JUNE 1, 2019
SOMEWHERE OVER THE CELTIC SEA
The big plane was surprisingly quiet, the flight steady and untouched by turbulence. They'd reach their destination in very little time. They had a good pilot up front, Major Carvalho thought with approval.
No one had really gotten to know each other yet- they had all been rushed to The Hague and thrown into an office building barely a week before, and each person had been so occupied with getting his or her responsibilities in order that there hadn't even been time for a casual chat with anyone else, let alone a beer at the pub. And now, suddenly, they were going to Ireland before they had even managed to get unpacked.
Carvalho's tablet chirped. He took a peek at it, nodded to himself as he saw the new email from headquarters. Perfect. The last thing he needed to brief everyone.
“Alright, listen up, everyone,” Carvalho said abruptly as he got up out of his seat. He turned on the intercom to the cockpit so the pilot could also hear what he was about to say. “You all know we're going to Galway, Ireland to assist there, but until now we haven't really known what we're getting into. Facts still seem to be scarce, but let me tell you what I can about the situation there.”
He ported the viewing screen at the front of the cabin to his tablet. On an ordinary flight, this might show movies to bored passengers. Instead, it displayed a still photograph. A sandy beach, peacful and idyllic- except for the series of perfectly round holes leading out of the water. A meter wide and two meters deep.
“Footprints, ladies and gentlemen, at the beach by the little town of Cathair. Taken two days ago. The tracks of something very big, with round feet and no toes. And something that is apparently very hungry.”
A new photograph came up, a scene of total carnage. A small rural pasture, the normally green grass stained red by blood. Tufts of wool and a few identifiable chunks indicated that this was all that remained of a herd of sheep.
“These footprints lead up to this paddock. Fifty-eight sheep dead or missing, torn apart and swallowed. By what, we don't know. It must have happened in the dead of night, no one saw or heard anything. The Irish police force, the Garda, was put on alert. Looking for sheep thieves, pranksters, god only knows what.”
The photo changed once more, this time to a Nissan Terrano painted in white and yellow. The vehicle had been cut completely in half, and dried blood covered the crushed hood. “This is one of the Garda patrol cars, found this morning on a country lane outside Spiddal. Two men inside, and both are missing. As you can see, the whole vehicle was cut completely in half. Not torn or bitten, ladies and gentlemen. Cut, like with some giant blade.”
The Brazilian frowned, then went on. “And now, ladies and gentlemen, you know as much as anyone else. We can safely assume it comes out of the water at night, and it seems dangerous. But with no witnesses, we can't say much else.
“The Irish authorities are keeping things quiet for now. They don't want a panic on their hands. The Armed Forces are being mobilized, but frankly they're not much. The Irish Air Corps operates no armed aircraft and the Navy is more of a glorified coast guard, so we'll be dealing mostly with the Irish Army. Now, I know you're thinking to me 'João, just splatter the thing with tanks and heavy artillery' but believe it or not the Irish Army has neither of those. So, they called us for help, because we're smart people who think outside the box, right?” He smiled, hoping the humor would cut some of the tension.
“So let's do some thinking before we touch down in Galway,” he invited the group at large. “All of our heads are better than one. So let's hear some ideas, some thoughts, whatever you guys have so we don't show up empty-handed.”
He opened a bottle of water and took a long swig, looking expectantly at the group.
SOMEWHERE OVER THE CELTIC SEA
The big plane was surprisingly quiet, the flight steady and untouched by turbulence. They'd reach their destination in very little time. They had a good pilot up front, Major Carvalho thought with approval.
No one had really gotten to know each other yet- they had all been rushed to The Hague and thrown into an office building barely a week before, and each person had been so occupied with getting his or her responsibilities in order that there hadn't even been time for a casual chat with anyone else, let alone a beer at the pub. And now, suddenly, they were going to Ireland before they had even managed to get unpacked.
Carvalho's tablet chirped. He took a peek at it, nodded to himself as he saw the new email from headquarters. Perfect. The last thing he needed to brief everyone.
“Alright, listen up, everyone,” Carvalho said abruptly as he got up out of his seat. He turned on the intercom to the cockpit so the pilot could also hear what he was about to say. “You all know we're going to Galway, Ireland to assist there, but until now we haven't really known what we're getting into. Facts still seem to be scarce, but let me tell you what I can about the situation there.”
He ported the viewing screen at the front of the cabin to his tablet. On an ordinary flight, this might show movies to bored passengers. Instead, it displayed a still photograph. A sandy beach, peacful and idyllic- except for the series of perfectly round holes leading out of the water. A meter wide and two meters deep.
“Footprints, ladies and gentlemen, at the beach by the little town of Cathair. Taken two days ago. The tracks of something very big, with round feet and no toes. And something that is apparently very hungry.”
A new photograph came up, a scene of total carnage. A small rural pasture, the normally green grass stained red by blood. Tufts of wool and a few identifiable chunks indicated that this was all that remained of a herd of sheep.
“These footprints lead up to this paddock. Fifty-eight sheep dead or missing, torn apart and swallowed. By what, we don't know. It must have happened in the dead of night, no one saw or heard anything. The Irish police force, the Garda, was put on alert. Looking for sheep thieves, pranksters, god only knows what.”
The photo changed once more, this time to a Nissan Terrano painted in white and yellow. The vehicle had been cut completely in half, and dried blood covered the crushed hood. “This is one of the Garda patrol cars, found this morning on a country lane outside Spiddal. Two men inside, and both are missing. As you can see, the whole vehicle was cut completely in half. Not torn or bitten, ladies and gentlemen. Cut, like with some giant blade.”
The Brazilian frowned, then went on. “And now, ladies and gentlemen, you know as much as anyone else. We can safely assume it comes out of the water at night, and it seems dangerous. But with no witnesses, we can't say much else.
“The Irish authorities are keeping things quiet for now. They don't want a panic on their hands. The Armed Forces are being mobilized, but frankly they're not much. The Irish Air Corps operates no armed aircraft and the Navy is more of a glorified coast guard, so we'll be dealing mostly with the Irish Army. Now, I know you're thinking to me 'João, just splatter the thing with tanks and heavy artillery' but believe it or not the Irish Army has neither of those. So, they called us for help, because we're smart people who think outside the box, right?” He smiled, hoping the humor would cut some of the tension.
“So let's do some thinking before we touch down in Galway,” he invited the group at large. “All of our heads are better than one. So let's hear some ideas, some thoughts, whatever you guys have so we don't show up empty-handed.”
He opened a bottle of water and took a long swig, looking expectantly at the group.