by Adam Carter
“I’ll take your word for it,” Allen said, only glancing up at the creature still loitering at the top of the rise. “But that’s not the one that chased me.”
Garrel’s heart sank at the news. To be hunted by one behemoth was bad enough, but that there was a second lurking around the woods was unthinkable. She looked back up the slope to see the albertosaurus disappearing into the woodland. Perhaps it was giving up the chase, perhaps it had decided to work its way around and find an easier way down. Garrel could not say, but she did not want to hang around the pool waiting to find out.
“We need to go,” she told Allen urgently. “What happened to your deltadromeus?”
“I don’t know. I lost track of it, but I don’t know the way out of the woods. So I figured I’d lay the trap and hang around here.”
“Well I’ve sprung the trap now. Out of interest, what were you going to do if your deltadromeus came at you from ground level, instead of from up that slope?”
Allen’s face fell slightly. “Oh. Hadn’t thought of that.”
Garrel sighed, punching him playfully on the arm. “That’s why you need me, Tom.”
It was such a small gesture, yet Garrel realised she did not feel odd at all in it. They had known one another for a while now, although had never really known one another. This was the first time Garrel felt as though she was actually seeing the real Tom Allen, and she was pleasantly surprised by what she saw. The fact he wasn’t using corny lines or trying to stare down her top showed her he had matured. Tom Allen had at last become a man.
She wondered what she would have thought of him were this their first meeting.
But there was time enough for that later.
“You realise,” Allen said, “this is two of us against two of them.”
“Sure it is. But we’re humans, with human minds. I think you’ve already demonstrated we’re more than a match for them, Tom.”
They moved further into the woods, uncertain as to the location of either of the beasts which were stalking them, and which they would themselves have to stalk if they stood any chance of survival. Allen did not speak as they moved, was listening intently to every slight sound around him, taking note of any sudden change in their surroundings. This allowed Garrel to focus half her attention on devising a plan of attack. She thought back to the encounter with the ankylosaur and how badly they had both dealt with that. The ankylosaur had been a herbivore and not actively trying to kill them for food. Facing predators would be a whole different matter, and she wished she had looked more into the hunting habits of large theropods. For all she knew they would both be hiding in bushes waiting to leap out at her. Their sheer size indicated this was not feasible, but Garrel was quickly discovering that there was far more about dinosaurs that she didn’t know than that which she did.
“Have you had any contact with the camp?” Allen asked at last while they walked.
It seemed a bad idea to break the silence with idle talk, but perhaps it was what they needed. They were both so tense that Garrel knew if familiarity would relax them then it was something they needed to engage in.
“They’re both fine,” Garrel said. “They’re staying put.”
Allen accepted this without comment. “You contacted me through my radio. How did you manage that?”
It was surprising that Garrel had almost forgotten about the massive building she had found hidden underground, but she filled Allen in on some of what she had encountered down there. He listened carefully, and she could see his brief time in the woods had certainly made him more cautious.
“So who were they?” he asked when she was done.
“No idea. They didn’t leave many clues. But even if the building was old, it had certainly been revisited at some point in the last ten years or so.”
“So the government may well have already sent people here ahead of us. They may have made a big thing about our being allowed out here so they could cover up what they were really doing.”
Garrel had never thought about that possibility, although now that it had been spoken aloud it certainly made a lot more sense than anything she had come up with. “It could be a religious order, Tom. People sneaking in against the law to research this place. The world may be quarantined, but I guess people could come and go if they didn’t do it too often.”
“I thought Ceres was monitored.”
“But not patrolled. And I’m not sure how well the monitoring is either. We certainly didn’t have to pass any checkpoints on our entry, and I couldn’t see any satellites or buoys. Maybe the government just likes people to think they’re doing something they’re not. Saves them some work. If the right people say the right thing, everyone believes it. Look at the April fool’s jokes they’ve done in the past, like the spaghetti tree and the neo-Nazi dinosaur project. Get people of importance to say something’s true and everyone believes it. And that’s not even mentioning things like the puffer fish.”
“What about the puffer fish?”
“Well it’s poisonous if you eat it, right?”
“Sure. Everyone knows that.”
“And how many people have you actually seen die from eating a puffer fish?”
Allen’s smile was very tight. “You’re more paranoid than I ever realised, Sara.”
“More cynical than anything. Bad marriages tend to do that to you.”
“You all right? If you want to talk about it ...”
“No,” Garrel said, too quickly, then realised she had snapped and tried a smile to placate him, but the smile would not come. “No, I’m fine. We should just get on with what we’re doing and get out of here.”
The last thing she wanted to talk about was her marriage, or lack thereof. She had thought her divorce would have been the end of all her problems, had expected she would have been able to start a new life with Jeannie once the awkward mess was out of the way. But life didn’t work out quite like that, and when one party could afford a much better lawyer than the other it was hardly ever predictable. If she wanted any shot at seeing Jeannie again she would need as much money as she could get. She would need to hire the best lawyer and beat her ex at his own game.
Which meant she would have to retrieve both the buggy and bike before they left Ceres, else she was going to be a great deal out of pocket when she was paid for this venture. She hoped for Jeannie’s sake Monroe had taken the copter back to the camp safely.
They reached the river which flowed through the forest and Garrel relaxed slightly. It was not the same point at which they had encountered the ankylosaur, but the river only flowed in two directions and she knew if they followed its flow they would emerge from the trees close to their camp. It was the best news they had discovered since meeting up at the muddy pool and at last Garrel felt they might get out of this alive. Thus far there had been no sign of either predator, not even a single sound, and if they could just make it out of the trees without immediate pursuit she felt they stood a reasonable chance of getting back alive.
It was strange how she was considering a reasonable chance for survival a good thing. Ceres was a dangerous place and until coming here she had never really understood just how dangerous. Keeping this expedition alive had never seemed such a difficult thing, but now that she thought about it she decided she was not being paid enough.
Asking Allen to keep a watch out, Garrel crouched beside the river to examine whatever spoors she could find.
“There’s a lot of activity here,” she said, working through things aloud since that had always been the best way she had found to get her thoughts into order. “Mostly small animals, probably herbivores. A couple of heavier animals, walking on four legs though, so nothing to be afraid of.”
“There’s something across the river.”
Garrel looked up, but was relieved to see it was just a small creature. It wasn’t even a dinosaur, but some form of vole by the looks of it. It was about the size of a small dog, and Garrel wondered whether all prehistoric animals were
much larger than their later counterparts. It did not much matter, however, for so long as the vole was happy to sit there drinking from the river it meant there could not be any predators around.
It gave the two of them the opportunity to take stock of their situation.
“I’m sorry if I ever made you uncomfortable,” Allen said when they were seated on the damp ground. Allen had fetched water while Garrel identified some berries which were safe to eat. A fish would have been nice, but they did not have the time to catch one, and if the fish here were larger than those back home she knew their dinner would have an equal chance of eating the two of them.
Garrel popped another couple of berries in her mouth and chewed thoughtfully as she regarded the young man. “It wasn’t so much that you made me uncomfortable,” she said. “It was just annoying.”
“I know. But you still came back for me.”
“I couldn’t let you die. I wouldn’t be paid.”
She had meant it as a joke, although as she spoke the words she realised they sounded genuine. She said nothing more, knowing if she tried to defend her statement she would only make things worse.
“If you need to talk about it, Sara, you know I’ll listen.”
“That’s kind of you, but there’s nothing to talk about. Unless you have a fortune in your bank account you don’t mind parting with.”
“I don’t, no. But I know a man who does.”
Garrel narrowed her eyes slightly. “Monroe?” She paused. Even with Monroe’s change of character she still couldn’t see him handing her the money she needed.
“What do you need the money for?” Allen asked.
She thought about putting him off again, although could not see the harm in telling him. “My ex-husband, Jonathan. He’s ... he’s a nasty piece of work. He got custody of my daughter, Jeannie, by presenting a damning case to the court. According to his lawyer, I cheated on him and was involved in a plot to steal Jeannie and run away with her and my new lover to Ganymede. He also provided them with evidence that I was a violent person, and got statements from Jeannie to say that I’d hit her when she was bad. I don’t know how he managed that, but Jeannie loves her father, trusts him. And he’s always had a way with words.”
The memories brought back pain, but it was not a pain she could ignore. If she did not work through her problems they would not simply go away. The worst part of it was her ex had sprinkled some truth to his case, for indeed she had had an affair. It wasn’t something she was especially proud of, and it certainly wasn’t either planned or prolonged. But she had lost faith in her marriage and had hit about as low as she could. It was no wonder she had found comfort elsewhere, although of course she regretted it now it had lost her Jeannie.
“So you need money to fight your case,” Allen surmised.
“I’ve never hit my child,” Garrel hissed without meaning to. “I don’t care what Jonathan says about me in court, I don’t care what the worlds think of me. I just want my daughter back, and at the rate he’s going he’s making sure I never see her again.”
“And you accepted this assignment because it would give you enough money to help fight your case.”
“Not enough to win it, I’m afraid. But it’s a start.” She glanced back to the vole, pretending it was to make sure the thing was still there, but really it was because she didn’t want to cry in front of Allen. “All these months away from my baby, Tom. I ... I needed to do it so I could afford to fight for her, but it’s killing me.”
“I’ll talk to Monroe. He kind of owes me for nearly getting me killed, and we both know him. If there’s a problem he can solve by chucking money at it, he’ll do so willingly.”
Garrel looked back at Allen, expecting his eyes to shine with the promise of hopeful gratitude, but he was not doing this for himself. He was doing it for her, and she felt bad about any of the derogatory things she had ever thought or said about him.
“You’re a nice guy, Tom.”
“I wouldn’t go that far.”
Something exploded from the trees on the other side of the river and they both all but fell over as they heard the squeal of the vole. The deltadromeus grabbed the animal in its powerful jaws and crunched down with a sickly crack of bones. It dropped the carcass and pawed it with the claws upon its toes, before dipping its maw into the kill and tearing off a great chunk of stringy, wet meat.
Garrel and Allen were backing away slowly, their water spilled, their berries trodden into the mud. The mighty carnivore kept one eye upon them as it ate, and while Garrel knew the kill should have satisfied it she was under the impression this hunt was personal. As with the albertosaurus which had chased her, she could see in the thing’s eyes that it would not be content until it had made the kill it truly wanted. She checked for her gun, but could not find it. She had likely lost it during her tumble down the ditch and into the muddy pool, and there was no chance of her going back for it now.
Thankfully the river was a good ten metres wide in this area. However, that was not much longer than the dinosaur itself and Garrel had the horrible sensation that even should the dinosaur prove unable to leap the gap, it would have no trouble at all in wading straight through.
They hastened away downriver while the monster ate, knowing they would have to place as much distance between them as they could. Because they knew that as soon as the deltadromeus had finished its meal it would be coming straight for them once more.
CHAPTER TWELVE
There were dinosaurs in the woods and Monroe had gone prepared. The copter had taken him to the edge of the wood, where the river broke the trees, and he had gone in on foot. Slung across his shoulder was a rifle, while at his hips there rested two revolvers as though he was a cowboy entering a duel. Straps of ammunition crossed his chest at both angles, while in his hands he carried a gun fashioned in the style of a blunderbuss. He had been guaranteed that the thing would bring down an elephant, although had no intention of going after such creatures. It was the carnivores he knew he would have to fight, and while no one had ever guaranteed him it would bring down a fully grown tyrannosaurus rex he knew he would have to take his chances.
Striding boldly into the woods, Monroe felt more at peace with himself than ever he had before in life. He had never done anything like this, had never so much as considered doing something so dangerous, especially on someone else’s behalf. If he was at home he would have had a dozen sycophants leap to carry his weapons for him, to go on ahead to make sure the path was clear. But his blunderbuss was designed with elephants in mind, not sycophants, and it was all his.
It was oddly refreshing to actually do something selfless for a change, and as he walked he smiled.
Keeping the river to his right, he headed deeper into the woods, knowing all the while he had an easy route out once he found the two for whom he searched alone.
*
Allen and Garrel had broken into a run the instant they had been out of sight of the deltadromeus, although now they stopped, breathless, haggard, collapsing against a tree. Allen had never seen Garrel so frightened, although after everything she had told him he knew she was scared more for her daughter than she was for herself. It was no wonder she never spoke about her daughter, that Allen had not even known about her until recently. It must have been torture for Garrel to spend all this time on Ceres, knowing her ex-husband was likely cementing his case against her. Even if she did manage to get enough money together, she could return home only to find her daughter permanently in the man’s custody. Perhaps he would even have fled with her, disappearing to some distant world where Garrel would never find him.
Allen could not imagine what she was going through. He had never had any children of his own, had never thought about such things, and whatever Garrel was going through, it was certainly not something he could ever hope to understand. He knew there was nothing he could do to help her, since his own financial situation was that of any archaeology student; but constantly did he think of Monroe, of how h
e could be made to help her. If nothing else, Monroe had known Garrel for all this time and had to have begun to feel something for her. At the very least she had provided security for the camp and therefore had saved his life with her safety measures, likely time and again, without him even knowing.
By this point they had both managed to regain their breaths. Allen looked at Garrel with her muddy, soiled clothes, her hair wet with sweat and black with dirt, and could see a soul alive with possibilities. Garrel did not intend to die here in the woods, torn apart by some long-extinct reptile; and if she had already determined to survive this, Allen could not see how she would have any trouble fighting the courts when she got home.
Looking upon her now he also realised his feelings for her had changed. She was still incredibly fit and he fancied the pants off her, but now he could see something of who she really was. Before he had seen her as he would a model in a magazine, but the more he came to know her, the more he could see she did not need him fawning over her. She had far too many problems without him adding to them, and if he could be her friend then he would be of far more use to her.
It meant he would have to curb his flirting, but the more he thought about how he had been, the more he was ashamed anyway, so that wasn’t such a big deal.
“This is a high-profile mission,” Allen said. “No one’s ever been allowed to legally come to Ceres. It was all over the papers before we left, and when we return we’re all going to become celebrities, at least for a while.”
“What’s your point?”
“You’re entering the public eye, Sara. It gives you ammunition against your ex. You may not have the money, but you get the next best thing. Public support.”
“Could we drop it until we’re safely back at the camp?”
“Sure.” He could sense she was upset more than angry. She did not like to talk about her situation because thoughts of her daughter brought tears to her eyes. But he could also see that his words had hit their mark and that she was thinking them through. They were the first known people to land on Ceres: their names would be remembered along with the likes of Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins.