The Adventures of Tim Bodge Ch. 25: Pt. 03

The Adventures of Tim Bodge

This story has been amended with Adult content.

By T Hodge

Chapter 25 Part 3 of 3

Deniece moved as she heard the knock on the front door. She felt a hand on her breast, gently moved Miss C's hand, and slid out from under the covers.

She wondered who was at the door, got up, and put on her robe as she stumbled to the door. She checked the monitor to see who was there and saw that it was a boy. She fastened her robe tightly, opened the door about halfway, and stuck her head out.

The boy said, "The note said to let this address know if a package was delivered and no one was there." and pointed to Miss C's unit.

Deniece smiled at him and said, "Thank you I'll tell her when I see her." She closed the door, checked the time, and had another hour before the kids were up. She headed back to bed. Slid back under the cover, grabbed Miss C's hand, and placed it back to where it was.

***

Howie walked to the animal, leaned over, and studied it with care. Unwilling to touch it, he returned to the shuttle and got a long fork device. This device made it possible for him to take the animal's half and turn it over.

He remembered seeing an animal that looked something like this one. The animal measured approximately one and a half feet, with four legs, the back two longer, made to run. The computer said, 'it was a jackrabbit.'

Howie pitched both halves back over the fence. He turned to Edie-bit and motioned for her to return to the shuttle.

In the shuttle, Howie called Tim and reported that the security was in place.

I am about to send two probes. One will hover over your site and show what is happening below, and this will appear on your and our screen. The other will cover the pathway to Sarha's site for the new camp. "

Tim sat on the deck and said, "I need Tabitha, Tammy, the security bots for the new site. Sufficient bots to cover two hundred meters by two hundred meters, using the same configuration as the shuttle. Once security is in place, construction crews will follow."

Tim proceeded towards the MTS room, where he met Tabatha and Tammy. All three walked through onto the shuttle below, and Howie and Edie-bit greeted them and walked outside with them.

They stayed close to the shuttle while Tammy was doing reading. "The position of the sun told her that it would be about noon now, and the temperature is about 80 degrees,"

Tim turned to Howie, "I need you two to remain here. The three of us will follow the probe to the site." Tim and the two felines turned and walked away. The probe rose to twenty-five feet, enabling it to scan the area around Tim and the girls with a 50-foot circle. Tim heard the beep and started searching. In front of him, in the tall grass, stood a smaller animal. He gave him a chance to move on.

At that time, the grass measured about eighteen inches, and it was hard to know where they were walking. They walked attentively and looked around, ensuring that something unexpected did not come up.

They made their way to Sarha's chosen location. They stood in the center and looked around. To the left of them and about half a mile was the river. Everything else around was flat grasslands. There was a wooded area on the right, not too far away.

Tim loved it, and he could see that it would make a great town. Everything that was required was within an acceptable range. If they work hard, people will be capable of surviving. Tim stood in this place and called Sarha, "Mark this place as the center of the site. Instruct bots to use this location and install a fence. Let me know when it's finished."

Tim and the girls looked around and returned to the shuttle. Halfway through, a line of bots passed them. Four of the bots resembled grass-cutting machinery. Once Tim and the girls returned to the shuttle. The probe went back to the site and was lifted in the air to cover the entire area of the site.

The bots were working on installing the fence and security for the next two hours, the same as the installation of the shuttle. Tim and Howie sat down to see how the work unfolded.

It looked like a playing field with the cut grass and the bots around the area for security. Tim pointed to a spot on the screen and told Sarha, "This is the first building, and I want it to be two hundred feet by two hundred and fifty feet. Have the bots work through."

"Howie, you and Edie-bit can stay here overnight, or you can MTS return to the main ship. That's up to you."

"Tim, if you don't mind, we want to stay here tonight. Do you believe it would be acceptable to sleep outside?" Asked Edie-bit.

"I see no reason not to stay. There's the fence and the guard bots, so it should be OK."

"I never slept outdoors before. To sleep under the stars, this will be an unforgettable night." She asked, her voice soft and smooth.

Tim turned to get into the shuttle, took a step, and said, "Tabitha, are you and Tammy staying or returning with me?"

"We are returning with you. It is just so beautiful out here. Edie-bit is right; they will be the first ones to sleep in our new world."

Tammy moved over to Tabitha and whispered, 'if they sleep.'

Tabitha placed an elbow into Tammy's side and whispered, 'you mind your manners, young lady.'

Tabatha and Tammy followed Tim on the shuttle and onto the main ship. They were leaving Howie and Edie-bit to make the most of their first night in a new world together.

They sat down in the arms each other and looked at the evening sky. They felt a gentle breeze, and the feeling of solitude was in the air. The night was deep, and they were alone, enjoying this charming night as if everything belonged to them.

They devoted the entire night to be in each other's arms. In the morning, they woke, and Howie went into the shuttle to get something for them to eat, and Edie-bit wanted to have a short morning walk.

She told Howie she was coming right back. She approached the fence and disengaged one section. She stopped, turned, and put the fencing on again. She walked out into the grassy area.

Howie returned with their breakfast. He seated himself at the table, waited, and got nervous after an hour. He stood and called her name, not hearing a reply.

"Tim, I need your help. Edie-bit left camp over an hour ago, and I haven't heard a word from her."

"Did you two fight?"

"No, we enjoyed the night under the stars. Everything seemed alright when I went inside to fix breakfast, and she said something about going for a walk."

"When I came back out, the fencing was on. I have called for Edie-bit, and I've also checked the inside of the shuttle."

"Howie, give me a minute. I'll be right back to you."

"Sarha, I need a scan of the area around the shuttle. Make it a one-mile area. Edie-bit is missing."

"I'll pull both probes into the scan, and it will start immediately."

"Tell Tabitha and Tammy to meet me at the MTS.... Howie, I will be right down. Sarha has started a scan of the area."

Tim left the bridge, met Tabitha and Tammy at the MTS, and entered. Howie met them as they exited. Tim began to look around the fence and saw where Edie-bit had left the area.

"Sarha, I need the commanders here and all their soldiers. Complete Combat Equipment & Shields.

Sarha, do you have ground combat weapons on board? I will need two more probes, and one will always cover the area above me and the other to cover the shuttle area."

"Tim, I'll send you some pieces that the previous crew members used for this. The two probes are on their way, along with one to cover the building site."

Tim turned to Tabitha and Tammy; we will follow Edie-bit's trail as soon as the soldiers get here.

As Tim said that, both Commanders walked from the shuttle, and they saw Tim and started toward him.

Tim and the Commander stood and talked about what Tim wanted done. One group was to maintain the area around the shuttle, and the other would follow Tim and his group staying back twenty-five feet.

Sarha had dispatched four laser platform guns. The first group of soldiers was to maintain the shuttle area. Their Commander placed two soldiers with the platform gun while two other soldiers were placed on each side.

Sarha brought the bots back to the ship, and they would only be in the way if there were a fight. She stopped the bots at the construction site as well.

When all the preparations were complete, Tim's party was ready, and Tim had the same section of fence turned off.

Tim instructed Tabitha and Tammy to keep watch on their side of the trail, and he would follow Edie-bit's path. Tim knew it would not be hard to follow her course in the tall grass.

Tim stopped the group. About fifty feet from the shuttlecraft area, Tim noticed a path about ten feet to the left of Edie-bit's path. He called the Commander forward and showed her the new path.

The Commander divided her soldiers into two groups, each moving approximately ten feet parallel to the pathway on opposite sides. The last two in each group walked backward to guard their rear.

Again, Tim advised that they move forward. It was about fifty yards, and Tim noted an open space in front. He stopped the groups and proceeded by himself, and he paid close attention to the site.

After looking at the site and the surrounding area, Tim moved into the open space. He examined the soil and found a footprint. He called the Commander and Tabitha up to have a look.

There were two sets of footprints. One was that of Edie-bit, the other, a species of animal.

Tim pointed to the animal, "This is a large animal," as Tim pointed to a large depression in the ground. "This is its heel with one claw, and these three are the toe-claws. The foot size is about eleven inches long.

By the tracks, Edie-bit does not know she is being followed. Tell your soldiers to keep their eyes open, but do not shoot until they see the target. And make sure it is not our Edie-bit.

Again, Tim and his group moved forward. It was another one hundred yards, and he came to the site where the animal caught up to Edie-bit. There was no sign that Edie-bit was hurt, no blood.

The tracks leading away were only the animals. But having looked at them, they were now more profound. This implies that the animal is now carrying Edie-bit, and this means that the animal had some bits of intelligence.

Tim started forward again. He had Tabitha and Tammy move up closer to him. The animal has to carry Edie-bit, which would slow it down.

In a muffled voice, Tim reached out to Sarha, "Sarha, can the probe see anything in front of us?"

"Tim, the tracks stop about another fifty yards ahead."

"Have the probe look at the area to see if it has an underground entrance."

"The only thing is an enormous rock."

Tim got close to the area Sarha mentioned, and he now brought the commanding officer to his location. The two studied the area before them, and neither saw any tracks leaving the site.

Tim instructed the commanding officer to deploy her troops in a circle around the rock, and they had to remain approximately twenty feet from the rock. Tim called Sarha, "I need those bot lawnmowers here, and I want the grass cut within thirty feet of that rock."

Tim and Tabitha headed for the rock and began checking around. They saw that the footprints led up to the rock's edge and then disappeared. The rock had no opening at all.

Tim knelt to inspect the bottom edge of the rock all around. There was no sign of a switch to open any secret doorway, and the only thing on the rock was a dirty footprint of some sort.

He looked closely at the heel and the three toe claws, and the impression must be from the same animal. Tim concluded.

Tim thought, 'if the animal that carried Edie-bit this far had to do something. He must know someone would come looking for her if he took her.'

The bot's lawnmowers had arrived. "Sarha, before they get underway, I need to see something. I need you to verify and see if there are any prints beyond the 30-foot range."

"Tim, I scan the area you have requested. Yes, at 35 feet, there is one, and again at another thirty-five feet, still another"

"Tim, what does that mean?" asked Tabitha.

"It means the animal has wings of some sort. I should have thought of that earlier. Remember, the animal's pathway did not come from any direction, and it just showed up."

"So, what about this rock?"

"It used it to climb on and jumped to its next stop. It thought that we might think this was a door and slow us down."

"Then how are we supposed to find it now?" asked Tabitha.

"With the animal carrying Edie-bit, we now know that it can only travel through the air for around thirty-five feet. We are going to have to scan a larger area. Sarha, in which direction is the animal traveling now?" asked Tim.

"Tim, if the animal can fly, shouldn't we be watching the sky?" asked Tammy.

"Right, pass the word back to the Commander."

"Look forward, and to the right, it seems to be heading towards the woods," Sarha replied.

The Commander called her troops back into double columns. When everybody was in place, Tim started to move again? The hair on the back of his neck began to stand on end. He was thinking about other places where his unit tracked down enemy soldiers without knowing they were flying creatures.

He remembered once that he had a platoon of soldiers, and they proceeded into a swampy area. They had not been briefed on the enemy's flying capabilities. From the sky overhead came the enemy. They grabbed a soldier, lifted the soldier around one hundred feet, and let them fall. Tim was still able to hear the scream of terror from the fallen soldiers.

He turned to Tabitha and Tammy and told them to look after each other and the sky. He also informed the Commander; Nobody should fire on the creatures unless they attacked first.

Tim did not like the whole thing. He thought, 'this is the best place for an ambush. out in the open, in the middle of nowhere, no place to take cover.'

He turned to the Commander, "I want your soldiers spread out, no formation and at least three yards between them, and stagger their lines." She looked at Tim but did not say a thing. She turned to the troops and repeated the instructions.

Once everyone was doing what Tim wanted, he moved ahead. They were about halfway to the wooded area.

Sarha informed Tim that about two hundred flying creatures were heading in his direction.

He stopped, "Commander, have your soldiers lay down on their backs. Again no one is to fire a shot until I give the word."

The Commander looked at Tim and said, "Why on their backs?"

"Could you see the sky and the enemy if you were on your belly?"

"Sorry," she turned around, told the troops what she wanted them to do, and reiterated the command not to shoot.

Tim watched the oncoming dark cloud, knowing it was the enemy.

Tabitha said, "Tim, one lone flyer is coming toward us." She pointed toward the lone figure a few feet off the ground.

Tim saw the figure. "Tabitha and Tammy, kneel and stay put." Tim stepped aside from both, leaving them lots of room to hear.

The creature landed about twenty-five yards from Tim. It was holding Edie-bit in its arms like it was carrying a baby. The creature lowered Edie-bit to the ground, and she started towards Tim. The creature grabbed her arm, and he motioned for her to stay.

Tim began to observe this phenomenon. The bird was about six feet two inches high, and each wing was about four feet wide. His body was bulging, and his abdominal muscles were well defined. The hands were yellow to the wrist, and at the end of each of his five fingers were retractable claws.

He had a pointed beak sticking out from his face. It was orange in color and stuck out three inches with a curved hook on end. His eyes were yellow with black iris. Around the eyes, he had a black color that gave him the appearance of wearing a mask. The head was light brown. His ears protruded about two inches high and pointed in opposite directions.

His coloring from the tips of his wings was almost black and went to a light brown. His body was mid-brown except for the off-white front.

Edie-bit told Tim in a loud voice that she was OK. The birdman made some sounds and tried to talk.

Tim noticed that Edie-bit had her translator. He asked, "Does your interpreter work?"

"Yes, Why?" Edie-bit looked down at her translator and raised her hand towards it. The creature grabbed her hand.

She turned towards him, moved her lips, and pointed to the translator. Hoping the creature understood. She moved her hand towards the device and removed it from her chest.

She, in turn, placed it against his chest. Everyone stood there for a moment, just hoping that this would work.

After some time, Tim said, "Hello, my name is Tim Bodge. Are you able to understand me now?

The creature distanced himself from Edie-bit and looked around him with a perplexed look.

Tim said, "I am sorry, the device she placed on your chest is a translator, and it will enable us to speak to each other."

The creature then looked at Tim, "Are you who I speak to?" pointing towards Tim.

"Yes, I am Tim Bodge; what is your name?"

As he pointed to his chest, "They call me. Thribird, I am in charge of this nest. Those are my youngsters." He now pointed into the sky. "We did not know others were here, and one of my youngsters thought this was new food." He pointed his finger towards Edie-bit.

Edie-bit stood there trying to figure out what to do. It was only a one-way conversation without her translator, and Tim was not saying much.

Tim looked at Edie-bit and smiled. He then looked back at Thribird, "I don't think she would be a filling meal for all your youngsters."

"Do you mean they would eat me?" Edie-bit understood that and gave Tim a hated look. She turned and gave Thribird a frozen smile, and her eyes appeared cold and dead.

"I am sorry for how she acted after being brought to the nest. I knew it was not food, but it must be a nesting mate."

"Yes, she is a nesting mate of one of our males."

"What do you mean, a nesting mate? I am not a nesting mate."

"Did you want to spend the night with Howie? And are you going to spend an exceptionally long time with him?' Then you could call that a wife, bedmate, or a nesting mate."

Edie-bit frowned but understood what Tim meant.

"Will you be here long?" Thribird asked.

"We are building our nest over there." Tim pointed in the direction of the building.

Thribird, "Why? That's where we hunt."

"It's a good place, water, level ground, and woods."

"You shall drive away our food."

"There is an abundance of land, and we would be able to share."

"If you build there, you will drive away our food. The animals use the water and the field as their home."

"We might help each other out."

"How would you do that?"

"Can we get you anything?"

"Yes, in wintry weather, there is not much food. We have to go further to find it."

"How would you like us to help you with your food? What kind of food are you looking for?"

"Food is available in the water."

"Oh, you're talking about fish." Tim points to the lake and moves his hand like a fish's tail.

Thribird nodded his head 'yes.' Then he bent down and picked up a plant with a seed on the top.

"We refer to it as grain, and we have it. What if we were to exchange fish and grain to build our nest there?"

"How would you do that?"

"We will build you a food machine over next to the woods. It would not be near our nest, and you and your youngsters could get it anytime."

"If you build it there, others will get it."