Free In the Arctic by Art Collins

time to tell Dr. Henderson and Zenda about the blue feather?”
    “Yeah, you’re right,” Archibald answered. “Maybe they’ll be able to figure out how to use it. Anyway, I’m tired of being cooped up in here. Let’s get Meatloaf and go outside.”
    Archibald was telling Meatloaf about what they’d just seen when Adams came aboard the chopper. The SEAL emptied a small duffel bag that contained some C-Rations and then told everyone to stay put until he came back.
    “We saw it,” Archibald said, holding up a pair of binoculars.
    “You saw what?” Adams shot back.
    “The head, we saw it,” Archibald answered. “And we need to talk to Dr. Henderson and Zenda. There’s something important they need to know.”
    “Alright,” Adams replied, “but give me a few minutes before you come out. Just so you know, seeing Lynch’s head up close is much worse than viewing it from a distance.”
    Major McColl decided he’d go outside with Adams, so he left Captain Williams in charge of the Chinook. Before leaving, he patted his co-pilot on the shoulder, saying, “I want you and Jones to stay put while I’m gone.”
    Adams had already bagged Lynch’s head and was headed back to the chopper by the time Meatloaf and the teenagers approached Zenda and Dr. Henderson. “I’m sorry you had to see that,” Dr. Henderson said apologetically.
    “We’ve seen worse,” Archibald replied.
    “I understand there’s something important you need to tell Zenda and me,” Dr. Henderson said.
    “This may take a while,” Archibald answered, “so maybe we ought to go back to the chopper.”
    “We can use the transport pod,” Zenda offered. “It’s big enough for all of us, and I can adjust the temperature so you can take off your outerwear.”
    Once Adams returned to the transport pod, Archibald and Jockabeb began to recount the high points of what had happened at the secret cave in the forest and then over the last three years. While Zenda, Major McColl, and the two SEALs sat quietly, the three scientists peppered the two brothers with questions, particularly after hearing how the blue feathers and the words “Nito, Vito, Samu” had been used to destroy a host of supernatural creatures.
    Seeing more than a few skeptical looks, Meatloaf stepped in and added some much needed credibility to the boys’ story. “I know it all sounds too farfetched to be true, but I witnessed first-hand what happened to the Ratweil. And let’s not forget that there was a reason why your top secret agency selected the four of us to come on this crazy mission.”
    “There are many things that happen in this universe that are very difficult to explain,” Dr. Watanabe finally conceded, “and what we’ve just heard may be one of them. I am willing to accept what the young men have told us. And if what they say is true, the question now becomes how we use this knowledge to defeat Malum.”
    “We have only until tomorrow morning to devise a plan,” Zenda warned. “I know Malum well. Even though he has tasted his first human blood, he will not strike at night. He will take that time to rest so he is fresh for what he thinks will be an even larger kill tomorrow. He also knows that we will not go back into the tunnels after what happened to Lynch. Yes, my friends, I am certain he will strike tomorrow morning.”
Round Two
    For the next hour, the ETF members, Zenda, and Major McColl discussed the best way to handle the attack that Zenda predicted. While there was no consensus among the group of eleven at the beginning, the skeleton of a plan finally began to take shape. Throughout the discussion, Dr. Watanabe took copious notes.
    Zenda believed that it was important that Malum not be able to return to the transport pod since the craft was armed with directional laser beams that could be used as weapons. She said that the entrance to the transport pod could be locked from the inside, but correctly pointed out that she or someone else would