‘Rodger, Doctor Zoeller. I’ll switch to Dan’s link.’ Seth replied.
Seth called into Dan and briefly related the encounter with the dinosaurs. He didn’t bother to go into details on the rooms they discovered. ‘Yes sir, we’re on our way over now.’
As they lifted to the south, they could see the mountainside filled with moving figures. Thousands, of many different types moved southwest along the mountain edges. Swarming in groups. Heading towards the deep ocean.
* * * * *
A low, consistent growling fills the air. The steady thrum is punctuated with sharp hissing and occasional hollow screeches. Odors lay in the meadow, held close by the heat of the day. Scents of bodies torn open, the rabid smell of spilled feces and the rapid onset of putrefaction brought on by the rays of the unforgiving sun and humidity. Swarms of flies fill the air, buzzing across the clearing, biting anything soft whether it be alive or dead.
Scavengers, too small for notice by the angry raptors on the edge of the clearing, climb in to dine on the fallen forms in the meadow. All are meals, not all are dead.
The movement of the brush along the edge of the clearing betrays the angered movement of the fourteen-foot long raptors behind it. Predators minds attempting to solve a problem never before encountered. An enemy, food in site and clearly smelled now stands before them and they dare not approach it for reasons unknown.
‘What the hell were you thinking?’ Alex sits talking to himself as he fumbles unconsciously with the settings of his Python Rifle. A distraction catches his eye. Nothing. He returns to his own, personal self immolation. ‘You’ve gotta always volunteer. Now here you sit, waiting to run out into those jolly green-feathered buzz saws with nothing but a rifle and a dumb dino-puppy for protection. If I survive this I will never, ever again volunteer for anything. Even if you do get out, how the hell do you think you are going to outrun …’
‘The waiting is hard.’ David put his hand on Alex’s shoulder. ‘Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.’
‘Look, let’s talk about it. I have a few observations and a suggestion. We’ve managed to stop them for now but they still don’t really understand that we are the cause of their problem. This can help us.’
‘You need to move out behind these rocks and head back down that stream bed. Stay low, stay covered and stay quiet. You need a diversion. It should be simple with these brutes. I’ll move out into the clearing. See that big guy hobbling out there? He’s slow and he’s noisy because of that damaged foot. I’m going to go out and start giving him grief. Sara and Brittany can watch my back from the safety of these rocks.’
‘When he starts squealing his cousins are going to come a-running. It’s their nature. That’ll be your queue. Get out of this low valley and run like the devil. You should get contact with the Hunter again once you reach that far ridge.’
‘David, you are one crazy son of a gun.’ Alex started. ‘Unfortunately I haven’t been able to come off with anything better. Look, do you think Buddy is going to understand enough to follow me? I think he’s just going to slow me up.’
‘Let’s assume he stays back with Tina then, what does it matter. You go with or without him just don’t wait for him. When do you want to start?’
‘We’ve got another three hours of light. I don’t want to be out there by myself at night so now’s as good a time as any I guess.’
David and Alex walk over to Brittany, Tina and Buddy. ‘We’re going to start now. You already know what to do. Brittany, do you think Buddy is getting the idea.’
‘I don’t know Mr. Pope. I thought so for a while but now I’m not sure. They seem more nervous about the troondons right now.’
‘Oh, so the “Uncle David” is gone now?’ David says with a teasing smile behind the words. ‘Let’s get set up. Alex, you’ll hear my firing. You pick the right time and then go. Any last questions or comments? No? Ok, here we go?’
Alex walks back across the group to the boulders. ‘Hey Buddy! You’re as crazy as I am. Well, good to have you along. Now, let’s sit tight for just a bit longer.’
David rose from behind a bush and walked across the open clearing, right up to the hobbling raptor. It is chewing and licking at its damaged foot and doesn’t notice him. ‘You need to pay more attention to your surroundings!’ David shouts and the raptor lifts its head with a start. For a second he is clearly surprised by the presence of this small intruder. Then David can see the dinosaur tense its muscles and he fires. The carefully aimed slug penetrates the knee joint of the raptor just as it prepares to launch itself at David.
The raptor falls back, screeching in anger and pain. The cries draw the attention of the others and soon a half dozen heads appear out of the surrounding brush. David backs off and waits. The raptors hesitate for a few seconds until a bellow from the wounded raptor in front of David rises through the trees as he tries to lunge at David without the use of his legs.
Raptors fly into the clearing, all caution gone. David begins firing at those heading for him. Shots ring out from behind him. Several of the attackers turn toward the wounded beast and begin ripping him apart.
More and more oddly feathered nightmares enter the clearing, falling before the guns. Forty feet, thirty, twenty, ten they push on. Driven by the cries of battle and the smell of blood. David backs slowly, firing careful rounds into those nearest. Now he turns to kill shots, they are too close to allow them to fall wounded.
Sara watches as one raptor flies over the wounded body fallen in front of David. It stumbles on the body as David turns and fires. She sees David fall and roll across the grass just as three other raptors run over. ‘No! No! No!’ she cries. Brittany is beside her, firing into the charging animals. Sara fires on full automatic. David cannot be seen anywhere. “David! David! No Britt, Stay! Don’t you dare move …”
* * * * *
The weathered limestone walls of the valley fall to the flat, river plain below them. A distant rumble of water passing through rapids echo’s from the cliffs but is drowned out by the screech of a hundred miniature banshees. Hundreds of brightly colored pteranodon reptiles fly in hectic circles screeching at the intruders to their realm. Unsure of their own safety, frightened, they dive in, threatening the invaders above their nests.
‘In about ten seconds I’m gonna turn and paste you guys.’ Jonas Buckwheat yelled back at the annoying, screeching reptiles.
‘Jon, you do that and Dan’s gonna turn you into paste. I don’t wanna get caught in the backlash so shut up!’ Todd set down the tripod. The legs opened and automatically sunk cleats into the surrounding rock. ‘There, put the gun on the tripod and let’s head back.’
‘Three down.’ Jon said as he mounted the AutoSentinel onto its stand. ‘Next time you carry the gun. The damn things are heavy.’
Dan watched the two men setting up the defense perimeter. Toshi stood next to him, ‘I’ll watch them if you have something else to do sir.’
‘No, there is nothing more we can do. I hate waiting like this. And we shouldn’t have to be watching these two goofballs, dammit.’
Toshi didn’t like it when Dan was upset but there was nothing he could do about it. ‘Why don’t we make a high fly-over from their last contact coordinates. Maybe we can see something.’
‘Because Mark told us to wait. Why don’t you go over and help Mark for a while. Maybe he wants these things counted or something.’ Dan growled, waving his arm out at the flock of flying reptiles.
Molly Pasteur discovered that the pteranodon liked bread. She stood at the edge of the cliff. Far below her, the herd of hadrosaurids are wallowing at the river’s edge. She threw another piece out over the cliff. Three of the reptiles swooped down, grabbing the bread, squealing as they flew and fought over the piece.
Tom stood beside her and said softly. ‘I hate waiting.’
* * * * *
The noise from the clearing is horrific but he didn’t dare raise his head and look. Nothing seemed to be in front of him anymor
e. At least he could no longer see any of the brushes moving. ‘Come on Buddy, this is as good a time as any.’
They crept out of the boulders. Alex’s senses raised, his mind kicked into high speed by the tension and, unnoticed now, the shakes he was trying to hide are gone. Dumb thoughts race through his mind rising up from his subconscious, ‘Nothing. Nothing but the flies on my neck and the sweat running down my back. The harness is starting to chafe dammit.’
Down the path they run silently, between the bushes and over the slight rise. ‘There’s the willow-stream Buddy.’ He whispers. He can clearly see the peaceful stream at the bottom of the rise.
Buddy low-yodels beside him. Alex turns. Up at the ridgeline behind them, four of the green raptors have found their trail. ‘They smelled us. Keep moving, quick.’
They run over the ridgeline and downhill through the rough bushes and soft grass towards the stream. Alex splashes across the slippery rocks below the peaceful pool, all pretext of stealth now gone.
Behind them, on the top of the ridge four heads turn at the sound of their passing over the stream. Alex hears their call and he and Buddy ramp up the other slope of the valley. Buddy is running before Alex when he suddenly stops directly in front of him. ‘You crazy dino, what the hell’s the matter …’
He spots the dark shape, low in the grass a little over fifty feet before him. Snores and the sounds of a massive foot thrashing the brush rise through the air. ‘Shhh!’ He says toward Buddy and quietly moves forward. The T-rex is asleep next to his companion. ‘Wait a second. Let’s go back. Come on!’
Buddy is confused and hesitates. As he watches, Alex rises high in the grass and begins waving his handkerchief frantically in the air. The raptors spot him and immediately run to the attack. Alex grabs hold of Buddy’s collar, ‘Wait a little longer. A little longer Buddy. OK, Now!’
Alex turns and runs. Buddy, momentarily stunned by Alex’s sudden sprint, finally turns and runs back up the hill chasing close behind. Alex runs right between the two T-Rex’s and screams, ‘Wake up you sleeping meat grinder!’ as passes the larger T-Rex and jams his rifle butt into its sensitive nose. A bellow of pure fury fills the air as two enraged killing machines rise from the depths of their sleep. They stand up, angry and confused. Then turn to chase the two small runners when four angry green raptors, hell bent on revenge, slam into them at full speed.
Alex and Buddy stop to catch their breath at the top of the ridge. ‘I don’t ever want to do that again.’ Alex says as he falls to one knee next to Buddy. Below them, the four raptors are tangled in a mass with the T-Rexes. Jaws snap the air in blind reaction as they try to get back onto their feet. Two of the raptors are thrown into the weeds, struck by a massive tail as the killer tries to climb to its feet.
Alex turns and yells to Buddy, ‘Oh Cheez. Watch out now, they’re coming! Why didn’t they stay and duke it out. Come on Buddy, I have a feeling this thing is turning personal for them.’
They are now far enough ahead of the raptors that they can head out into the low scrub. ‘Maybe we can lose them in the marsh. God they are fast, look out! Split up Buddy.’
Alex runs to the side of the swamp with one of the raptors following him.
Buddy runs and glides down into the soft marshland. He flies across the soft mud with the three raptors behind him. Abruptly he turns back into the higher brush. The raptors are gaining on him. One jumps and misses, knocking Buddy off balance. As he falls to the ground, another raptor jumps on top of him, slipping but scraping its teeth across his back. Buddy kicks wildly and frees himself. He struggles to a standing position, biting the fallen raptor in the belly. The third raptor seizes the opportunity and grabs the Hype’s shoulder. An orange foot, with a deadly foot-long dagger-like claw raised to strike, rises in the air.
Suddenly the air around them fills with a sparkling blue and gold mist. Like sand blown by a hurricane, it flies the short distance from Buddy into the arm and shoulders of the raptor. The mist crawls across the skin of the raptor like paint flowing across a canvas. Then they converge at its head to sink deep into the tender eyes and nostrils. The raptor screams in pain and reflex flashes its claw down, missing the Hype’s soft underbelly but slashing across his neck.
Buddy twists in sudden pain and response to the blow. His mindless reaction flings his body upward and out. A squeal of pain rises from the raptor as its claw snaps from its foot. The claw, firmly lodged into the ID chain around Buddies neck, breaks from the pressure of the link just as the collar itself splits. Ripped from his neck by the struggles, the collar flies off and sinks into the mud as Buddy rises to run. Behind him, the blue and gold flashing Hive-bots, attacking from around his neck, dig deeply into the eyes and tender noses of the three raptors. The attackers retreat, fleeing over the soft marshland in a blind pain-filled panic.
Back on firmer ground, Alex is running through the brush with the raptor close behind and gaining. He can hear the beast as he rapidly changes direction to try and throw the attacker off balance. It’s so close behind him that he knows its next move will be to leap in with a killing lunge onto his side. Alex twists to the side at the last second and turns to fire. The fourteen-foot killer sweeps by him, surprised by quarry’s maneuver but spinning him to the ground. His rifle flies through the air, lost! Claw tipped hands grab his utility harness as he falls.
Alex reaches for his pistol as his close-combat reactions sink his knee deep into the gut of the attacker. The pistol isn’t there! The raptors grip has twisted his harness and his hand instead falls on a hard, iron hammer. His mind flashes back to this morning in the grotto as recognition of the tool sets in and he pulls the mining hammer from his harness. The raptor’s head darts in, searching for a clear bite on the small but amazingly powerful creature on top of him. Alex swings the hammer with all his might. Its tip sinks deep into the raptors head, just behind the jaw. The hardened iron head lands with a dull thud, piercing the soft skull behind the raptor’s ear. Alex pulls back but the head of the hammer is stuck in the thin bones of the skull. A jerk reaction by the raptor pulls its claw from his harness and the hammer from Alex’s grip. Alex rolls away as the raptor rolls and swings its arm, frantically trying to grab the cause of the pain in his head.
‘Time to leave.’ Alex cries as he picks up his weapon and runs off down the edge of the brush. Frantically he grabs as he runs to try and twist the battle harness back into position. Then, a chill runs up his spine as he hears a crashing noise behind him in the brush. ‘Where the hell is my pistol?’ Alex shouts in a scream that is closer to a feral growl.
Then a friendly, familiar sound whistles out from his side. ‘Buddy! How they hell did you survive with three of those devils on your tail? Come on. Don’t Stop! Shit, what happened to you old friend? You’re gonna need a few stitches on your neck but we can’t stop now.’
They run on past the scrubs and back into the oaks at the edge of the sequoia. The rim of the river’s valley should be just beyond that tree line. Alex keys his helmet, ‘Mark, Dan please be there!’
‘That’s not very professional communications protocol Alex. What can we do for you? Did you find the boy?’
‘Yes, we found him. You need to pick me up. They need help fast.’
‘Rodger, we have a fix on your location. ETA less than ten minutes.’
‘Rodger Dan. You need to be quick.’
Nearly exhausted, Alex and Buddy drop down onto the soft grass and peat filled ground. Alex turns to the Hype and examines his wounds. ‘Ok Buddy, we’re on the home stretch. Just hang in there. I know, now that we stopped you’re finally beginning to feel the pain.’ His hands fumble with the harness, pulling it around and removing the first aid kit. ‘Hold still now Buddy. This will take some of the pain away and we can stop this bleeding. We just have to sit tight for a few minutes.’
* * * * *
‘Forget about the damn AutoSentinels, we’ll come back for them!’ Dan shouts at Todd. ‘Either get in to the Hunter in thirty seconds
or we go without you.’
‘Toshi, begin liftoff. Molly, give Seth and Adrian a call and have them head over toward Alex’s position. How far out are they?’
‘They are about 20 minutes out.’ Molly replies.
The Hunter lifts to fly down along the rim of the valley and then turns inland. ‘There he is, right at his sending coordinates.’ Toshi says as he begins the approach.
They land down in the rough gravel and open the gate. Alex jumps in. ‘Hurry, we need to get over to them right away!’
‘Just a second there. No damn dinosaurs allowed in the Hunter.’ Alex turns to see Jon Buckwheat kicking at Buddy.
‘Buckwheat, I’ve had just about enough of you and your attitude.’ Alex grows as he grabs Jon’s shoulder and turns him around right into the final arc of his swinging fist. The blow lands squarely on Buckwheat’s jaw knocking the surprised bully across the cabin. ‘I owe this guy my life and he goes where I go!’
Alex turns and extends his hand out the door, ‘Come on, Buddy.’
‘I hope you have a good explanation for that trooper.’ Dan says as he comes down into the bay.
‘Nobody touches Buddy like that when I’m around. Particularly when they try and bully someone better than they are.’ Alex snarls back at Dan, ‘Sir! We need to move it now.’
Buddy, or any other dinosaur, had never been inside of a Hunter before. With only a moment’s hesitation, the Hype jumps up next to Alex. The Hunter rises over the valley, down across the scrubland and back over the now familiar stream they crossed so many times.
Mark stares at Alex and a very nervous Buddy. ‘You two guys look terrible. Can you operate alright?’
‘Yeah, we’re ok but Buddy’s going to need some stitches. I thought for sure I was going to end up as some future archeologist’s nightmare back there. You know, a human skull in the belly of some long dead dinosaur skeleton. Buddy’s kinda chewed up too. He somehow lost both his ID neck chain and his Hive-bot communicator, but he drew three of those guys away from me and still survived to help me.’
Nodal Convergence (Cretaceous Station Book 1) Page 29