Fort Dinosaur (The Directorate Book 6)

by Pam Uphoff

  He drove on. Up top they caught occasional glimpses of the tank.

  A curse from Ra'd. :: I'm hearing engines to the west. We're cut off. We'll need to break contact and take the corridor soon. ::

  Ebsa glanced at the tracking scope. Frowned ahead. Had to be behind that grove right there.

  :: The tank is closing fast. We're about to be in trouble. :: Ra'd grinned, mentally. :: Can I shoot them now? ::

  Ebsa grinned as he spotted something behind the trees. :: Let me try something first. I need you two to get back down here. ::

  He passed the first trees of the grove and edged a bit to the right, as if about to hide behind the grove.

  Ra'd leaned over his seat. "What are you up to . . . Oh shit!"

  The T-Rex's head was about three meters away. Ebsa floored the accelerator, but the crawler just wasn't made for it. Teeth grated along the curved roof, then they were past, the dinosaur turning, taking a step after them, then turning back as it spotted the onrushing tank.

  Apparently it preferred prey that came to it, over prey it had to run down.

  Ebsa watched in the mirror as the tank tried to dodge, as the main gun swung to try to track the Tyrannosaur. As the T-Rex leaped on it, heavy claws on huge feet clenching on the unyielding metal.

  It bounced and stomped.

  "There goes their machine gun." Ra'd called.

  Ebsa took a quick scan forward, and took a hard right toward a dip in the ground. Tree cover was further away than he could hope for, but . . . He glanced out the side window as the T-Rex unbalanced and took a wide side step off the tank . . . no, the huge foot hit the barrel of the main gun that had swung to the side . . . The tank leaned, turned with one track losing traction, even if it didn't quite leave the ground.

  "Yes! Leverage!" Nighthawk laughed. "He can't tip it over, but that's one messed up tank!"

  "Is he heavy enough to bend that heavy a barrel?"

  Ra'd was grinning. "I haven't a clue, but no one in their right mind would risk firing it until it was checked by an expert."

  The T-Rex stepped back on the tank, bounced a few times, then jumped off. Stalked off in search of a less troublesome dinner.

  "Keep an eye on the tank. I'm trying to get out of sight, but if they get turned around quickly . . . " Ebsa drove the crawler over the crest of a hill and down onto rocky ground. A steep gully, trees.

  "Nighthawk, I think this might be our best chance to try your corridor."

  "I'll watch for the tank." Ra'd headed up, as Ebsa stopped, facing two trees on the edge of a steep drop.

  Nighthawk swung down and ran forward. Jumped to grab a branch and scramble up another meter to slap the tree trunk . Jumped down and slapped the base of the trunk, ran to the other tree. Slap, leap, climb, slap.

  A bronze tetrahedron. She jumped into it. A green spot widened. Filled out. She beckoned.

  :: Duck! :: Ebsa floored it. Popped out onto more prairie. Quick survey. No Helaos in sight. Looked behind. Nighthawk trotting toward them, no bronze.

  "Well. That was fun. What shall we try next?"

  Nighthawk jumped in and grinned. "Hide. I'll take a look around the inbetween and see if I can just open a gate from here."

  "Oh? I don't understand the limits."

  "It's the powered gates. They tend to chase the bubbles away. But there are so many bubbles that they never all go away. But the cones are a whole lot rarer." She blushed suddenly. "And I can't reach out really far. Yet."

  Ebsa turned the crawler into their barely visible track from hours ago. "So, let's park under cover and find out."

  Nighthawk grinned. "If that fails, we can always just bubble the crawler and walk back."

  Chapter Fifteen

  4 Rajab 1405 yp

  World EM 0925

  "Walk . . . Umm . . . yes, that would be interesting." Ebsa turned around and eyed her. "Much easier for three people on foot to remain undiscovered. By Helaos. Dinosaurs, on the other hand . . ."

  She grinned. "Of course, we could take turns toting everything else. One person would be even harder to find."

  "Nighthawk . . . at what point does that time dilation effect take place? When you're deep inside, or does the opening have to be closed?"

  "Closed, even a small crack is enough to equalize the time flow. It takes a lot more than that for the mass to be subject to outside gravity."

  "Right." Ebsa steered over to a lone ginko tree, tall and majestic, wide spreading branches starting a few meters from the ground. He pulled up close, nearly rubbing the trunk, the lowest branch across the door. "Bubble the crawler, leaving the door open. We can climb the tree to keep watch . . . wait, what will they see, from the back?"

  "Nothing. The crawler isn't there. The door will have an odd shadow effect that they might notice. I'll attach the bubble to the tree, and fix the opening to the door, so if we close it, we'll be completely gone. And change the time ratio, hmm, how about double time, so we can all eat and sleep?"

  "Good idea. We should get Yffi out, and . . . " Ebsa stepped over to the bunk. "Oh, hey, two of them. And they've got a little bit of fluff." Brownish, with a faint striping.

  The ugly puppies opened their mouths wide and cheeped demandingly.

  The fab obliged with a large syringe, and Ebsa gave both chicks a dose of pureed plants. They wiggled appreciatively, and demanded more.

  "Do you have to stick it so far down their throats?" Nighthawk frowned at him.

  "Well, with birds you do. My mom used to work for this crazy lady who rescued baby birds. This is what she did."

  Ra'd snickered. "Nanny. I'll take first watch, up in the tree."

  The chicks cheeped for more, so he obliged. Frowned out the door. To go picking plants, or to try fabbing something the critters could eat? The chicks were settling down in their heated incubator nest, so he stepped away. "Time for a bit of medical care. Let's get Yffi out. I suspect he'd appreciate your wine."

  Nighthawk stood by with a stunner, but their other captives weren't in any shape to attack, when Ebsa stepped into his bubble to grab Dr. Yffi, who was still under the sleep spell.

  They got him cleaned up and into a bunk before he whimpered his way back into consciousness.

  "You're safe, just relax sir. You are not injured, just, umm, pained. And drugged." Ebsa took the glass from Nighthawk. "Drink this. Relax and sleep, we've got a bit of drive back to the fort, we'll be starting shortly."

  Yffi nodded. "Drugs. To loosen my tongue and make my nervous system more sensitive. And sleep deprivation. I . . . think I told them everything I could. But since I don't know a thing about the military, they were a bit frustrated. I mean . . . I haven't a clue how many soldiers or tanks we have. What weapons we have on hand. And I couldn't . . . do anything to them. I tried to make them release me, and nothing happened."

  Ebsa nodded. "Their brains work to a different pattern or something. Maybe because of all the merging. Nighthawk can at least see them, mentally. I can't even do that."

  "Oh . . . well that's not so bad. I was imagining them as having magic themselves." He flopped back in bed. "Oh . . . I feel good!" His eyes closed and he drifted off into a natural sleep.

  Nighthawk shook her head. "What is it about cross-dimensional invaders that make them so vicious?"

  "I suspect they start out vicious . . . this is leading up to a dig about Oners isn't it?"

  She flashed a grin.

  A laugh from outside, and Ra'd swung down out of the tree and closed the door. "I've heard a couple of distant engines. I think they're searching. Might as well turtle up for a while."

  They ate, then the triceratops chicks woke, and claimed to be starving. Ebsa fabbed up some ersatz broccoli and fed it to one, while the other got the last of the pureed leaves. They snuggled down and slept. Good plan.

  He checked the crawler, all secure, then climbed into his bunk, leaving Ra'd and Nighthawk to figure out how to sleep or whatever with five narrow bunks to choose from. The chicks got him up every two hou
rs. Broccoli was fine. He kept adding veggies. By the time he was almost slept out, they'd graduated to "mixed salad greens." But fake tomato cubes were their favorite. They could even swallow them by themselves. With loud gobbling noises. And they climbed out of the incubator to get them. At least they pooped on the floor, not in the bunk.

  Ra'd laughed when he came out. "For the sight of you with dinosaur puppies climbing your legs, begging for treats, I'll even forgive them the smell." He picked up his gun, opened the door carefully, and stepped out into the twilight.

  Ebsa glanced out. Nighthawk was sitting cross legged, eyes closed, the 10mm within easy reach. Assuming she'd notice, before something bit her.

  He plunked the chicks into an improvised corral of chairs, slung the 12mm and grabbed his shotgun. The air was too thick and humid to call fresh, but apart from some dino-birds hopping around in the tree, there was nothing moving.

  "So . . . fancy a hike through dinosaurs? As the pterodactyl flies, we can't be more than a hundred kilometers from the gate."

  Ra'd grinned. "Perhaps what we ought to do is walk back to the grove where Nighthawk left the corridor open to that tree on the far side of the river. If it is not too strongly guarded, it would the easy way to get us across the river without disturbing any Maiasaura."

  "Oh, hmm, might be worth the extra mileage. I suspect the Maias are a bit pissed at any metal vehicles. Good idea." Ebsa looked around at thumping noises. The triceratops chicks fell out of the door. The half meter to the ground didn't seem to hurt them. They were cat-sized—adult cat sized—in a elephantine fashion, with thick heavy legs and rotund bodies. Their backs were covered with a soft down, faintly striped. They thrashed around to their feet and gamboled cumbersomely about sampling plants, and occasionally galloping over to bump Ebsa's legs.

  "The Directorate frowns on pets, and they'll have a lot of trouble turning a blind eye to these guys, once they grow up." Ra'd eyed them, as they abandoned Ebsa for him, rearing on their back legs, front feet on his shins. "I have nothing edible." But he leaned down and stroked their fluffy backs. "They must lose the fluff when they're big enough to not worry about body heat. We can't keep them."

  "Yeah. Nighthawk has the right idea. Release them to the wild. Otherwise, they'll be in a zoo somewhere."

  "Yes. Which might be safer, but . . . "

  "But where's the fun in that?" Ebsa looked around as Nighthawk stood up and stretched.

  She shook her head. "Can't do one right now."

  Ra'd grinned. "Excellent. Let's go."

  They traded off ten kilometer hikes—although from the time Ebsa spent inside, he suspected that both Ra'd and Nighthawk were running part of theirs and probably staying out longer as well. In the deep night, Ebsa traded off walking with brief sprints. He didn't dare get so winded he lost focus on the multitude of nasty critters sharing the prairie with him. He found the night vision goggles almost more of a hindrance than help, and kept mentally alert for the life around him.

  He stopped just short of the crest of a hill for a breather, and a survey. Over there, something large. And on the other side, at the limits of his sensing ability, a trio of something else . . . were they fuzzy because of distance, or because of mixed up brains?

  He angled away from them, which got him rather close to the other . . . Something large and spiky raised its head and watched him walk past at what was apparently a safe distance.

  Then some small skittery things started stalking him. Bipeds, backs about half a meter tall, claws glinting as the half moon rose and gave him a little more light to see by. The first one within his mental reach got a stun spell. The rest of the pack paused. One darted at him, and he hit it with another stun. And needed a broad swipe of push to shove the rest of them back.

  They wound around, hissing, eying him. One rushed forward and this time it was the slice spell. It dropped, blood spurting very briefly. The others disappeared into the brush.

  "Well, better you lot than a single T-Rex." Ebsa hiked on, keeping his mind open. Walk, run, walk, run. The walking was getting longer and the running shorter by the end of his four hours.

  He fished the stick with the crawler's bubble on it out of his backpack, stuck the large end on the ground, and tugged on the twig. The stick was attached to one side of the doorway, and now open, was supported by the crawler.

  The chicks pounced out and ran around, excited by the outdoors.

  Ra'd yawned out of his bunk, and glanced out the door. "Time for one more dash before dawn?"

  "Yeah, two hours and it'll be full light though. Then we can decide whether to travel by day or quit until night. And watch out for nasty little raptor type things, they run around in packs." Ebsa stepped in and punched up a double salad with extra tomato cubes. By the time he'd fed Ugly Puppy and Cute Chick, Ra'd was dressed and apparently ready to gallop off another twenty kilometers before breakfast.

  As soon as Ebsa could catch his baby dinosaurs . . .

  Chapter Sixteen

  5 Rajab 1405 yp

  World EM 0925

  "Looks like twenty soldiers. A couple of civilians with equipment. Scientists studying your closed corridor, I think." Ebsa eyed the camp. They were on their bellies, concealed under the brush with only their heads above the crest of the slight hill. Late afternoon. A beautiful spring day, if you liked humidity. "They don't look very alert, and they're all glancing toward the camp kitchen. Meal time soon. So . . . Nighthawk? Feeling up to some more light warps?"

  "Oh, sure. But I'll have to do it alone, with all of you in the crawler." She smirked. "Because as soon as I step into the closed corridor, any light warps on this side will collapse. I have to take you with me."

  On her far side, Ra'd stuck out a stubborn jaw. "I . . . crap. I need to get assigned to Embassy, so I can spy on the Fallen and learn how to do these things."

  Ebsa nodded. "It's not like anyone in Gate City wants us. So really, being assigned to Embassy would be good, right? And Paer needs more training from their witches . . . "

  Ra'd snorted, then turned and scowled down at the Helaos encamped around their corridor. "Let's do this. We need to get home."

  Ebsa nodded and eased back from the crest, making more noise than both the others, together. The stick was leaning against a small tree. Nighthawk stood it up, opened the door. Ebsa stepped in, ignoring the smooching sound behind him.

  Dr. Yffi was standing in front of the kitchen fab, spinning around in alarm, then relaxing with an irritated huff. "It stinks in here, and the machine won't work."

  Ebsa cast a guilty glance toward the Triceratops pups, and stepped over to the fab. "Hungry? What would you like?" He hit the clear button, no telling what buttons the hapless academic had pushed.

  "A gyros would be nice, but your machine . . . "

  Ra'd snickered, and walked back to the lav.

  "It's all purpose, so there are some extra steps." Ebsa tapped in the order. "I forgot about it being different from most fabs." Which is a bit of a lie, but only top line kitchen fabs have this much manufacturing ability. I suspect your wife could make anything with this one. He stepped out of the way, so the doctor could take his sandwich, then tapped in an order for more salad. With extra tomatoes. The gyros smelled terrific. I think I'll have one, too . . .

  "One bloody stinking dinosaur poop." The doctor growled.

  Ebsa glanced over to see him reaching for the door. "Don't . . . "

  The doctor yanked the door open and stepped out into the middle of the Helaos camp.

  Shrieked, and ran. Away.

  "Ra'd!" Ebsa dropped the salad, swooped to grab the 10mm and raced for the door. Leaped out feet first to knock flat a soldier rushing toward him, threw a stun spell at the soldier nearest Yffi. Threw a physical shield over himself, and pushed it out as far as he could, trying to get between the fleeing academic and the soldiers. And punched the nearest, dropped him. Tossed another stun spell . . . I should shoot them . . . his stomach twisted, and he threw another stun.

&nbs
p; Ra'd leapt into the fight.

  "Get Yffi! Get him out of here." Ebsa backpedaled, trying to not get flanked.

  Outside his shield, soldiers were dropping. Nighthawk.

  A curse from Ra'd. Ebsa spared a glance. He had the doctor over his shoulder, limp. A darting shape . . . Ra'd sprawled over the triceratops pup. Rolled back to his feet and hoisted Yffi back up. The soldiers abandoned their push against Ebsa's shield and poured around to the side. Ebsa shifted, turned the shield. Ra'd staggered past behind him, radiating fury.

  :: Nighthawk, get them out of here. I'll keep them busy for a bit, and try to get through the corridor before you have to collapse it. ::

  :: You'd better! :: Ra'd's mental voice was frantic.

  The door shut behind him.

  Ebsa bolted for cover. Trees that just happened to take him further from the corridor. And pulled soldiers away from Nighthawk as she did whatever it was that needed to be done.

  Movement in the brush. Cheeps. Two frightened baby dinosaurs, running toward him.

  A frustrated soldier swung his gun toward the pup. Ebsa raised the 10mm and shot first. Emptied it into three other soldiers. Slung it as he ran forward grabbed the pups by their tails and ran for the corridor. No longer bronze, it showed open prairie. A push spell to knock a soldier aside. A stun to the other side. Dear One, wasn't he out of soldiers yet?

  Instruments covered the ground in front of the corridor. He jumped, stepped on one, leapt again, for the not-matching circle. Staggered and stumbled, sidestepped Ra'd and the gun he had aimed at the corridor. Ebsa dropped the dinos, turned, and unslung his gun. Dropped the mag, grabbed the other out of his pocket, inserted it, and . . . pointed it at absolutely nothing.

  Nighthawk lowered her hand. "I hope you don't change your mind and want to go back, because I popped the bubble."

  "No, I don't . . . " Ebsa turned for a survey. "Err. Not really."

  It looked like half the Helaos were camped around the fort. The nearest just a few hundred meters away.