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Chapter 54: Lightning Bolt!
“Rusty calling MC… Come in. Over.”
“Hi lads – we’re recording, go ahead…”
“Arannita says the harvest will be abandoned. This is true. They’re pretending to head north but that’s a red herring. She’s announced her new ambition, and says, ‘We are going after the rock.’ Right now they’re gathering people she describes as ‘ready to die without caring, men who will kill.’
“If you think that is serious,” says Rusty, “listen to this. The boss lady brought out the fake rock she has. Unfortunately there’s part of an address label on it. They’re searching the telephone directories as we speak. When they find you they’ll travel along the old bridle track on the coast. That is it at the moment. Over.”
“Rusty and Raow, this is heinous indeed,” says Babs. “Keep us posted. I’ll report immediately. Over and out.”
* * *
A recording of Gus in full voice echoes, rebounding around the Landslide. No one misses the call, and shortly the Great Hall is humming. Anticipation fills the air.
As the short message is played, an expectant hush falls… rock… kill… address label… words that sizzle, zing and ricochet around the hall. There’s not a whisper.
Finally Larry stands, stamping three times – all eyes are upon him. The one word he says rivets every animal’s attention, and sums up all their thoughts. “Help!
“Somehow we thought it might come to this,” he continues. “We hoped it would not. To date we’ve played by gentleman’s rules, in-so-far as we have been able. But it looks like that is about to change. I’ll explain,” he says. “Just last week, we horses were pulling the hay tedder and then the baler, while the cattle were collecting and stacking behind us. During a break we all got talking about the schools for ‘sickle claw’ and ‘drive-drive.’ These are such good ideas. Us bovine and equine families, we were feeling left out. We got to wonder about what we might do to confront this gang, if it ever comes to that, and not have to do battle close in.
“We came up with an idea, developed it, and now we have ‘the lightning bolt.’ Goats, dogs, and cats in close hand-to-hand combat; it’s brilliant stuff indeed. Team together… tag, hit and withdraw. It confuses and confounds even cool heads among the men facing you. However, forty people… coming here… out in the open… it will be difficult enough to front them at all, let alone prevail against armed killers. So here’s the point, if we don’t have to meet them close in, with hoof and paw–to-hand stuff, so much the better. ‘The lightning bolt,’ will challenge these people when we are up to four hundred metres away.
“Our plan uses high tensile steel arrows loosed from long bows.
“Powerful.
“Effective.
“Very destructive.
“For example, a shaft loosed by myself or Gus travels over three hundred metres, with enough momentum to penetrate the steel in a car door, and exit out through the closed door on the other side. We know this for a fact, because we shifted the car that was dumped in the bush on the back road, and set it up in front of the haystack. Many arrows have passed right through the car and are embedded in the hay. We’ll get them out once we’ve established our accuracy and distance parameters. Guidelines, that’s what we’re developing, so we know what each animal can do in performance terms.
“Already we’ve found that cows and fillies can shoot a lighter arrow over the same distance, and it penetrates one door, but not two. Or alternatively, bulls and horses can get the lighter arrow out to five hundred metres with good accuracy by drawing to the chest in clout. We’re considering steel arrows for stopping vehicles, because of their greater weight and therefore momentum. The distances I mention may not sound far, but believe me, they are significant. Better by far than a shotgun… and moreover, to aim a rifle, especially one with telescopic sights, you need stability. That’s hard to come by as arrows rain down.
“If we wait in ambush, and loose a hail of missiles into a convoy of vehicles, most of them will be stopped within a short distance. Radiators, tyres, and even engine blocks will be the initial targets. With the vehicles stationary and people piling out, we’ll switch to wooden-shafted arrows with steel tips. We’ll shoot a greater distance with them, and although they’re less devastating on impact, they’ll stop most men in their tracks. Goodness,” Larry breaks off, “I hadn’t intended to say so much just now, but that’s how things stand to date.”
“Larry, may I add one comment please?”
“Sure Gus.”
“We’ve chosen the long bow because it is easier to draw and faster to shoot than a compound bow or crossbow. And, it will be carried over our shoulders, which would be difficult for us with other bows. More importantly perhaps, we had the idea that ‘drive-drive’ and ‘sickle claw’ members might shoot a second wave of attack, using crossbows and lighter arrows that spiral and burrow deep on impact. Awful things really but who knows what we will be up against! If indeed they send a gang of people, as described, we must hit first,” Gus concludes.
“It’s very good to know our firepower is greatly increased. Congratulations,” says Ginger. “We’re going up against killers – this is serious stuff, it’s official… formalize training… establish schools… practice respective combat modes… ‘lightning bolt’… coaches to be selected, appointed… renewable on performance… reviewed by students. It’s aphoristic, pithy, sententious stuff… Oh my goodness!”
Ginger stops. Suddenly aware of his dream-like mien, machine gun delivery and fractionated thinking – he coughs, “Ah-hem… Please excuse… I was lost and got quite carried away! Phantaloom and I, we’ll announce coaches tonight. Lightning bolt members let’s know your choice.”
* * *
Reporting in, Colin says, “Here it is, Arannita, the address of ‘Landslide Farm’. Now we don’t know for certain if this is what we're looking for, but it is in the right part of the country so that’s a good start. The new telephone book didn’t have them listed, so I phoned directory and was told, ‘information unavailable, private number by request.’ Then I called at a mate’s place on my way home. He keeps everything, and sure enough he had last year’s phone book. This is the number listed in the old book.”
“At last! Something useful from you Colin. Now bring me the maps of the area, and book me a plane so we can go up tomorrow,” Arannita responds. “The four of us will find this place soon enough, and by tomorrow night I will have the plan of attack.”