Home?...
Having been rescued from the nightmare Wendigo attack by the skinwalkers of the Mescalero-Apache tribe the EIS team have been transported to the skinwalkers village where their wounds have been tended to and their immediate needs met. The EIS team consists of Alfie Baldrick, the one man rifle section; Mimi Dubois, maƮtresse of skills; Madeline Forsyth, the living shadow; and Sven Hyse, the Norwegian shapeshifter.
Mescalero Reservation, New Mexico, United States of America, November 1949
Sven confirms that it has been three whole days since the Wendigo attack and when Mimi asks what everyone has been up to she is surprised at how well the rest of the team have settled into life on the reservation. Madeline had spent a number of hours talking with Zaltana the medicine woman and the eagle woman, while mending clothes and doing some decorative needlework, about their enhanced abilities and the fact that whenever Doctor Jackal has imbued people before they often have displayed some kind of weakness or flaw. Neither Mescalero women will be drawn on what the drawbacks are but do admit that each of the enhanced do have them, however, they are willing to divulge that the Wendigo has a susceptibility to heat and fire. Madeline also discussed the horror beneath the Montauk Institute with them, and Zaltana showed a particular interest.
Sven had passed his days heading out into the nearby wilds tracking the local fauna and getting a feel for the land, while Alfie and Billy had spent time with the young men of the tribe heading out into the surrounding area collecting lumber and carrying it back to the village. Once they had collected enough they then both spent time swinging axes chopping the logs into fire wood. It was hard but rewarding work and by the end of it they had impressed the tribesmen with their work ethic. Which quite frankly surprised everyone, not least of which was the Baldricks.
As the team are talking about what has happened over the last few days the flap of our tent is lifted and Zaltana steps in, her body covered from head to toe including a hessian bag over her head, and asks if we are all recovered from our significant injuries. The two Baldricks and Mimi nod to confirm that they are all fully healed physically, and then Mimi asks Zaltana what Doctor Jackal received in return for bestowing the gifts on the tribe. Zaltana tells them that all he wanted in return was to be guided into the missile fields of the nearby military base. Madeline then asks who it was that led him into the missile fields and Zaltana responds:
Olto led him in. He works at the military base and so knows the ways well.Madeline asks if we can speak with Olto and is told that we will be able to when he returns from work the following day. Zaltana goes on to say that Olto is returning for the celebration that will be held in our honour due to our returning to health. The entire team are taken slightly aback and Mimi asks Zaltana if there is anything that she can do to assist the village in the same way that her friends have done. Zaltana asks what Mimi can do and the diminutive French lady responds:
I can do anything that anyone else in the village can do, and I will be able to do it as well as they can. That is my spirit gift. As long as they are willing to share with me.
Zaltana says that she is willing to share and that she requires assistance preparing herbal remedies. Mimi asks her to remove a glove and when she does so her hand is painstakingly beautiful and Mimi has to fight to maintain concentration, but she manages and, touching her hand, borrows her herbalism skill. She then spends the day with Zaltana putting together natural remedies. While they work Mimi engages Zaltana in conversation and discovers that the medicine woman's enhanced ability allows her to heal people, but that she has to hide her appearance because she is so beautiful that others find her irresistible and are unable to control themselves when they can see her.
That day Sven heads out once again into the wild looking to provide something for the celebration table. He tracks a small herd of deer for an hour or so and when they settle he transforms himself into an eagle before taking to the sky. The eagle Sven drops out of the sky onto the back of one of the deer, taking it completely by surprise, and tears out its throat with his iron hard beak. The rest of the deer scatter as Sven transforms back into his human form before lifting the dead animal onto his shoulders and striking out in the direction of the village.
That evening the EIS team gather together in the village's main hall and listen to the news on the radio. There is a piece on the crash of the B.O.A.C Comet confirming very little other than the fact that there is still a search party in the area and no sign of survivors. Madeline points out that the four of them will now be considered dead by the British Secret Service, and that there may be an advantage to that remaining the case, especially given recent activities. Sven continues to argue that without the connections of the EIS it will be impossible for the team to keep track of Doctor Jackal, or even make it back to Norway. Mimi says that they could borrow everything that they need including money, but Sven is keen to point out that would make them criminals. Mimi just shrugs in the way that the French have turned into an art form.
At sundown the following day the celebration in honour of the EIS team making a full recovery is held by the entire village, during the evening the team manage to track down Olto and talk to him about Doctor Jackal. They tell him that they are friends of Henry Jackal and are urgently trying to track him down, when Olto looks unaware of the name Alfie pipes up saying that he may know him as Coyote Man, Olto clearly recognizes the pseudonym and goes on to explain:
The Coyote Man wanted to see the missile testing areas, but in particular he was very interested in Trinity. I drove him as near as I would, it is dangerous there, and when he returned I drove him to Las Cruces.
Madeline remembers that Trinity was the site of the first nuclear bomb test and deduces that based on when Olto drop Doctor Jackal off in Las Cruces to when he was spotted by the British Secret Service man at Las Cruces Airport that Henry must have spent at least two days in or around Las Cruces. They thank Olto for his help and get back to the celebration. They discover that the feast is a celebration of the dawn and rebirth and so they party until the sun rises.
Later that afternoon the team agree to ignore Trinity and head straight to Las Cruces. Sven talks to the eagle woman and says;
The Wendigo has taken everything from us. We know that your tribe have done a lot for us, but we would ask for one more assistance.
The eagle woman agrees and each member of the team is gifted a knife for protection. Sven also manages to get himself an axe from one of the younger hunters and Mimi is gifted some westernized clothing from Olto, for which she gives him a kiss. The team have enjoyed their time in the small village on the Mescalero Reservation and so before they leave they seek out Hototo and thank him for his hospitality, they also ask if they may return in the future and the tribal elder nods his agreement. With refreshed spirits the team walk towards the waiting Olto and his jeep. Seeing that it is going to be a tight squeeze Alfie and Billy de-duplicate, Madeline transforms into a shadow and slides onto Mimi and Sven transforms into an eagle and takes to the sky. Six o'clock that evening sees Olto waving farewell to the team who stand on the outskirts of Las Cruces wondering what to do next.
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