As Wes vanished through the port hatch down to their sleeping quarters three decks below, she sighed.
“So Missy you finally find a guy you could get serious about, and he’s shy…way to go girl!”
Chapter 17.
Two more days passed and the monthly wagon from Boulder was expected at any time…and Missy had made little progress with getting Wes to think he was hooking her, when it was she that was slowly doing the ‘hooking’. She laughed at his jokes…that really were funny, and strangely found it refreshing that she actually liked him as he was. She’d slide her arm through his whenever they walked the deck and he never refused it, but then never pressed their relationship further. They laughed and kidded around like young lovers do, but never once did he make a pass at her, or even suggest a relationship of any kind.
Missy missed chatting with most of the leaders as they seemed to be constantly digging for information from the crew, what they knew about the portal and just general information of this new deadly land they found themselves in. What they really got from the crew was very little.
It seems most of the original crew had stayed or been killed. Some had gone to Boulder and a few had moved over to the Japanese air craft carrier that had been gently set down about ten miles south and guarded the south eastern boundaries of Boulder.
There was one useful bit of information that Boots had stumbled across as he chatted with one of the crew, the wagons from Boulder were pulled by one of the few dinosaurs that was tamable.
Just as Missy found Wes walking along and moved next to him, Boots caught up from the other direction and with him was Sarge.
“Ok boss, think you’ll find this interesting.” Boots grinned as Sarge nodded.
“Seems these dinos that pull the humongous wagons from Boulder, are some sort of smarter than normal dino…” he frowned “…Well not really smarter, but can be tamed to do a few simple things…like pull a wagon, even in teams. Seems like they are sort of domesticated.”
Sarge grinned “And that’s not the best part, when Boots took me to the guy he was talking to, this guy said they look like giant armaDillos…sort of. He described them as about the size of the biggest triceratops we’ve seen, black and gray armored plates that run in bands around their bodies. They call them ‘Dillos’ which I’d guess is short for armaDillo…one of the guys said they sound more like ‘stinkers’, so take your choice.”
Wes shrugged “Ok…so?”
Boots grinned “Seems these things ooze some sort of lubricant to keep their plates from grating together.”
Missy frowned out of frustration of losing her moment with Wes.
“Ok let me reiterate Wes’s sentiment, so?”
Sarge smiled “The shit stinks to high heaven. The damned smell keeps even the rexes and spinosaurus away, guess they can smell them for miles. Christ guys, Boulder takes the ones that die and drag their bodies along their northern borders, seems the bony plates and the thick dino grease lasts for nearly a year…keeps the bad ones out, because that grease is poisonous to meat-eaters.”
Boots grinned “When Snake heard, he went bananas.”
“Why?” Missy asked.
“Because it’s used also as a weapon against the meat-eaters. Seems like the people from Boulder have catapults of various sizes to hurl sealed clay pots filled with that crap at any dino that comes near their walls. Plant-eaters just leave because of the smell, but it works. That means our trip to Boulder will be smooth going guys.”
Missy pinched her nose and laughed “And that means we have to put up with the smell.”
“Seems they also have some plant extract that they put on their upper lips to mask the scent.” Sarge replied in a somewhat relieved tone.
“Guess the usual wagon that comes from Boulder is a little longer than the length of a semi-trailer and two to three times as wide, judging from the way they described it. Has thick spikes and poles protruding from the sides to keep flappers off the supplies, guess the flappers don’t smell them in the air.”
“Maybe if they’re downwind they could.” Boots added “But it sounded like that’s the only thing the wagons have to worry about…and the tall pole spikes seem to keep them away.”
Sarge nodded “Wes, those wagons sounded like they are monstrous and uses teams of these creatures to pull them. Hell, they said they even keep spares tagging along with them.”
Wes nodded and motioned to his friends.
“Why don’t you two take a little break and enjoy the calm? Looks like Mazy was right about the flappers don’t waste their time coming around much. One perched up on top a while ago and never looked down at all of us below. Hell, the crew didn’t even bother looking up, it’s so common…” he grinned sheepishly “I damned near wet myself. Jesus those things are big, even from seventy to eighty feet away. The thing landed, rested, and then dove on some little deer sized dino.”
Missy put her arm through Wes’s and fluttered her fingers at the guys.
“Now shoo, go and rest, the boss and I have a few things to discuss.” And with a grin the two turned and headed below deck.
“You know…” Missy stopped and so did Wes.
Wes turned toward the lovely blonde and smiled.
“I was going to knock on your door last night, but it seems that while Jeb and his people are not exactly prudes, they have adopted a ‘no going into the quarters of the opposite sex’ policy and adhere to it fanatically. Since they did so, there hasn’t been a rape or even a…”
“You were going to visit me at night.” Missy smiled and pursed her lips “Oooo you naughty boy you.”
“I meant to talk.” he frowned “We never did finish that little conversation, that’s to my ineptness around women and…” before he could say more. Along came Jeb and a couple of his crewmen…and after nearly thirty minutes, it became clear that Missy had lost Wes once more to what she called ‘man chat’.
She slid her arm out of his and started to walk off even though he tried his best to keep her there. He pleaded with his eyes for her to make some excuse, but Missy just grinned and looked at the three crewmen. But the imp in her decided to teach Wes a little lesson about crossing her when they had to talk.
“Strange…Just before you all came along, Wes was just saying that he really loves to hear about how you’ve survived so long out here. How Boulder brings the steel plates and other cast metal to fix your ship…I’m sorry but I have to run…byeee.” And with that she headed toward the hatch and out of the heat of the afternoon. She glanced back over her shoulder to see Wes mouth the word ‘thanks for nothing’.
Missy laughed and playfully wiggled her rear as she walked. Wes couldn’t even watch her all the way to the hatch as Jeb grabbed his arm and began walking in the other direction as he began talking about their ship.
And they talked and talked as the polite Wes just kept nodding and smiling. He knew he’d have to have a chat with the lovely blonde later…and somehow get even.
Even at dinner he didn’t see Missy or Mary, nor Mazy as it seemed most of the women had gone elsewhere as not to disturb the men, but Wes knew it was really to escape the incessant talking and questions that didn’t concern them, the women of the Cyclops wanted to know about women things. Finally the crew had someone to tell their stories too…someone that hadn’t heard them a million times before.
Finally about eleven Wes managed to pass the conversation off to Sarge and his men. With a huge yawn, Wes escaped to his room and clanged the door shut as he peeled off his sweat soaked shirt and stripped down to his boxers…and prayed for somewhere, anywhere, with a shower.
The Cyclops had a nice rain catching system that the crew had built, but even then here rain was scarce and water had to be brought in, or risky treks to a river over two miles away had to be made…and the ship smelled like the situation was…unbathed. Those that lived there, were used to the smell, not so much for those that didn’t. And he was tired of the limited ‘washcloth baths’ he was forced to
take with the limited water.
Wes walked over to the small sink and pulled out his last bottle of water and tried washing the smell as best he could, tossed his boxers in the sink and used the last of the water on them as he wished that he could have taken more clothes with him like the others. He tossed them on a hat hook and grinned at his image in the small mirror as he passed. There was little light shining through the vents in the door, but he could make out his image in the flickering oil light.
“Wes old boy, all those years ago when the doctor slapped ya on your ass, could you ever imagine you’d be living on a ship that vanished nearly a century ago, surrounded by dinosaurs, and thinking about a woman that changed your mind about everything you thought you knew?” he snorted a half laugh and felt his way across the tiny room to the thing they called a bed.
He slid into bed. No sooner had he done so and his head hit the pillow there was a quiet squeak.
“Who’s there?”
Missy’s soft voice came back “It’s me silly.”
“Ship’s rules, Missy…you can’t…”
“I explained it all to Mazy…” Wes could hear something he couldn’t get a grasp on.
“Look Missy, I can’t turn on the light…I’m naked as a jaybird, and never got a sheet out.”
There was slight movement of the single sized bed “So am I.”
“Am what?”
A soft hand slid across his chest and around him, hard nipples caressed his chest, and a warm breath and scented neck glided near as her lips gently touched his.
“Mazy gave me some of her perfume…” there was a soft, sexy giggle “…it’s all I’m wearing.”
“Mazy…knows that…” Wes stammered.
“Of course silly, I knew you’d never…well, you know…unless it was ok with the Captain.”
“Christ you told the Captain as well?” Wes stammered comically as Missy kept him from sitting up in the small bed.
Her lips brushed his ear, her warm breath and sensual tone hypnotized him, and her hands teased him.
“Silly, no…I did not tell the Captain. Mazy told me not to worry about him and that she’d take care of him…” her tongue toyed with the tip of his ear “…so I could take care of you.”
From that point on, Wes wouldn’t remember much as animal instinct took over his very being. It wasn’t until an hour later with Missy still wrapped within his arms he began to think again and chuckled.
“What’s so funny?” she asked as her head moved slightly from under his chin where it rested.
He reached down and stroked her soft hair.
“All this sneakin’ around I was just feeling like your daddy is going to bust down that door with a shotgun in his hands at any moment.” he could feel her silently giggling.
“That would be bad as I have a hunch that you aren’t the marrying kind.” she replied with a smirk “But I have waited far too long for you to hold me in your arms to worry about things like that.”
“With you I could be.”
A somewhat shocked Missy raised herself up a little so she could look into his face in the soft glow of the moon that was now streaming through the tiny porthole.
“You could be, what?”
“The marrying kind.” All expressions left her beautiful face as Wes smiled.
“Somehow I think, I’m a bit more than a conquest to you as well.”
“Oh God No!” a look of fear and misunderstanding raced into her eyes “Oh God, not you Wes, never…” suddenly there was a stunned expression as she cocked her head and looked at her lover “I never looked at you as a conquest…ever.” she sighed softly “I just kind of fell for you about that second day when you held me in your arms, carrying me back to the passenger car. She started to lay her hand back on Wes’s chest, but it popped up again as she looked questionably into his eyes.
“Wait…was that some sort of an off-handed proposal?”
“Yeah kinda.”
She frowned “Sort of taking me for granted aren’t you mister? Just because we did the bunny dance, doesn’t mean I’m in love with you or…” Wes began chuckling “WHAT!” Missy said aloud not caring if anyone heard or not.
Wes kissed her gently and pulled her back into his arms “Granted, never. However, you said you’d never sleep with a guy on top unless…”
Missy cooed and nestled into his arms a little deeper “Knew I should have never told you that.”
“Why? Wasn’t true?”
Again she sighed deeply “It’s true, ever since the first time when I was nearly raped, I never let a man lay me on my back…until tonight.”
Wes chuckled as he hugged her tightly.
“See, ya busted yourself.”
There was a soft sigh “Maybe that’s why I told you that part of my life Wes, maybe I wanted you to have no doubts about how I feel about you.”
“And you knew how you felt for sure, back then?”
He felt her body inching up next to his and her lips brushing his ear.
“No silly, I was only positive when you reminded me…I was never aware I was on my back until now.” From that point on, neither got any sleep…nor did they want to.
Chapter 18.
A loud banging on the steel door nearly caused Missy and Wes to fall out of the tiny cot-sized bed. How the two of them managed to sleep side by side was a puzzle to her as she scampered out to the footlocker to grab a woven sheet to cover them. Both of the lovers prayed that it wasn’t an irate Jeb and his crew…Mazy had said she’d take care of Jeb.
As it turned out Red hurried in and told them to get out on deck. He shut the hatch and the pair gave each other a puzzled glance and they dressed as quickly as they could.
Heading for the main deck they noticed an abnormal abundance of activity as the crew scurried around in all directions. Wes reached out and grabbed one crewman he recognized.
“Dick, what the hell is going on?”
“Boulder wagons were on the way and got hit by dacs…er flappers as you call them. Jeb wants you.” and off he dashed without another word. A quick nervous glance to Missy and hand in hand they ran up the stairs as fast as they could without interfering with the frenzied crew.
Upon reaching the main outside deck, most of the crew, along with Jeb were all gathered there and running to obviously preassigned positions.
Jeb motioned for them to join him.
“Don’t know how much time I have so here’s a quick update. Two wagons were coming from Boulder once they heard about your group.” he grinned “and before you start with the million questions, we’re close to even with the most northern part of Boulder’s wall…about fifteen miles away due west. Seven miles south and slightly west of here is a mesa that is about one hundred and twenty feet high. Boulder uses that as a communications tower so to speak.” He walked toward the bow that was pointed almost directly south and pointed.
“Can’t see them from here, but using telescopes we watch each other. During the day we use an improved kind of heliograph to signal each other…that can be used even if the sun is in the wrong location. At night we use the Aldis lamps to signal messages, either way we use the international form of Morse code. In turn they're high enough to signal another outpost eight miles closer to the wall as it curves around to the cliffs, and so forth. We can signal the mesa and they can relay to the Japanese carrier and vice-versa.” Jeb grinned “Hell, nearly all of the Japanese speak English as well as we do, or better, now-a-days.”
Wes nodded and wished Jeb would get to the point…and then wished he didn’t as Jeb continued.
“Well, the wagons came out the eastern portcullis just after dawn. About nine they were hit by dacs…uh, flappers to you.” he scratched his head “Lord only knows why…those damnable things usually stay away from the wagons.”
“How so Jeb?” Sarge asked as he walked up just in enough time to hear the last part about the wagons.
“The wagons are a good fifteen feet or so wide and over thirty feet l
ong, and those are the smaller ones. They have huge arched beams over them with steel spikes protruding out in all directions to keep flappers off those riding under the canvas made from dinosaur hides.”
Snake joined them “I know you said that stinky stuff didn’t drive flappers away, but…”
“Trust me they take all the precautions they can think of, but the truth is, the only thing flappers really worry about are their wings.” He looked out over the prairie in the direction he expected the wagons to come from.
“The damned things just dive-bombed the wagons, tore themselves up pretty bad, damaged the wagons and killed some of the guards and crews.” Jeb really looked concerned “I mean Jesus Christ, those wagons can carry one or two steel plates each, and have when they brought replacement plates to fix our ship. It seems the flappers hit one wagon so hard they cracked an axle. Those damned axles are twenty inches of the hardest wood and steel banded axles you could want. I reckon the flapper that hit it, must have dove straight into it from quite a height. I’m at a loss, they have never done that before.”
The color drained from Missy’s face as she stammered in obvious fear.
“My God, and you’re asking us to ride on those wagons?”
“Well some of you will have to, probably best if you all just let us put your Quad things on the wagons as well, you sure don’t want to be caught out there in the open if another flock of those flappers comes along…or draw attention to the wagons by riding around the wagons. You have to think like a flapper, a small moving object could mean food.”
Wes nodded slowly “He makes sense guys, we either go on the Quads…and I mean all of us, and leave before the wagons do…or we all go on the wagons and stow the Quads. I don’t want to be the one responsible for drawing those things to the same people we want to make contact with.”
Last Train to Pangea: Death by Dinosaur Page 12