David Golemon - Primeval

"Come here, Mr. Science, and join us at the map," Jack said, nodding that he agreed with Helena.

The old woman gave Charlie Ellenshaw a crooked smile as he timidly stepped into the small office.

"As I said, the northern Stikine is unkind to fools." She then turned back to the map. "And like I said a minute ago, we have a stash of weapons, mostly hunting stuff that we have found in the woods from time to time. We don't hunt ourselves here as we have always left the wildlife be. But you're welcome to them; it's a small arsenal if the truth be told. A lot of smart-ass doctors and lawyers who wouldn't listen to reason; let's just say they may have come across something that wasn't as sporting as a deer or elk. That's right, my friend, I listen to the tales that the Indians talk about at night same as everyone else."

"So you believe in that hokey crap about Bigfoot?" Alexander asked, looking almost insulted at the stories that Charlie had been spewing all the way up north.

"Thank you," Jack said, cutting off any further comments about what wasn't really important.

"As I said, you are welcome to all those guns and equipment," she said eyeing Punchy Alexander with what amounted to total disdain, "but you listen to me now." She pulled at Jack's sleeve and nodded toward Charlie. "Do not venture into the woods ten to twelve miles north of the Stikine River. Do you hear me? Even if your quarry goes to ground there! Stay out of that area."

She turned and pointed at a spot on the large map of about a thousand square miles.

"What's in there?" Farbeaux asked, more than a little curious, especially since historically speaking, the mother lode of the Alaskan and Canadian gold rushes had never been discovered — the source of all that gold was still out there somewhere.

"It's wild, young man, more wild than you could ever believe. Just stay out of there. If your Russians go in there, rest assured that they are not coming back."

Jack, knowing that if his sister was in there, there was no way he wasn't going in after her. He looked at the black, hand-printed words embossed over the field of unbroken green that marked the area the old woman had shown them. Jack wrote the words down on his notes: THE CHULIMANTAN PLATEAU.

Not one of the men ever thought to ask the meaning of the Indian name that graced the valley and the rise of the large plateau. Collins heard the admonishment of the old woman, but paid her no mind.

"Don't go north of the Stikine."

After the supplies were organized and stacked, they placed them all in front of the porch. Collins then called everyone except Charlie Ellenshaw to the steps. He was inside looking over the map of the Stikine Valley and Plateau with the old woman. The girl, Marla, was watching the group from a distance, making sure their boxes of.306 ammunition was placed in a plastic pouch to keep river water from damaging them. Altogether, the girl and her grandmother had gathered nearly two hundred rounds for the hunting weapons, and another hundred fifty for the 5.62 millimeter automatics.

Everett took up position beside Collins, looking from face to face. The two officers had come to a decision an hour before, and Carl knew their news was not going to be well received. Farbeaux suspected what was coming because he had watched as the naval captain had cut the rations for their journey upriver almost by a quarter, and he had also tossed aside one of the tents.

"Ryan, you and McIntire are staying here."

"The hell you say," Sarah started to protest.

"No, no. You're not leaving us behind," Ryan said as he looked directly at Everett and not at Collins.

"At ease, Mr. Ryan, you'll do as are ordered," Carl said, making sure Sarah understood his anger, also.

"Look, we don't know what else is right here under our noses, and these people have gone through enough; we have to leave someone here in case they have a rerun of what happened today," Jack said, now looking directly at Sarah.

"Colonel, I would bet two months pay that that old woman could kick my ass three ways to Sunday, and the girl is far tougher than my last three bunkmates combined."

"This is not a negotiating session, Mr. Ryan. Will is a soldier; he's trained for what we do. Doc Ellenshaw, well, he's Doc Ellenshaw, and he has his reasons for being there, and we have reasons to take him. Punchy goes where I go and Colonel Farbeaux has his own reasons for being brave. You and McIntire have no reason for being on the river, but you have a big reason for watching out for things here. I want that RCMP chopper fixed if at all possible."

"Wait a minute, you know I'm not qualified on those damn things," Ryan protested.

Jack turned on him. "Damn it, Ryan, you know and I know you can fly one. Fix the damn thing in case we need to beat a hasty retreat out of this place. Do you understand, Mr. Ryan?"

Ryan didn't respond, he figured since he was in civilian dress, Jack didn't rate a salute, so he turned on his heel and reached for a small toolbox and then stormed off toward the damaged helicopter. Sarah meanwhile watched Jack, her eyes never leaving his. He waited for her to continue her argument, but instead she raised her right brow, which told Collins she was about to explode, and then turned and followed Ryan.

"They just hate being left—" Mendenhall started to explain.

"Not now, Lieutenant. Leave it," Jack said and turned on his heel and trotted up the steps. "Captain, organize Colonel Farbeaux, Mr. Alexander, and Mr. Bleeding Heart here, and get that boat loaded. I want to be on the river in thirty."

Everett and the others watched Jack leave and enter the store. Carl shrugged his shoulders and then turned toward the supplies.

"Come on, you bunch of pirates — the wonders of Mother Nature await."

The old woman watched the white-haired Charlie Ellenshaw study the map. He had a small notebook out and was jotting down his own information just as Collins had done earlier.

"Tell me, the acreage here." He was pointing to the northern most section of unexplored territory far above the Stikine. "How much animal life can that section support in your estimation?" Charlie scrunched up his nose and then turned to the old woman. "I mean, vegetation wise, berries, plants, elk, and deer?"

"You're kind of peculiar, aren't you? Hell, even as a youngster you were, all the way back in sixty-eight," she said instead of answering.

"Excuse me, madam?" Ellenshaw said pushing his thick glasses back up on his nose and looking the woman over.

"You didn't exactly grow into what you would call a male specimen in all those years, Charlie, so just what are you doing here? You're not like these others."

"You mean, Colonel Collins and Captain Everett? I think we make a pretty good team."

"You don't usually get out much, do you?" Helena said, nodding as if she wanted Ellenshaw to agree outright.

"I assure you, I am as field qualified as the next man in this group. I could tell you a story or two," Ellenshaw looked around and then caught himself before he broke his secrecy oath. "Just suffice it to say, I've been places and seen things that you wouldn't find in Kansas."

The old woman slapped Charlie on the shoulder, almost knocking the thin scientist into the large map. "Don't take offense, skinny, I was just funnin' ya' is all. Now, you asked about the vegetation and wildlife up in them parts, well, I'll tell you, Hindershot," she said, using Charlie's middle name that made him cringe inside. "There is enough roughage and game up there to support half of the African savanna. Now, why do you ask?"

Charlie quickly wrote down her information. "Oh, no reason, just a scientist curiosity."

"You're as poor a liar as you are at gunplay, Hindershot Ellenshaw. The colonel's lookin' for his sis, and that French fella, well, let's just say he has the look of a man with another agenda, and the others — well, to this old woman's eye, you can tell they would follow that colonel man into hell if they had to, but you, you are here for something else, aren't you?"