Chapter 13

Blanchard quickly answered the knock at the door and was surprised to find Nelson and Morton. "Hi Harri, what's going on?"

"Kevin we need to speak with you. First off I regret to inform you that Fred Amherst is dead. He was killed by the ape that has been attacking members of my crew," Nelson started. He noted the look of surprise on Blanchard's face but there was little remorse reflected there.

"That's unfortunate," Blanchard replied evenly.

"I take it Amherst was not your favorite person?" Chip inquired.

"I'm sorry that he's dead but in answer to your question, no he was not one of my favorite people. He was very intelligent but he always seemed to be walking around with a chip on his shoulder. I always got the impression that he felt what he was doing in support of our mission was beneath him. He only did what he absolutely had to do. If I were to go back out in the field again, he would be the last person I would take with me." Kevin answered truthfully. "You said first off, is there something else that's happened?"

"Yes, one of our security teams discovered Greg Cummins unconscious and tied up in one of the storage rooms. He's been taken to sick bay to be treated but has yet to regain consciousness. In addition to finding him, the team also found a number of articles that were apparently used in some sort of ritual or ceremony. Do you know anything about this?" Nelson asked.

This time there was a very real look of shock and concern on Blanchard's face. "Oh my god is he going to be all right?"

"As I said he's being tended to by Dr. Jamieson. Once we get a report from him we'll let you know," Harri replied. "I take it you don't know anything about the items the security team found?"

"No. What did they find? Can you show them to me, maybe I can tell you how they would have been used?"

"We are heading down to my lab to check them out, I would appreciate it if you would accompany us," Nelson continued. Blanchard nodded his assent.

"There's one other thing. This is what attacked my men," Nelson said as he held up the doll. "Do you have any knowledge about this?"

Harri handed the figurine to Blanchard and noted the look of curiosity and surprise on his face. "This? You're telling me this attacked the men on this boat? How is that possible?" he replied as he closely examined the doll.

"I was hoping you could tell me. This thing has the ability to be animated into what appears to be a fully living full sized mandrill. After it killed Amherst it turned to attack Jamieson and then suddenly began to shrink until it reached its current size and then became inanimate," Nelson explained. "Have you heard anything about a creature like this in your time in the jungle?"

Blanchard stared and Nelson and Morton incredulously. "Seriously? You're telling me this thing can be animated and it carried out the attacks on the people on board?'

"Yes, we're deadly serious. We watched it as it began to shrink in size and then finally froze and took on the appearance you see now. So I take it by your response you haven't encountered anything like this or heard any stories or legends referring to such creatures?" Morton replied.

"No, not while I was there. Amherst was the one that was really interested in the various tribal beliefs and religions. He spent quite a bit of time with the shamans from each of the tribes we stayed with while we collected our samples."

"Do you know of any reason why Mr. Amherst would be at odds with Captain Crane?" Nelson inquired.

"No. I didn't think they had met prior to us coming aboard. He never mentioned anything about knowing the captain and knowing Amherst he would have played that up to no end. Why?"

"Dr. Jamieson, who happened to have witnessed the attack that killed Amherst, said that when he came into the bunk room, Crane and Amherst were apparently having a disagreement of some sort. Based on what we're finding out it looks as though Amherst was behind all of this," Nelson explained. "If you'll accompany us to the lab and take a look at what was found in the storage room hopefully we can get some answers?"

"Of course Harri I'll gladly help any way I can."

(o)(o)(o)

They quickly made their way down to the lab and found a black medium-sized nylon bag resting on top of one of the counters. Nelson walked over unzipped the bag and peered inside for a moment before reaching in and extracting the contents. First thing he pulled out was a wooden box, followed by the bowl, the pouch of powder, the razor, the gold chain and finally a small notebook.

Blanchard reached forward and picked up the bowl. "This looks like one of the bowls used by the shaman of the Baka tribe," he said as he examined it.

Nelson picked up the pouch untied the leather thong at the top and opened the bag. Inside was a black powder that looked similar to gun powder. He reached inside took a pinch of the powder and rubbed it between his fingers. It felt slick and silky like graphite. He then sniffed his fingertips and caught a hint of sulphur and something that smelled like decaying plant matter and mineral oil.

He passed the pouch to Chip who took a quick sniff and wrinkled his nose at the off-putting scent. Harri then grabbed the notebook and began leafing through the pages. He halted his progress as his eyes locked on the words 'animation spell' as he neared the end.

"What is it Harri?" Blanchard asked.

"This section is devoted to an animation spell for a mingehe or forest spirit. Apparently the owner of this mingehe makes an offering to the spirit in the form of blood and something of the intended victim, recites the passage then lights the powder and offering on fire to set the thing off to carry out an act of retribution," Harri replied as he quickly scanned the notes. "He got this from a shaman named Dharbaka in trade for a number of things."

"Dharbaka? He's a shaman of the Baka tribe. Amherst hung out with him most of the time we stayed with the tribe. I would say that proves it was Amherst controlling that thing if it really does come to life," Blanchard provided.

"Oh it most certainly comes alive Kevin," Harri answered. "The next question is what did he have against Lee? Reading his notes the mingehe is only supposed to go after the intended victim. Then why did the animal kill Watkins and why Amherst? According to this it's only supposed to kill the specific target and the owner is supposed to be protected as long as he has possession of the collar."

"This collar, sir?" Chip asked as he picked up the collar and chain from the countertop.

"Apparently so. Looks like he didn't have it on him and became collateral damage when Lee grabbed him and positioned them between the mingehe and Jamie. But why Watkins, unless he made a mistake in what he offered to the spirit. And why attack Cummins?"

"Well hopefully Greg will come around shortly and at least be able to answer that question for us," Kevin interjected.

"Admiral this is Jamieson."

Nelson strode over to the mic on the wall and snatched it up. "This is Nelson, go ahead Jamie."

"Admiral, Mr. Cummins has regained consciousness and the captain is showing signs of coming around as well," Jamieson replied.

"Thank you Doctor, we'll be right there. Nelson out," Harri acknowledged. "Well gentlemen it looks like we're about to get the answers to most of our questions. Shall we head down to sick bay?"

(o)(o)(o)

Nelson, Morton and Blanchard arrived in sick bay within minutes of Jamieson's call. Upon entering Nelson made a beeline for Lee's bunk to check on his son. Lee was pale and sported new bandages where Jamie had completed his repair work and his arm was again securely bound to his chest to prevent any movement that might stress the intricate stitching. As he looked down at him Lee sighed and slowly moved his head from side to side as he worked hard at throwing off the effects of his latest encounter with the mingehe and Jamieson.

"Come on back son, you're safe now," Harri said quietly as he gently patted Lee's cheek. Having checked on his captain, Nelson walked over to Cummins and Chip moved over to Lee's bed to check on his brother.

Cummins and Blanchard were chatting quietly when Nelson joined them. "How are you feeling Mr. Cummins?" Nelson asked.

"Kind of like I was slammed head first into a brick wall, Admiral," Cummins replied.

"Would you be up to telling us what you remember of the attack on you?" Harri inquired.

"Sure Admiral, although there isn't a whole lot to tell. About 0200 this morning I heard Amherst get up and then exit our cabin. He'd been acting odder than usual since we had come aboard so I decided to follow him and find out what he was up to at that hour of the morning," Cummins began, "I followed him to a storage room and watched him go inside then shut the door. Once he was inside I moved over to the door and tried the knob but he had locked it. I positioned myself outside the door and waited for him to emerge. I didn't have my watch on but I think it took him about 20 to 30 minutes to come back out."

"When he came back out I could tell he was really surprised and almost fearful of my presence. I asked him what he'd been up to and he said he got a doll of some kind from Dharbaka and he could make it come alive if he used some powder, said some words and lit the powder on fire. He said he was practicing so he could show his nephew when he got home. He asked me if I wanted to see then led me over to where he had stashed his stuff. He pulled it all out of the bag and I was looking at the items, that was the last thing I remember," Cummins concluded.

"Well that definitely establishes that it was Amherst behind all this. The last unanswered question is why? I don't suppose he gave you any insight to that?" Nelson responded.

"No, I had no idea he knew anybody on Seaview. Usually he's quite the name dropper if he thinks it will curry him any special treatment or regard," Cummins answered.

As Harri concluded his interview with Cummins their attention was drawn to a low moan and movement from Lee's bunk as he finally made his way back from the abyss. Jamie was at his side instantly checking his vitals and making sure he didn't make any rapid movements that might damage his repairs.

"Lee, Lee can you hear me?" Jamie inquired. "Come on Captain open your eyes please."

Lee moaned in pain as his head announced it was not in the least way happy with being slammed into the deck. That sensation was quickly followed by the deep ache and periodic stab of pain in his right shoulder and painful throb in his back. He next registered both the faint odor of disinfectant and Jamie's voice urging him to open his eyes.

Lee groaned again, not so much in pain but in the realization that he was once more relegated to the confines of sick bay and in the clutches of his medical nemesis, Will Jamieson. Given his quick assessment of his injuries, it was most likely that he would be hard pressed to escape any time soon. He slowly cracked his eyes open and even in the subdued lighting of the bunk room, the sudden influx of light felt like an ice pick jammed through his eyes and into his brain. He clamped his eyes shut again then heard another voice exhorting him to open them back up.

"Come on son, open your eyes for the doctor," Nelson said as he gently laid his hand on the captain's uninjured shoulder.

Lee gave it one more try and this time the intrusion of light was not nearly so painful, at least until Jamie shined his pen light into his eyes. "Ugh," Lee moaned as he tried to turn his head away. "Damn Jamie that hurts."

Jamie had quickly grabbed Lee's chin to keep him from turning away and preventing his evaluation of his patient. "If you would just stay still this will be over quickly," he chastised quietly accompanied with a chuckle. "All right that's done, now if you would recite all the pertinent information I need."

Lee scowled at him for a moment but found even that movement hurt. He sighed loudly in resignation then spoke, "Crane, Lee Benjamin, Commander, Captain, SSRN Seaview, attacked by a monkey, I think."

Jamie nodded indicating his answers were acceptable. He reached over to the tray stationed near Lee's bunk retrieved a cup of water and helped his patient take a couple of sips. "Well his neurological signs are good, Admiral. He should recover in time."

A wide smile spread across Harri's face as he got the good news. "Glad to have you back lad. How are you feeling?"

"Like I went ten rounds with an ape, twice," Lee replied with a grimace.

"That you did lad," Harri answered with a quick smile. "Do you feel up to telling us about your last run in with the mandrill?"

"Sure, sir. It all just seems so surreal. As I was lying in bed I suddenly got a feeling like there was someone in the room with me and I fought hard to wake up. When I could finally focus there was Amherst at the side of my bed staring down at me with this look of disgust or disdain," Lee started. "I asked him what he was doing here and he said he was settling old debts. Apparently I beat him in the high school science fair when I was in the 9th grade and he felt that was the one thing that caused him to be a failure in life and lose his father's respect."

"As we were talking and I was trying to get my mind wrapped around what he was saying I noticed motion in the corner of the room. That's when I spotted that thing that attacked me in my cabin, only it was smaller, like 6 or 8 inches tall. That was until it started to grow bigger at an alarming rate. Within a minute or so the thing was over 4 feet tall and began snarling and snapping at me from behind Amherst. I managed to get up out of bed and just about then Jamie opened the door and that seemed to set everything in motion. I told Jamie to get out and then lunged for Amherst hoping to draw that thing's attention from Jamie and focus back on us. Well it did and it lunged at us slamming us hard against the bunks then we collapsed onto the floor. The last thing I remember was Amherst's screams then it all went black," Lee finished with a shudder as the memory of events coalesced in his mind.

"Seriously?! He was out to get you because you beat him in your high school science fair?" Chip asked incredulously.

"Yeah, that's what he said; I told you it was surreal. The prize came with a scholarship and because he didn't get that he said he couldn't go to the university he really wanted to. I had no idea who he was, he was a senior and I was just a lowly freshman at the time," Lee replied. "I think he was also pissed because he thought I didn't use the scholarship because I went to the Academy, which wasn't true. I actually got permission to use the scholarship to help cover my costs at Farragut since I was basically back on my own by then."

"What was your project?" Chip asked.

"I built a small helium-neon pump laser," Lee answered as though his project was no more advanced than a paper mache volcano.

"Of course you did," Chip replied with an eye roll. "A 9th grader and you built a laser? Was there ever a time you weren't an over-achiever?" Lee sneered at him in response.

Harri chuckled quietly. "What was Amherst's project, Lee?" Nelson inquired.

"I really couldn't tell you sir. At that point in school I was pretty much lucky just to keep tabs on myself. I was still busy playing catch-up and learning how to go by the rules," Lee replied. "He was upset I had no idea who he was. He told me and I quote, 'When you destroy a man's life you should at least have the decency to remember who he is'. The whole situation was incredibly bizarre," Lee added then sighed heavily as the stress and recent blood loss left him struggling to get enough oxygen.

"That's enough for now gentlemen, the captain here needs more sleep. You can talk with him later after he's had at least 8 hours of rest," Jamie interjected as he moved back to his patient.

"Very well Jamie," Nelson replied. "Listen to Jamie, son and get some rest. You look as though you can use it."

"Yes sir," Lee replied as his eyes began to slide shut.

"Well gentlemen I'd say that's enough for now. I'm going to head to my cabin and review Amherst's notes and the items in his bag. We can resume this once Lee's had the rest he needs and Jamie lets us back in." Nelson stated.

(o)(o)(o)

Harri sighed heavily as he finished the last page in Amherst's journal and closed the book. He once again looked over the items needed to invoke the mingehe and gave a brief shudder as he recalled the damage it had caused. He opened the small box removed the doll and set it on the desk in front of him. He then reached over and picked up the gold collar and placed it around its neck and clamped it shut.

Amherst's notes had been quite detailed regarding what the tribal shaman had told him about the history of this thing and the process of reanimating, controlling and dispatching it to carry out its assigned task of vengeance. He assumed that Amherst had been killed because he no longer carried the collar and therefore had no protection from the mingehe once it tried to go after Lee in sick bay.

The momentary hesitation and confusion that Jamie noted was most likely caused when the animal's master had been killed severing the bond between them. That was just supposition on his part since it wasn't mentioned anywhere in the notes. The one thing that truly concerned him was that the mingehe had been unable to carry out its primary task to kill Lee Crane. Again there was no discussion of this and he wondered if the contract had been satisfied with Amherst's death or if it would resume its hunt for his son if ever given the opportunity to reanimate again to finish the bargain.

Harri picked up the doll and regarded it once more. After a moment he placed it in its box, replaced the lid and then pulled a roll of duct tape out of his desk drawer and taped it shut. He arose from his chair and moved to his wall safe opened it up placed the box inside along with Amherst's journal then closed the door and spun the lock. He was taking no chances. Once they returned to Santa Barbara he would make sure that thing never saw the light of day again.

As he moved back to his desk he was hailed by Jamie. "Admiral this is Jamieson."

"Nelson here, what is it Will?"

"Sir, Captain Crane is awake and ready for dinner if you would like to join him."

"I'll be right there," Nelson replied, a relieved smile spreading across his face.

Harri shoved the rest of the articles laid out on his desk back into the bag then deposited it in his desk drawer and locked it. He moved to the head to wash his hands then exited his cabin heading down to sick bay to enjoy a meal with his captain and son and probably give his CMO a much needed break.

As Nelson's cabin became quiet following the departure of its occupant, the mingehe shifted slightly in its box and two piercing yellow eyes snapped open. It could wait for as long as it takes for the opportunity to complete its task.

The End.

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Thank you to all who have read my story and especially those who commented. I appreciate your comments and reviews very much. I'm thrilled you enjoyed the story and found my mingehe a little unsettling. I loved hearing about your reactions to my monster and hope I didn't keep you up too many nights. Your interest and support makes this a lot of fun. Merci - Obrigado - Grazie - Thanks