The fire in TJ’s blood had all but extinguished. He shook, like the sudden loss of heat had given him hypothermia. The sight of the blood on Eddie’s face and the bruise forming around his eye turned TJ’s stomach. He had never punched anyone before. Of course, he had dreamed about punching Eddie before though. He had dreamed about jousting him on horseback, pistols at dawn, light saber battle on the edge of a volcano, wizard’s duel, every kind of fight imaginable. He always won, too. Always humiliated Eddie the way Eddie humiliated him, and he felt amazing and victorious and strong. But he didn’t feel any of those things now. He felt like he might puke.
Eddie shook the stars from his eyes. “Didn’t think you had it in you, Beaumont.”
Doc’s words echoed in the back of TJ’s mind. All dogs have that wolf side to them. Maybe this was his wolf side coming out. He hadn’t known he had a wolf side.
The goons each grabbed one of TJ’s arms and held him still. Eddie lunged forward and drove his fist into TJ’s stomach. All of the air was forced out of TJ’s lungs in one fell swoop. He doubled over, fell hard on his knees, and wheezed, trying desperately to catch his breath.
“I’m gonna make you pay for that every day for the rest of your miserable life.” He pushed TJ over with a foot to his shoulder. He and the goons walked off, leaving TJ gasping in the dirt.
TJ didn’t know how long he lay there like a shriveled up worm before Sam came along and helped him up. He’d lost track of time laying there, replaying what had happened in his head. He didn’t remember thinking about hitting Eddie. He’d just done it, like his body had acted on its own. He still felt like he might barf.
“What the heck happened to you?” Sam said as she hoisted him up. “Well, on second thought, I can probably guess. Eddie?”
“Yeah.” TJ’s voice was weak, his insides still shaken from the punch. He didn’t tell Sam that his wolf side had taken over and that he’d made Eddie bleed big time. He wanted to pretend it never happened. He wanted to forget that he had a wolf side. “Same old, same old.”
On the way home Sam tried to hide the worry on her face whenever TJ looked at her, but he caught it out of the corner of his eye. So she quickly changed the subject. “So what are you going to do for your science project?”
TJ was thankful for the distraction. Science was his favorite subject. “I don’t know yet.” They turned up his empty driveway. Ellen wouldn’t be home from work for a few hours. “I made a volcano last year,” he scoffed.
Sam shook her head. “You think I don’t remember? So lame. So uninspired. I mean, were you competing in some kind of stereotypical sitcom science fair or something?” They dropped their backpacks on the floor right inside the front door with the mental promise that they’d pick them up before Ellen came home.
TJ’s face flushed with science fair shame. “Yeah, I don’t know what I was thinking. I let myself down. This year’s project has to be huge. Groundbreaking.” They jogged upstairs to his room. “Have they figured out time travel yet? Maybe I’ll do that. I mean, how hard can it—”
When they opened his door, TJ thought that he may have accidentally solved time traveling without even trying.
Rex was on TJ’s bed, standing victorious over a Godzilla action figure that had been torn to itty bits. Nearly a foot taller and much broader than when TJ had last seen him, Rex looked to have aged several months since this morning. His playful little chortle was much closer now to an actual roar.
“Maybe I should have given you puppy chow,” Sam said. “The big breed dog food is working too well.”
Rex hopped off the bed and landed with an agile squat on the floor. He was more surefooted, not stumbling around or tripping over his own tail. TJ marveled at the sudden change. Then the true repercussions of it hit him, and it felt like Eddie Figley punching him all over again. He sat on the edge of his bed and buried his face in his hands.
Sam sat on the floor and built Lego walls for Rex to smash. “What’s the matter?”
TJ mumbled into his palms. “If he keeps growing like that, I won’t be able to keep him in here much longer.”
Sam laughed, but caught herself when she saw TJ scowl. “Did you really think you’d be able to keep a Tyrannosaurus rex in your closet forever?”
“No,” he snapped, feeling defensive. “I just thought I’d be able to keep him for a little while longer. Until I figured something out. But now there’s super spies hitting on my mom, and Rex is growing like he’s been exposed to radiation. It’s like we stepped into Bizarro World or something.”
Guilt pinched Sam’s stomach. She saw this same look on TJ’s face every time she left his house. His eyebrows arched, his mouth dipped at the corners, the tips of his ears got red. It was the look of impending loneliness. Sam wrapped her arm around his shoulders. “So let’s figure something out.”
TJ fell back on his bed and stared at the ceiling. “I’m open to suggestions.”
Sam popped up and paced the room like a general in front of her troops. TJ and Rex followed her, getting dizzier with each lap of the room. “We need to relocate Rex. Find a suitable place to hide him.” She pivoted on her heel and pointed at TJ. “Ideas. Go.”
TJ stuttered. “Uh…”
Sam smacked her hands together. “No thinking. Just throw stuff out there.”
“It needs to be somewhere with a lot of space.”
“The moon,” Sam shouted. “Nope, wrong kind of space.”
TJ continued his brainstorm. “With enough food.”
“The Pet Warehouse,” Sam yelled. “No, he probably can’t eat dog food forever.”
“And somewhere he can hide.”
“Your closet!” Sam threw her arms up. “Great, we’re right back where we started.”
“Will you stop that?” TJ said. “You aren’t helping.” But something Sam said bounced around in his head like a rubber ball in a metal box. He looked at her and smiled. She looked confused but returned the smile anyway. “Right back where we started,” he echoed. “You’re a genius, Sam.”
“I am?”
“Yes.”
“O-kay. Can you at least tell me why I’m a genius?”
TJ realized Sam wasn’t genius but clueless. “Duh. The swamp. If we take him deep enough into the swamp, no one will find him. At least, not until he’s thirty feet tall. But, you know, one thing at a time.”
Sam considered the idea while stroking an imaginary beard. “Okay, I’ll admit, that is a pretty great idea of mine, but how do we move him? You could barely lug him around in that basket before. He’s much bigger and heavier now.”
TJ twirled his imaginary mustache. He was excited to have a plan, but not at all happy that his plan involved moving Rex out of his room. He’d only had him a few days. He felt like he was losing Rex already.
Sam looked at TJ’s face. He knew the look of impending loneliness was creeping back and she was seeing it, but he was powerless to hide it. “Hey, it’s only temporary. We’ll sneak Rex into the swamp and build him an awesome dinosaur hut where he can hide out until we figure out our next move. And we’ll visit him every day. He’s still gonna be your pet.”
TJ wanted to believe her. He convinced himself that she was right, at least on the surface. He refused to listen to the nagging voice in the back of his head that said he was a fool for thinking he could keep a T-rex as if it were a little Chihuahua. “Alright,” he said, ignoring the voice. “Let’s figure out how to smuggle a dinosaur.”
Chapter Fourteen
Voices echoed off the metal and concrete. The hollow sound made the place feel empty. The sound of Osborne’s voice made the place sound cold. Ice cold. “Children.” He sounded like a hissing snake. “The last surviving subject, that we’ve spent millions of dollars and countless man hours developing, is now in the hands of children.”
Brock scratched the scar on his chin. “I believe so, yes.”
Osborne crossed his arms. His black suit didn’t shift when he moved, like it was a second skin mad
e of metal. Or scales. It was hard to tell if he was impatient—he always sounded frustrated. “Then why haven’t you gotten it back yet? Just trade them a Tickle Me Elmo or a Teletubby for it, and tell them to keep their mouths shut.”
A smile crept onto Brock’s face despite his best efforts to fight it off. “They’re kids, they aren’t idiots. And those aren’t things kids want anymore.” He laughed for effect.
Osborne’s frigid demeanor thawed in a sudden flash of heat that crept visibly from under his collar. He began to pace around Brock, who stood like an immovable statue. “Colonel Horne,” he growled. “Do you think this is a game?”
“No, sir.”
“Because if you think national security is a laughing matter, maybe I should see about having you reassigned.”
Brock’s jaw clenched so tightly he thought his teeth might crack. National security? They’re children. If Osborne thinks these kids are in any way a threat to national security, maybe he should look for a new job. Or a new psychiatrist—one with meds. Good ones.
“I want the subject back by the end of the day, or I’ll have you both stationed in this backwater town for the rest of your lives.” Osborne took a seat in a high backed office chair, folded his hands at his chin, and glared at Brock and the fidgety man in the lab coat standing next to him. “Dr. Kruger, you’ve yet to say anything. You’re the expert on the subject.” He narrowed his icy stare on the scientist. “Say something.”
Dr. Kruger adjusted his glasses. “Well, considering the nature of the subject—”
Brock cut off Dr. Kruger, his soldier’s discipline bowing to his temper for a moment. “Can we just call it what it is?”
Dr. Kruger glanced from Brock to Osborne, his pulse appearing to quicken with every flick of his eyes. Osborne’s stare sucked the little remaining warmth out of the room, but he didn’t say anything. “Considering the nature of the…” He glanced from Osborne to Brock again then down at the floor. “Subject—”
“Dinosaur!” Brock threw his arms in the air. “It’s a dinosaur. Just call it a dinosaur.”
The office chair twirled like a tornado as Osborne shot out of it. He was chin-to-chin with Brock before either could blink. “Listen to me, you self-righteous GI Joe wannabe. You are only here because Military Intelligence wanted to be kept apprised of the project’s status. But this isn’t a military project. It belongs to my agency, and I am project lead. As long as you are here, you answer to me. Kruger is my sniveling little scientist. He answers to me too. Sergeant Ferguson…”
A grisly looking soldier who had been standing guard by the door responded immediately. “Sir?”
“Who do you answer to?”
Brock had been Ferguson’s commanding officer on several tours, but there was no hesitation in Ferguson’s voice when he said, “You, sir.”
A thin smile spread across Osborne’s narrow face. “A soldier who knows his place. The subject is mine. Now, find a way to get it back.” Osborne sank back into his chair, hands folded under his chin. He signaled Dr. Kruger to continue.
“Yes, well,” Dr. Kruger cleared his throat and adjusted his glasses again. “Considering the nature of the…experiment, assuming there have been no attacks as of yet, which surely we would have heard about, it is only a matter of time until there are—”
“Wait,” Brock said. He looked at Osborne whose raised eyebrow was enough to snap him back into place. “What exactly is the nature of this thing? What are we dealing with?” Dr. Kruger cast Osborne a sidelong glance, looking for a sign of approval, like the runt of the litter looking to the alpha. Brock barely checked his impatience. “I’m just trying to keep apprised. And you’ve got me out there gathering intel without knowing exactly what I’m looking for.”
Osborne locked him in an icy stare but broke it off before Brock froze all the way through. “Fair enough. The subject is biologically most like a Tyrannosaurus rex, grown right here in this lab. It was one of an entire batch of specimens undergoing Phase Two field trials, but, thanks to the recent storm, it is now the only surviving specimen. All other specifications of the subject are classified. Phase Three of the project is classified. Consider yourself apprised.”
Brock spoke through gritted teeth. “I don’t know any more than I did ten seconds ago. How is that going to help me find the thing or inform me as to what the creature is capable of?”
The room began to freeze again under Osborne’s glaring ice rockets. “It’s a Tyrannosaurus rex. You know what it’s capable of. Enough apprising. I want solutions.”
“Why don’t we just take it?” Sergeant Ferguson grumbled.
Osborne pushed past Brock toward the Sergeant, his jaw set and stern. “Are you saying we should storm a civilian dwelling and reclaim the subject by force?” Osborne smiled. “I like where your head’s at, soldier.”
Brock spun on his heels. “What?”
“It’s the only idea I’ve heard that makes any sense,” Osborne said. “Actually, it’s the only idea I’ve heard. If you’re ready to stop questioning me and start participating, I’m willing to entertain others.”
Brock paced the room, his mind racing for a solution that wasn’t quite so totalitarian. “This is a civilian population. We can’t just march through the town making demands. And they’re children. Are you suggesting we waterboard them until they talk?”
Osborne was unflinching. “Why not? We wouldn’t need as much water. And we can do anything we want when national security is at stake. I like it.”
Again with that? What does this science project have anything to do with national security? “Not if you want to keep this project and this installation a secret. If the military starts kicking in doors, people will start asking questions. Some are already skeptical of this base and the military presence since the storm.” He thought of Fred from the diner. I can’t believe I’m using that kook as a basis for a logical argument. He almost laughed. Almost.
Ferguson watched Osborne’s face as he considered Brock’s words. He seemed disappointed when Osborne signaled for Brock to continue.
Brock breathed a sigh of relief now that waterboarding children was off the table. “We can handle this tactfully. The kids have kept it secret so far. I’m inclined to believe that they’ll continue to keep it that way. I can’t be certain the Beaumont kid has it on site, but he definitely knows where it is. I’ve connected with his mother. I have an in. I can get the information we need without blowing our cover. Or blowing anything up.”
Osborne sat in his chair again. He turned his back to the team, pondering his course of action.
Nervous Osborne might be veering back toward the extreme path, Brock pleaded his case. “Give me twenty-four hours.” He sighed then reluctantly added, “Sir.”
Osborne spun around. “Fine. But that’s it. If we don’t have the subject back in our custody in twenty-four hours, Greenmarsh is going to start looking a lot like Gitmo.”
Brock assured him. “As long as those kids don’t do something stupid, we can handle this quickly and quietly.”
Osborne’s eyes narrowed, like a rattlesnake about to strike. “For your sake, and Greenmarsh’s, you’d better hope so.”
Chapter Fifteen
“So it’s settled,” TJ said. “I’m taking Rex to school.” He folded some aluminum foil and held it up to Rex, measuring its length against Rex’s arm.
Sam’s mouth was twisted all the way around to the side of her face. “Right. Tell me why you’re doing that again?”
Rex sniffed the aluminum foil, looking curiously at the shiny new substance. Was it food? He licked it and immediately recoiled, waving his tongue around like he was trying to shake off the taste.
TJ bent the foil around Rex’s arm. “It’s the only way to get him out of the house. My mom is watching me like a hawk now. The only time I can leave the house during the day is to go to school, and there’s no way I’ll be able to sneak him out at night.” TJ shuddered. “I don’t ever want to go back into that swamp at ni
ght again anyway. One time almost being eaten by an alligator is enough for me.”
Sam nodded. “Right. That, I understand.” She motioned to the string, tape, and assorted metal scraps scattered across the floor. “But what’s with all this?”
TJ tied a series of gears that he’d strung together to Rex’s back so that it ran from his neck to the base of his tail. “I can’t just bring a dinosaur to school.” He tied the gears in place, transforming Rex into a mechanical version of himself. “But I can bring my science project, a robot replica of a Tyrannosaurus rex that I built myself.” He examined Rex from every angle, pleased with his work. “Once school is over, we’ll have two hours tops before my mom gets home. We’ll have to cut through the swamp fast.”
Sam did the same examination, equally as impressed with TJ as he was with himself. “So let me get this straight… You’re disguising your T-rex as a robot T-rex and taking him to the science fair as your project.” She nodded, eyes wide with amazement. “That’s totally insane. And totally awesome!”
“This is the dress rehearsal.” Rex swatted at TJ’s hand as he tugged on the different pieces of the robot costume. “Tomorrow is the real thing.”
Sam squatted down to make one more inspection of Rex’s costume. He greeted her with a playful roar. “I’ll swing by before school in the morning.”
“Wear boots and pack some extra clothes.”
A surge of anxiety raced around TJ’s heart once Sam left. Rex tracked down Godzilla, showing him the full might of the new and improved Mecha-Rex. Failure to pull off this plan would undoubtedly result in Rex getting whisked away by shadowy government agents, not to mention TJ probably getting his memory wiped just like in Men in Black. Success would mean Rex would be living in the swamp from now on. Either way, this would be the last time he watched Rex battle for the title of premier mutant dinosaur or demolish a city of innocent Lego people. This would be the last time they slept in the same room.
After tomorrow, nothing would ever be the same.
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