A Gift from the Gods

by Martin Gunn

  A distant roar was enough to send a small group of Dimorphodons, a small pterosaur with a bright yellow toucan-like beak, grey body and wings, scurrying up into the trees. Silently they looked around, nervously scanning the forest from the lower branches for their would-be aggressor.

  “What is this place?” von Brandt muttered out loud, scanning the strange vista before him.

  Eventually he snapped out of his discombobulation and turned to scrutinise his craft. Walking up to the jagged rock he inspected it more closely; the metal skin of its underside had ruptured, allowing a steady stream of liquid chrome, the fuel on which the craft relied, to seep out and dissipate into the sand. It was patently clear that this, wherever he had landed, was going to be his last destination.

  Walking down to the water’s edge he stooped, cupped his hand, ran it through the crystal-clear liquid and raised it to his mouth. The water was fresh and cool, though with limited food supplies, he realised he would have to go foraging. A short walk into the forest proved fruitless, and just as von Brandt began to start thinking about turning back, his attention was brought to something moving through the trees, some way in the distance. He couldn’t see it, but he could hear it; and whatever it was, it was big. Keeping perfectly still he waited. The sound was moving away from him; then eventually he made his way back to the lake. The sun was beginning to sink low on the horizon, so for the time being, at least until he knew how safe it was, von Brandt decided to sleep in the time machine, and as he sat awkwardly in his seat, he checked the date on the control panel. It read 1920, but this place looked primeval; what could have possibly gone wrong?

  Examining his meagre food supplies, von Brandt decided to ration himself. He ate a light meal of bread and cheese, then washed it down with some water. Afterwards he glanced through the history books that were now useless to him, until it got too dark to read, then he fell into a restless sleep as he listened to the strange sounds emanating from the forest.

  ***

  Stripped to the waist, von Brandt squatted down and began to wash himself in the shallows of the lake. An eel-like shadow started to weave its way towards him, got as close as six feet, then turned away as he scrambled backwards, crab-like out of reach. As he stared aghast, the black shape disappeared into the depths; von Brandt had no idea what it was, but it must have been twenty feet long at least.

  The sun was rising on a new morning and as he looked at his watch, it occurred to him that there was little point in keeping time, after all, who would he be keeping it for? Laughing, he pulled the timepiece off his wrist and threw it as hard as he could, out into the lake. Maybe it will confound some archaeologist sometime in the future.

  Pulling his white t-shirt over his head and fitting his arms back into the jumpsuit that was hanging around his waist, von Brandt zipped up the front and tightened up the belt, checking that his handgun was present in its holster. He couldn’t put it off any longer, it was time to go exploring his new home. Making his way towards the woodland, von Brandt was again startled. This time a large dragonfly hovered in front of his face. It had a wing span of twelve inches and a body with bright red and iridescent blue stripes. He waved it away with his hand and the creature eventually got the message and flew off.

  As he entered the woods, von Brandt looked up. The conifers were massive and dense; so much so it was difficult to see the tree tops. With as much care as he could muster, he picked his way through the ferns, trying to make as little noise as possible. After about half-an-hour’s walk, the wood thinned out and opened up into a clearing. Over to his left he could see a bog-like area and as the sun began to warm it, steam began to rise up giving it an ethereal quality. The opposite side of the fern covered clearing was bordered by more tall conifers, partially obscured by a low morning mist hugging the ground and seemingly defying the warmth of the morning sun.

  Von Brandt stopped dead at the edge of the clearing and automatically put his right hand on his holster. Was it his imagination, or did he discern a faint shadow moving in the mist? He squinted with concentration, then the shadow became solid as it emerged from the fog. The creature, which had stopped the moment it saw von Brandt, was a Dilophosaurus Wetherilli; a juvenile about a metre tall and three metres long. It stood on its hind legs with the body and tail balanced horizontally; two much smaller arms with sharp black claws hung from the shoulders. Its head had a bright red bony double crest, which created a ‘V’ shape when viewed from the front. Colouring was distinctive, with the creature being generally a greenish grey with bright blue speckles, thick up near the spine but becoming sparser towards its pale coloured underbelly. Slowly removing his gun from its holster, von Brandt readied himself.

  Never having seen a human being before, the Dilophosaurus was confused. It looked left and then right, like a child seeking reassurance; then it yawned exposing rows of jagged carnivorous teeth. Moving forwards a little, the creature scratched at the ground with its left foot, seemingly losing interest in the time traveller. Then with a roar, it launched itself forwards at full speed directly in von Brandt’s direction. Without hesitation von Brandt aimed and shot off one round which missed. Again, he pulled the trigger, as the dinosaur was getting dangerously close, causing a flesh wound to the creature’s side. A third shot was more successful however; penetrating the hip just above the right leg, deflecting off the ilium bone, severing the spinal column and finally burying itself in one of the vertebra. With the Dilophosaurus almost on top of him, von Brandt staggered backwards; the creature had begun to careen to his left, no longer able to support itself. One final desperate attempt to stay upright failed and the hapless dinosaur splashed clumsily into the bog. Wiping his brow with relief, von Brandt watched as it lay on the surface for a few seconds, before its body slowly sank below the surface. Unable to struggle or swim, the poor creature was helpless. It wasn’t long before only the head and neck were protruding above the surface. In a cry of anguish, it gave out a futile roar for help, before its head disappeared below the surface. A few air bubbles rose up and then one larger final bubble which popped, then all was still.

  “Fuck!” was all that an astounded von Brandt could utter.

  He didn’t have time to reflect any further, however; a dozen or more Dilophosaurus, mostly adults, had emerged from the mist. The pack had heeded the distress call. At nearly two metres tall and six metres from head to tail, these adults showed no hesitation in chasing down the strange prey in front of them.

  Turning tail, von Brandt ran back into the woods; dodging tree trunks and hoping he could outrun them. This was a forlorn hope however, as the whole pack were bearing down on him fast. His options were running out, so with as much strength as he could muster, von Brandt leapt up and grabbed a branch. Hauling himself into the trees, he continued to climb, with two dinosaurs jumping up and gnashing at his feet. It was close but von Brandt had made it out of reach, just in time. He watched from the branches as three of the creatures, growling angrily, jumped up, desperate to grab him; to eventually give up and patrol around the trunk, letting out the occasional roar to maintain a level of intimidation. With the conifers so close together, von Brandt devised a plan: he would tree hop, moving from one branch to another, facilitated by his enhanced strength. After navigating several trees, he came to an area where it was difficult to continue. Closer to the beach the trees were thinning out and becoming too far apart. Stopping to consider his options, he looked down and noticed that only the three patrolling dinosaurs were following. Taking out his gun, he dropped down to a lower branch and shot one dinosaur in the foot. It gave out a cry of pain and backed off. The other two stood their ground until von Brandt fired off two more bullets, wounding these aggressors in the foot also. With all three a safe distance away, licking their wounds, von Brandt took this opportunity to jump to the ground and run. The creatures gave chase but von Brandt’s super-human speed, and the fact that he had wounded them meant he was able to maintain a safe dis
tance, but for how long? Dodging in and out of the trees, the dinosaurs followed his every move. The chase kept up until eventually he was clear of the woodland and on the beach; the lake and the time machine were in sight. Without slowing down, von Brandt turned and headed straight for the safety of his vessel, weaving in and out of the jagged rocks. One of the dinosaurs appeared to be faster than the other two and was catching up with him, following adjacent, about twenty feet to his left. He was close to the Glocke but the Dilophosaurus was bearing down on him from the side. Von Brandt turned and shot wildly in the hope of making a hit. The bullet made a flesh wound to its neck, enough to make it reel back in pain, giving him enough time to open the hatch and scramble in. Reaching his right arm out to close the hatch, von Brandt screamed in pain. The jaws of the Dilophosaurus sank into his hand, biting down hard and severing it at the wrist. As his assailant lifted its head to swallow the morsel, he managed to slam the hatch closed with his left hand, leaving the creature to scrabble pointlessly at the metal skin. Blood was oozing out of the wound and von Brandt was feeling nauseous from pain and shock. Pulling a spare t-shirt out of a bag, he wrapped the bloody stump in an attempt to curtail the bleeding. It was agony and he watched as the white cotton began to slowly turn red. Feeling faint, von Brandt slumped into the chair, placed his wounded arm on his lap and passed out.

  ***

  Having no idea how long he had been semi-conscious, von Brandt sat awkwardly in his chair in a state of delirium. Visions of Nazi domination were playing through his mind like a newsreel. The Fourth Reich reigning supreme over a world subjugated into submission.

  A vision of his younger brother Wilhelm came into view; he seemed close enough to touch as he approached in von Brandt’s mind’s eye, smiling and waving as though he hadn’t a care in the world. Why was he thinking of him now? Von Brandt had consigned all memory of the boy to his subconscious, but now he was here haunting his thoughts. It compelled him to think of all the people that he had killed over the years; so many people, and without a second thought or an ounce of guilt. A roar outside snapped him out of his reverie; he was fully compos mentis and von Brandt was suddenly aware of the excruciating pain in his right arm.

  Von Brandt considered his situation – it was dire to say the least. He had a serious injury and had lost a lot of blood. No food or water, and to top it off, he could still hear the Dilophosaurus scratching at the outer shell. Moreover, did he want to live a solitary life on a planet bereft of all human existence? Yes, he was a loner, but there were limits.

  With a heavy sigh, he finally picked up his pistol and placed the barrel in his mouth. Closing his eyes, he braced himself as he squeezed the trigger. All von Brandt heard, however, was the metallic click of a weapon that was out of ammunition. Frantically he searched hopelessly in his bag for more bullets, knowing full well that he hadn’t packed any; secure in the knowledge that he could get all the rounds he needed when he had landed in Germany. Laughing manically, von Brandt threw the gun at the inner casing of the Glocke. It made a ringing sound as it rebounded off and caused his assailant outside to get excited.

  After staring into space for what seemed an eon, he eventually rummaged again through his bag and pulled out his stiletto knife. Placing it between his knees he checked the point with his left hand. It was as sharp as it ever was. He looked around the control panel in front of him and found a place to wedge the blade; angled up at around sixty degrees.

  He paused and concentrated hard on the point staring back at him, then with short heavy breaths and a blood curdling cry, von Brandt thrust his body forwards towards the stiletto as hard as he could. The point pierced his left eye and continued into his brain, only stopping when his face hit the hilt. A small amount of blood ran down the hilt and onto the control panel. His right leg kicked out a few times and then all was still – all was silent.

  Dying can be a lonely business. At that final moment no-one can help you transition from this world to the next – where ever that might be. And von Brandt was truly alone, trapped on a planet in a time when time, a human construct, didn’t exist.

  The Dilophosaurus pawed idly at the outer shell of the time machine; it was beginning to lose interest. Then he turned his head and looked behind him; he had heard the call of his pack somewhere in the forest. Without a moment’s hesitation, he scampered off to join them, leaving his entombed quarry to posterity.

  EPILOGUE

  The Origin of Storms – Reprise

  “Where have you been?” enquired Isis, smiling with delight, “I haven’t seen you for such a long time. I have missed you, my love.”

  Set moved in and out of the pillars of the Pantheon, slowly getting closer to his sister. He knew that he had no choice in the matter; it was time to swallow his pride. As he approached Isis, he looked down sullenly, not knowing which was worse – admitting that he was wrong, or that she was right. But then, it all amounted to the same thing.

  “I have been watching our experiment explicate,” Set muttered finally, “you were right – this time.”

  “As have I,” replied his sister, ruminating over the events that she had been observing, “there has been much death and suffering.”

  “It’s what I do,” proclaimed Set, “my raison d’être.”

  “Yes,” agreed Isis with a loving smile, “but this particular evil simply had to be stopped. The consequences were unthinkable.”

  Set didn’t reply, he was still sulking; his actions had had dire consequences which he hadn’t anticipated.

  “Atum has punished me,” complained Set, “he has stripped me of my powers.”

  “He must have had his reasons.”

  “It would appear that I overstepped my authority; abused my powers,” muttered Set.

  His sister took him by the hand and drew him close.

  “It won’t be forever,” she assured him, “and there will be many more battles to fight, I’m sure.”

  “They were so close to succeeding,” Set uttered, “so close.”

  “Yes indeed,” Isis mused, “but who would have thought that such a powerful and evil regime could be brought down by a shy, unassuming seventeen-year-old boy.”

  “You got lucky that’s all,” proffered Set, “and besides the experiment isn’t fully over yet.”

  “Then let us watch the final act together and see how it unfolds.”

  ***

  Eurasian Subcontinent

  Circa 100 Million Years AD

  The time machine carrying Hitler and Bormann landed with a decisive thump and rocked unsteadily for a few moments. Both men removed their goggles.

  “The journey took longer this time,” stated Hitler with a frown.

  “We have travelled further into the future,” replied Bormann, “a thousand years – I suppose it would take longer.”

  The temperature in the Glocke was beginning to rise significantly and Bormann pulled at his collar to loosen it. The Führer was visibly beginning to sweat and produced a handkerchief to mop his brow.

  “Are you ready to see the fruits of our labours?” enquired Bormann with an encouraging smile.

  Nodding nervously, Hitler straightened his hair and readied himself to exit the vessel. At that moment the ground shook violently and rocked the time machine from side to side.

  “What was that?” exclaimed Hitler, grabbing the control panel for support.

  “I don’t know,” frowned Bormann, “I’m going to open the hatch and find out.”

  Bormann grabbed the lock and immediately noticed that it was warmer than it should be; he could barely touch it. Quickly he unlocked the hatch and pushed it open. Instantly they were hit by a wall of hot air from outside and the two men struggled out into the great unknown. As they stood up and looked around them, neither man could believe what they saw. The ground all around them was scorched for as far as the eye could see. Vague remnants of buildings were b
arely visible. Fires were burning all around them, giving off thick black smoke which rose up into the darkened sky. The sky itself had a smoky haze which masked the sun and gave it a sickly red hue, whilst the moon could just about be discerned, though it was no longer in one piece. A major asteroid impact had split it into three large chunks, with an array of smaller debris spreading out and encircling it. What the two astounded men found most disconcerting, however, were the number of meteors that were hitting the Earth’s surface and exploding in balls of fire. One had just landed close to the Glocke – too close for comfort – and was burning intensely in its crater. Clearly there had been a catastrophic cataclysmic event and the planet was still being bombarded by trailing meteors.