The Mission of No Return

by Frank Cereo

  “I don’t know yet captain I have not gone in yet, I’m trying to catch my breath from the climb. I can hear a stream running inside the cave. Hey Commander Rescott, throw me up the rope.” Michael says back to the group.

  As Commander Rescott runs back to the camp the other six wait patiently to get their chance to get inside the cave. As the Commander Rescott arrives he throws the coiled rope up to Michael as he snags the rope just before it falls back to the ground. Michael holds his balance as he had to reach outside the cave to retrieve the bad throw.

  “Nice catch,” Amanda says.

  Michael unravels the rope and ties it off onto a large boulder that is to the left of the large cave opening. He then tosses the rope back down to the others waiting on the ground. One by one each member climbs the rope until they are all inside the cave. They walk around the small but sheltered cave. It looked to be around twenty-four or five feet deep and about sixteen or seventeen feet wide. The ceiling of the cave was about twenty feet high throughout. There were no stalactites hanging from the ceiling or stalagmites growing from the floor which meant that water didn’t come through the cave ceiling. This was a good sign that moisture didn’t leak into the cave during rain storms. The floor was made of sandstone, a soft rock, and the ceiling was made from limestone, a very hard rock. The side walls were smooth sandstone. The shape of this room was oblong or oval.

  “It looks like the sandstone was eroded by water and the harder limestone above was more resistant.” Stephanie says as she looks around the cave.

  The light inside the cave is abundant due to the large opening and only a small spacious room to light.

  “How do you know that?” Commander Rescott asks.

  “My profession is geology. This is what I do for a living by studying rock formations and what causes them to fracture or erode. From what I can see water at one time had flowed through this cavern and eroded the softer sandstone away from the harder limestone that is above us. We have a very safe cave here because the limestone is hard and will hold up under all kind of heat and pressure. I say we call this home because it will keep us sheltered from all the elements and it will be easy to defend.” Stephanie responds.

  “Excellent, then let’s call this home. Commander, you and Huey go back to the camp and gather all the back packs and get them up here.” Captain Laird says.

  As Commander Rescott and Huey went back to the camp to retrieve all the gear the others investigated the cave.

  “Over here everyone, the water seems to be moving on the other side of this wall.” Jennifer says with her ear against the cave wall.

  “How do we know its water?” Michael asks.

  “What else would be running through the rocks? We’re in the mountains and water runs through an underground system of streams and through all types of fissures.” Stephanie says as she puts her ear against the wall.

  “How deep do you think that water is?” Captain Laird asks.

  “Not very deep, if I were to say it’s probably around two to three inches inside the wall. If I had to guess I wouldn’t think it would take long to access the water. The sandstone is soft and should be easy to get through.” Stephanie responds.

  “That’s great news as our fresh water supply is just about depleted.” Captain Laird adds.

  “I have a feeling the water is going to be fresh and clean, but I do want to test it first to make sure there are no bacteria in the water.” Josef says.

  “How long will that take?’ Captain Laird asks Josef.

  “About fifteen seconds from when I get a sample.” Josef says as he smiles back at the Captain.

  As the gear arrived back at the cave, Stephanie got her pick out of her geological tool box and began chipping away at the sandstone. The rest of the gear was taken out of all the backpacks and an inventory was done. The provisions were counted also to see what was left to eat before they would be required to hunt and prospect for food. It didn’t take long for Stephanie to break through the sandstone and access the water. Josef tested the water with his kit and the result was very good natural spring water. No bacteria and no sulfur content. Clean fresh water that could be drunk with no limit. The potato like items tested along with the berries and nuts. The potatoes and nuts were edible but the berries were highly poisonous.

  “Aren’t you glad I saved your life today?” Amanda asks the commander.

  “Thank you.” Commander Rescott says with a smile as he bowed to her.

  “This goes for everyone. No one is to eat anything that they find before it’s tested. Today Commander Rescott decided he was going to try these berries just before I knocked them out of his hands.” Amanda says.

  “You almost ate these berries here?” Jennifer asks the commander.

  “Well they looked delicious.” Commander Rescott replies.

  “Let me tell you there were enough toxins in those berries that you would have been stone cold dead in fifteen minutes or less.” Jennifer answers.

  “Amanda is totally right, no one will eat anything until it’s tested. That is an order.” Captain Laird states.

  The rest of the day went quickly as everything was organized inside the cave. The water was accessed and put into a five gallon jug. Sleeping arrangements were made as the new home base camp would be constructed. The food was low so scavenging for food was the next priority and that would take place the following day. That night the group sat together and ate their provisions. A small fire was built at the entrance door to brew coffee and for protection during the night. Again everyone would have to spend an hour on guard during the night. The sunset was spectacular as the orange glow could be seen over the forest tree tops as the sun set behind the mountains to the west. The flying dinosaurs could be seen on the horizon as dusk arrived. The noises from the forest started to get louder as hungry predatory dinosaurs hunted for their food. The sounds of the dinosaurs were broader than the night before due to the rock formation and the echo inside the cave.

  Chapter 10 – Hunting and Scavenging for Food

  As the sun rose on the third day, the crew slowly emerged from their blankets. Today was the day that the crew would have to hunt for food and gather wood and bamboo for furniture and bedding. Each person grabbed a little to eat as all the food rations were almost totally exhausted. The morning was the coolest part of the day and as soon as the sun came over the small peak that blocked the early morning sun it would be sweltering. This was the ongoing weather during the cretaceous period. One advantage the crew had was inside the cave it would be ten to fifteen degrees cooler and less humid making it a more comfortable.

  “I’m going out to scout the area for dangers and food sources. Huey would you like to join me?” Captain Laird asks.

  “I would love to Captain.” Huey responds.

  “The rest of you can get more of the potatoes and nuts. Albert make sure those poisonous berry plants are destroyed.” Captain Laird commands.

  “Aye sir,” Commander Rescott answers.

  Most of the crew would remain inside their confined camp as the scouting party of two departed. Albert and Michael destroyed the poisonous berry plants by ripping them out by the roots and burning them. Amanda went and picked a few more of the potatoes and nuts as Jennifer dug a patch of soil to plant a garden. As for Stephanie and Josef, they rigged a spigot out of a piece of bamboo. They inserted the piece of bamboo into the wall of the cave for the miracle of running water. Bamboo normally grows in a tropical climate and the plains were a tropical climate during the Cretaceous Period. There was only one season and that was hot summer days with high humidity.

  On the other side Captain Laird and Huey made their way back through the narrow fissure. The captain brought the pistol with him for protection. They didn’t know whether the bullets will have little or any effect on the large predators. As the two exited the fissure and into the dinosaur zone the heat index was already starting to rise. The early morning temperature has to be eighty degrees with one hundred percent humid
ity.

  “It’s going to be another hot day.” Captain Laird says.

  “That’s everyday Captain. During this time period there are no seasons either. Every day is hot and humid the only relief you get here is when it rains or a thunderstorm passes. You better get used to it.” Huey replies.

  The two make their way into the thicket. The morning sun is shining straight through the trees making it very hard to make out images that could be in front of them. Shadows of trees look like dinosaurs as the mist rises from the ground. The two men make their way back towards the Triceratops nesting area and they do it with stealth and precision. The rustling of the wind blowing through the tree tops has the two men always looking up into the trees. They made it to the rear of Triceratops nesting zone just as a female was laying her eggs into the dirt hole that she dug. The men are as quiet as possible as she drops the second and then third egg into the hole. The thicket serves as a very good hiding place as the wind blows in their face keeping the men downwind. The egg laying goes on for about thirty minutes. When the female finishes she covers the eggs with small twigs, leaves and pine needles. She will stay close by to protect her eggs. As soon as they hatch and they will become part of the large herd.

  “Those eggs are the ones we want. They are fresh and edible.” Huey whispers into Captain Laird’s ear.

  The men wait for the dinosaur to leave the area but she is slow and cautious as she finishes covering the eggs. She then takes a slow walk around the area to make sure there are no predators. Both men look left and right as the Triceratops herd is no more than fifty feet away in both directions. The large herd was eating the small shrubs and grasses that surround their lair.

  “When do we make our move to retrieve the eggs?” Captain Laird asks quietly into Huey’s ear.

  “You know they are not going to just let you go in and take their eggs. We have to wait for a diversion to occur to take their attention away from the eggs.” Huey replies.

  Time passes slowly as they wait for an opportunity. The heat is now devastating as the sun is high in the sky. The humidity is unbearable as both men are drinking their water supply very quickly. The shade from the forest helps from the direct sun’s rays but does little to help protect them from the humidity. At this point, their shirts are soaked through with sweat as they hold their composure. Lo and behold the diversion comes swiftly in the likes of a T-rex. This dinosaur is hungry as it salivates at the sight of fresh meat. The Triceratops gather in a formation of a wall to protect the herd from the hungry predator. The alpha male stands in front as the other males stand beside him. The wall of shields and horns would scare any opponent away but not T-rex. The Triceratops begin to grunt and paw at the ground to try and ward off the T-rex. The wall of Triceratops all pawing at the ground with their front feet created a dust wall that was moving towards the two men hiding in the thicket. The female Triceratops waited right behind the male wall as the younger dinosaurs stood back and out of harm’s way. All eyes were on the T-rex as he made the first move towards the alpha male. The T-rex bit down on the horned shield of the Triceratops leader as it lifted one of its hind legs into the side of the Triceratops. The hind claw sliced into the Triceratops mid section and into his under belly. The Triceratops let out a screeching yell as blood spilled from his wound.

  “Go now, get the eggs!” Huey shouts to Captain Laird.

  Both men make a rush towards the nest and uncover twelve eggs. They grab three apiece as the faceoff continues between the Triceratops and the T-rex. The Triceratops has fallen to the ground but is aided by two other Triceratopses. Just before T-rex can finish off the injured dinosaur the two other Triceratopses attack the T-rex. T-Rex turns quickly to knock one of the attacking Triceratops to the ground but the other one gores into the upper thigh of the T-rex. The T-rex lets out a ferocious roar of pain as muscle and blood are ripped from the open wound. T-rex turns and hobbles off in pain, his roars can be heard for miles afterward. The injured Triceratops tries to get to his feet but stumbles back to the ground just as Captain Laird and Huey make it back to the cover of the thicket. Their hearts are racing with excitement as they had just taken a chance with their lives.

  “Wow that was something to see. I guess no one wins in that fight.” Captain Laird says to Huey.

  “You’re absolutely right because both dinosaurs are injured so seriously that neither one will probably survive the night.” Huey answers.

  Both men retreated back into the forest as the mother Triceratops retreats back to her nest. She sees the covering has been disturbed as she nudges around the nest. From what she can see there are no broken eggs so everything is okay inside the nest. She covers them back up and stays close by for protection. Meanwhile the sun is moving towards the west as the day moves towards late afternoon into early evening.

  “Man, these eggs are fit for a king.” Captain Laird says to Huey.

  “Yeah all six will probably feed us all at one sitting.” Huey responds.

  The eggs are about eight inches long and about three inches in circumference. These large oval eggs weigh about a pound apiece and the thick off white egg shell will be a challenge to crack. Then both men arrived at the clearing that they would have to cross to get to their fissure in the mountain wall that leads home. They used the forest for cover as they moved to a point that was directly across from the entrance.

  “We have a twenty-five foot dash to reach the entrance. The coast is clear so let’s do it.” Huey says to Captain Laird.

  “Okay on three we go.” Captain Laird answers just as the wounded T-rex falls out into the open area about ten feet from their hiding place.

  “Don’t move or make a sound.” Huey whispers into Captain Laird’s ear.

  The T-rex is wounded badly as blood streams from the open cut on its thigh. The dinosaur is conscious as it keeps roaring in pain. The smell of blood is in the air as T-Rex is bleeding out.

  “We better make a run for it now, there’s going to be larger predators here shortly and we will be stuck here without protection.” Huey says to Captain Laird.

  “I agree, let’s go.” Captain Laird says as both men dash towards the opening in the mountain wall.

  Just as they reach the opening in the wall both men noticed that something else was closing in on them. Huey entered into the fissure first as Captain Laird waited for him to get in far enough for him to enter. Captain Laird turned to see what was moving towards him when Huey pulled him into the fissure as a set of jaws snapped closed ripping the top of Captain Laird’s space coveralls.

  “What the hell was that?” Captain Laird says as he checks out the damage to his sleeve.

  “That is Spinosaurus Aegyptiacus, one of the largest predators that ever lived. There is only one problem. He is in the wrong place during the wrong time period.” Huey says as he looks out at the dinosaur.

  With one quick bite from Spinosaurus into T-rex’s throat, the large predator is dead. Spinosaurus gorges into the T-rex by ripping large strips of muscle from the now dead creature that lies still on the ground below it. Each bite has to contain fifty to sixty pounds of flesh. Blood spills from the T-rex covering the ground around it. The sight is gory as Spinosaurus will eat until his large stomach is full of warm meat. Then the scavengers will arrive during the night and clean the bones to nothing.

  “Let’s go,” Huey says as he grabs Captain Laird by the arm.

  Spinosaurus dwarfs the T-rex by standing forty to fifty feet long and weighing more than twelve tons. The Spinosaurus was ten feet longer and weighed four to five tons more than T-rex. This was a fight that was no challenge to Spinosaurus because of his superiority over T-rex. Spinosaurus gets his name for the large neural spiny bones that stuck out of his back kind of like a sail. The spiny back bone could also be used to help regulate the dinosaur’s temperature as the sail could absorb the heat from the sun. Just like T-rex, Spinosaurus was a theropod which meant he also walked on his hind two legs. Spinosaurus also had larger and more powerf
ul arms than the T-rex that could help it kill its prey. T-rex on the other hand had small arms that were basically worthless to this large creature. Another feature that the Spinosaurus had was a large head that contained large non serrated teeth embedded in a large powerful jaw. This jaw could crush bone and muscle with little or no effort. This made Spinosaurus one of the killing machines of his time.

  As Huey and Captain Laird made their way through the small fissure the captain felt something warm and moist on his arm. He shines the flashlight on his arm because he thought Spinosaurus had caught some flesh along with the material of his coveralls.

  “Huey can you move a little faster it seems the Spinosaurus cut me with his teeth and it’s bleeding badly.” Captain Laird says to Huey.

  “Captain I’m moving as fast as I can through this narrow passageway. Put some pressure on it to slow the bleeding down. I can tell you one thing I can see the light at the end of the passage.” Huey replies.

  As they exit the narrow passageway into the safety of their new home they were both relived to have escaped such a close call. Huey looked at Captain Laird and saw that the sleeve of his coveralls was totally covered in blood. Huey reacted quickly by ripping the sleeve totally off to access the damage to his left arm. As Huey looked on he could see a seventeen inch gouge that started at the captain’s shoulder and ended at his elbow. The trench was massively deep because it looked like an irrigation ditch that went all the way to the bone. Blood loss was massive as Captain Laird fell to his knees.

  “Get me the first aid kit immediately.” Huey yelled to Jennifer who was standing on the ledge of the cave.

  Huey applied pressure to the wound while he waited for the first aid kit to arrive. By now the captain was lying on his back going into shock. As help arrived Josef threw a blanket over the captain to help prevent him going into shock. Huey grabbed the water out of his canteen and poured it over the wound to irrigate the injury. Amanda threaded the needle as she stitched the captain’s arm up. Jennifer gave the captain a shot of morphine for the pain followed by a shot of antibiotics to prevent infection. The procedure took about forty minutes to complete. The captain was carried to the cave entrance where he was lifted and put under a blanket near the camp fire where he slept soundly for the night.