Print notice.” With this the Colonel breezed around to his desk, straightened a framed desktop picture of his family and sat.

“Can I get you anything. Some tea perhaps?”

“No thanks. I’m not here to take up much of your time -just a few questions is all.”

Colonel Ainsworth tented his fingers, nodded his head, then dropped his hands to his desk.

“I know why you’re here. It’s about this rodent non-sense…”

“Ratel sir, a very large type of badger as I gather.”

“Yes, well, whatever it is, it’s all non-sense to say the British military is involved in such a thing. The badgers or snakes in the river or whatever other stories the local farmers come up with. I truly hope you don’t believe any of that.”

Major Chester smiled. “Of course not sir, I was just hoping you could give me another perspective. I’ve conferred with American marines and army and even talked with several Iraqis. I’m afraid I’ve collected no hard evidence other than a dead American soldier and a cow carcass. I was wondering if you or any of your people could provide any more insight?”

Upon hearing of the dead soldier the Colonel lowered his eyes a brief moment then sharply brought them back up to Major Chester.

“I am sorry to hear of the American soldier. Of course, when the news reached us I did mandate a formal inquiry on the subject. It appears that encounter was the first recorded of it’s nature in both camps.”

Upon hearing this Major Chester’s thoughts turned inward. Colonel Ainsworth regarded him a moment before continuing.

“I am a man of physical things. Man, terrain, and warfare to name a few. Whatever it is you seek I’m sure you’ll find in the end that there’s a logical explanation for it. In this business of war, though, one has also to rely heavily on morality. I do believe that wrongdoers will eventually be held accountable to their tasks and the righteous will win the day in the end.”

Major Chester looked up and sighed. He now knew what he’d have to do. As he thanked the Colonel for his time a plan began to form in his mind of his next move. And he knew that his next move would require him as bait.

 

 

 

 

 

 

TWO

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Major Chester lurked in the shadows of the dry marshlands watching. He breathed in deeply the smell of rotting vegetation and dust. He’d gone out alone in a place that wasn’t being patrolled. Too uninhabitable to be of use to anyone, it was labeled as neutral territory no one was interested in, not even in passing. He glanced at his watch. Midnight.

It was then that he heard a rustling in the unseen crawlspaces. He quickly decided the noise was too large and sharp for anything as clumsy as a human. He unconsciously crouched, his eyes focusing in the direction of the disturbance. Then, as quick as the sound was and then wasn’t, it was there again with a carnal growl and quickly coming his way. Chester watched the edge of the foliage as it shook wildly and a huge spiny beast, large teeth and claws, quickly charging toward him. He backed a step and flinched as the thing stopped just short of knocking into him, the forward motion stopped so suddenly pebbles were knocked into his shins and wind brushed by him, almost knocking his beret off.

He stood erect and fixed his beret. “Do you have to do that?”

“It truly is impressive isn’t it.” A man emerged from the shadows followed by two others. Major Chester stoked his hand over the hide as he walked around to greet them.

“You mercenaries are so overly dramatic. And you, did they talk you into this?”

The smaller of the four men named Abdul-Alim stepped around. He looked the most transplanted of the other three men, with his natural dark completion, leathery face, and full beard. He tossed Major Chester a remote.

“You should try it some time,” he spoke in broken English, his native Arabic tongue coming through, “Hell of an invention.”

One of the mercenaries, a man the size of a refrigerator, walked over to the thing they were talking about. “We could’ve used one of these things in Somalia or Haiti or even Iran, eh Michaels.”

The other man, who was almost his