Page 40 of Tooth and Nail

Eoghan liked Chadwick St. Clair. On the job, he was one of the better marshals in their office, acting on instinct equally as much as brainpower which made him a good choice in his book. In his off hours, though, the man was a total freak, but he pushed away those images to be re-examined later, if he wanted his head to explode.

“Okay, Chief. We’ll wait.” He swiped his phone and pushed it back into his pocket.

“Who’s St. Clair?” Ari asked.

“I’ve worked with him several times in between partners. He’s got good instincts and if we have to chase after an Acerodon jubatus albat, it would be good to have him along…just in case the predator has friends of his own.”

“Could we just call it a big motherfucking albat?” Ari asked. “Acerodon jubatus albat is kind of a mouthful. Before yesterday, the word feline was the closest word I could think of to a scientific name.”

Eoghan smiled. “Not true. I can think of a thousand others off the top of my head but here’s one you should be able to instantly identify with…caffeine.”

Ari smirked. “Point made.” He dragged his eyes away, glancing around.

“Don’t be nervous. If a BMA was outside, we’d know it by now,” Eoghan said. “Chances are, they’d find a place inside the cave to roost until dark for hunting to become easier and if animals and humans are on the menu, they’d wait to attack under the cover of darkness. Plenty of people hang out in this park at all hours, not to mention all the joggers who use the trails before sunrise.”

“What’s a BMA? Is that some new name I should learn?” Ari looked perplexed.

“You said it yourself. A big motherfucking albat.”

Ari’s smile died as a car raced into the parking lot and pulled up beside the Charger. His hand automatically went to the gun on his belt.

Eoghan reached out to stay it. “It’s St. Clair.”

Ari’s hand relaxed, falling to his side as the agent jumped out of the car. He slung his backpack onto the top of the car and yanked out goggles and a drape, putting them on before jogging over to them. He was tall and lean, almost as tall as Ari, but not quite.

“Hello, Sapphire,” he greeted in clipped British tones. “You must be Brown. Chadwick St. Clair at your service.” The man sketched a little bow before going on. “Call me Wick.”

“Okay, Wick. Nice to meet you,” Ari replied, shaking Wick’s gloved hand with his own.

“Damn,” Wick said, glancing down at the ground. “Poor little chaps.” He met Eoghan’s eyes. “Have you spotted whatever killed them?”

“No. The chief and I have the same thoughts, though. Ralphie was afraid that an alien cousin to Acerodon jubatus was a danger to his colony back on his home planet. That’s why they came here to begin with.”

“Yes, she briefed me.” He pointed at the cave entrance. “I suppose we should get a look inside then.” He graced Ari with an up and down look. “Feel ready to face a hostile alien, mate?”

Eoghan watched Ari nod.

“If I can face a six-foot-tall honeybee in shifted form a few hours after learning all this shit is real, then yeah, I think I can face a BMA,” Ari said.

“A BMA?” Wick asked.

“Big motherfucking albat,” Eoghan said, smiling behind his drape.

“Brilliant!” he said, pointing his can of deterrent at the sky. “We’re burning daylight. Let’s get on with it.” He pulled his backpack off and took out additional cans of deterrent, handing them over and then gave them each a nose plug clamp. “Wordy thought we’d need these.”

“Albat guano can emit an almost toxic ammonia smell,” Eoghan explained as Ari took it. “It won’t kill you, but it can make you nauseous. In these caves, ventilation usually takes care of it, but we haven’t been inside since the last time we made contact with Ralphie, so we won’t know the levels until we get in there. Keep your nose plugged and the goggles anddrape in place. If anything comes at you, don’t ask questions…just spray.”

“Okay, Eoghan,” Ari said, clamping the nose plug in place before dropping the drape back over his face and picking up the cans in each hand.

Eoghan looked over at Ari. “Earwigs in place?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Stay close to me, and don’t forget…when I give you an order, you are to follow it without question. You should note, there’re two entrances to the cave. That means there’re two exits as well. This one goes all the way through to another on the back side. The total length is about two city blocks long. If you have to run, Ari, you have two exits.”

Ari nodded sharply. “Thanks. I got it. I promise to be careful.”

When they’d first found Ralphie and his colony out here, Eoghan had researched the history of the Bronson Canyon Caves. Far from being a natural cave, the site was, in reality, a former quarry. Thousands of tons of rocks and gravel had been harvested from the mountainside for use in the construction of roads when California was being paved in the early part of the twentieth century. Eventually, the quarry was abandoned, leaving the caverns.

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