender was an elderly woman who had taken in some street kids. She herself had been homeless before the alien invasion. Now like some street people who didn't want to live in the alien buildings, she lived in a tent in the park. They reached the tent where a black horse stood grazing not far from it. Outside the tent on chairs sat Ma Kender and a man dressed in jeans, flannel shirt with a fur covered cloak and fur gloves. They were both drinking form cups, while a kettle sat boiling on an open flame. "Hey Jim!" Darryl said. The man turned to look at Darryl, "Well if it isn't my young guide." The man said with a smile. Blair studied the man while Darryl spoke to him. He was surprised to find that the man was clean shaven. His hair was short and thinning, but his face was handsome and his build suggested someone who worked hard. "Hey Jim, I want you to meet my friend, Blair." Darryl introduced them. Blair held out his hand, "Blair Sadnburg." He said. "Jim Ellison." The man gripped his hand and the strangest sensation moved through his hand and up his arm. They released each other and Blair saw in the man's intense blue eyes that Jim had felt the same sensation. Jim looked Blair over and liked what he saw. There was intelligence in those bright blue eyes, and kindness. The long hair framing his face made Jim think of angel paintings from the Renaissance Era. Strange, Jim thought, that I would find my true guide here in the city I had grown up in. Incacha would have called it fate. Jim wasn't sure he believed in fate. Now, how do I convince him that is a guide and that I am his sentinel. Jim didn't know. Darryl interrupted his thoughts, "Jim I wanted to ask what was in that cake you gave me." Jim didn't think that Darryl wanted to know but he told him, "Its just rendered deer fat, some dried berries, dried venison and rabbit meat, with some honey." Darryl's face turned a little green and Blair laughed, "A journey cake. Just the right amount of protein, fat and nutrients to keep you healthy." "How is it that you are able to make journey cakes? The aliens don't allow us to hunt." Blair asked. Jim shrugged, "I live high in the mountains. I haven't seen any aliens up there." "You are exceptionally lucky, Mr. Ellison." "Please call me Jim." Ellison said. "Where are you staying at, Jim?" Darryl asked. "I thought I'd camp here in the park." Jim answered not sure why Darryl was asking. "Why don't you stay with us. I mean we live in one of the alien buildings but they leave us alone except when they pass out the food. Its warm at least and there's plenty of room." "Us?" Jim asked. "Oh uhm, just me, my dad, Blair and Henri and Brian. My dad was a cop before, well anyway he was a Captain and Brian and Henri were two of his detectives. We stay together to protect each other." "I see. And Mr. Sandburg what did you do?" "I was an anthropologist. I received my doctorate at rainier University and was teaching there. And please, call me Blair." Blair answered. Jim was amazed. A doctorate. Blair looked too young to have received a doctorate, but the young man was not lying. "Well if you think your father and friends will not mind, I will gladly accept." He then looked at Ma Kinder. "If its alright to leave Shadow here." "She'll be fine. The boys will keep her fed and probably enjoy taking care of her." "Oaky, she's gently enough that I won't worry since I know they'll rider her first chance they get." "I'll watch them and make sure they treat her good." Ma Kinder said. Jim handed her pouch filled with ground willowbark. "Remember, not too much." He said. She nodded. Jim stood and followed Darryl and Blair through the streets noticing the two men that shadowed them as they went. He looked over at Blair wondering how he was going to explain everything to the young guide and would he believe in sentinels and guides.