Susan stirred at Coop’s announcement. She cleared her throat and wiped her mouth with an unsteady hand. “Good. I’m ready to get out of this thing. I hope—good grief! What’s that smell?”
Caveman grinned and gave her a wink. “Uh, that would be me.”
“Damn, man, you couldn’t have waited another five minutes and fart outside?” Suge said.
“I done told you, there’s more room out than there is in,” Caveman said.
“John, show the ladies here a little respect,” Chief said, and turned his gaze toward Susan.
Natasha held her nose, and Logan had lifted the front of his tee shirt up under his eyes to use as a filter. Matt shook his head in disbelief.
“I owe you one,” Ben said, exaggerated revenge in his tone.
“Don’t start nothing you can’t finish, big boy,” Caveman said, apparently eager for the competition.
The Warthog slowed and stopped. “We’re here. Roll Tide,” Ron announced from the cab.
*
It was much warmer outside than it was in the Warthog’s front cabin. Alex hadn’t realized that at one point the heater kicked off, with the air conditioning switching in to maintain the temperature. For such an industrial looking machine, the Warthog was finely tuned for creature comforts.
It was barely light outside. It was a bit shocking to look up and see the misty dome that surrounded the foreign land. The cold mountain air mixed with the rising heat of the earth creating a phenomena unlike any other. Alex wondered if something else was involved in forming the dome. Perhaps something within the gases belching from the volcano; he noticed the sulphur odor had diminished, but he could still taste it on the back of his tongue. Either his sense of smell had grown accustomed to it, or the chemicals had desensitized his olfactory nerves. Whatever, he hoped the effects wouldn’t linger after returning home.
The stars, for the brief time he gazed upward back at the camp the previous night, had looked magnificent. No man-made light pollution to block the view of the universe. There would be no star gazing for the remaining of this trip.
Everyone was eager to assist in setting up for the night. Ron had parked the Warthog in a flat area with low vegetation—scrubby grasses of some sort. About 50 yards away a forest grew thick. There was no way they’d be traveling through it, although he imagined the Mule would stand a much better chance over the Warthog. Even from the distance the trees looked massive, spreading out their leafy canopies, blurring the arms of one tree into the next.
The Redwater crew took the lead and started unloading the rear cabin. Don strung a few lights around the perimeter and plugged them into the Mule’s power outlets. Bats and Suge rolled out the waterproof canopy that ran the length of the front cabin by the door. It might have been possible for everyone to sleep inside the cabin, but no one would want to be packed in like sardines. Some would have to sleep outside of it.
Alex hoped that weather and indigenous life would treat them kindly. Indigenous life? Were any dinosaurs nocturnal? He didn’t know. It only made sense that dinosaurs followed the same evolutionary path as other animal phylum. So there was probably more than one creature or two who would be on the hunt tonight.
As for his crew, basically everyone stood around waiting for a member of Redwater to give instructions. Alex felt like he was mostly in the way, and couldn’t help but drift from the pack and stare into the distance in hope of catching a glimpse of a prehistoric behemoth wandering about the countryside.
Unexpectedly, a foreboding feeling that the whole trip had been a ruse and he had been played a fool wormed its way into his mind. What if the picture was faked? Allegedly, there was a video of the pterosaur. He had never seen it. What if Ace Corporation contrived an elaborate plan and waited for a sucker to raise his hand in order to take advantage of him? And if this had all been a bundle of lies and deceit, what else wasn’t he aware of? Now he considered the possibility of being in danger by the very group sent to protect them.
A needlelike pain jabbed Alex’s forearm. His hand instinctually slapped the area and came back with a streak of brown smear across his palm.
Coop walked by his side. “We’ve got some insect spray in rear cabin. Be sure all of your crew uses it, even the ones who are going to sleep in the front cabin. I know we’ve all had our shots, but there is a lot of unknown out here.”
“I’ll be sure to do that. Did you bring any dinosaur repellant? I don’t see signs of any kind of life other than flying insects,” Alex said.
“I’ve already told you we didn’t expect to see much life on the outlining areas. We certainly don’t want to put ourselves deeper in country at this point. We’re tired and need to be fresh for an encounter, if we can help it.”
Alex shifted his gaze to the ground and slowly shook his head. “I . . . don’t know. I’m starting to feel like we’re on a hunt to find a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow—like finding dinosaurs still alive is just a big fantasy. When I look around I’m seeing reality—the only reality I’ve known. And . . . and it’s hard for me to wrap my mind around seeing a prehistoric beast in this reality. Is . . . there something else going on about the mission that you’re not telling me?”
“Alex, I’m not sure what you expected to see when you’ve been on your other strange creature hunts. But I know you didn’t find anything, or the whole world would know of it. Maybe you’re subconsciously expecting the same results here. You know the mission. There’s nothing else to add. It’s been a rough day. We’ll be eating soon, and then we’ll get some rest. The low-level radar and thermal cameras are operational, and we’ll get an alert if any visitors happen upon us.”
Coop was either one of the straightest shooters Alex had ever met or the master of deceivers. He liked the man. He wanted to like the man and hoped to goodness nothing would change for him not to do so. “Yeah. I’m tired, anxious, and a lot of other things I’d rather not discuss. Thanks, Coop. You and the others did a great job getting us here.”
“Tomorrow, we’ll launch the drone. The good part’s just getting started.” After patting Alex on the shoulder, he headed back inside the front cabin.
By this time sides had gone up under the canopy, boxing in a nice sized area leading into the front cabin’s entrance. Good timing, as the day’s light faded faster than he had anticipated. It was time to join up with the others and complete the nightly rituals.
Alex walked from the front of the Warthog past the canopy, and saw Ron warming MREs on an electrical contraption plugged into the Warthog. Having a nuclear engine was wonderful, providing energy for all sorts of things.
A few crewmembers were in line at the rear cabin. Bats was in charge of handing out sleeping bags. Others already had their bag and were heading inside. From what he knew, he, Susan, Natasha, and Matt would be inside, along with Coop. The Redwater gang opted for the canopy area. Ben had said he wanted to stay outside, but Logan never made any commitment to where he would bunk for the night.
Logan was last in line as Alex neared. Bats waited to hand him his sleeping bag.
Alex stopped dead in his tracks. Something was up with Bats. His body language spoke volumes. Alex decided to hang back and let the two work things out, and step in only if the situation called for it.
Bats maintained that cold, long distance stare at Logan. He remained still as a statue and showed no emotion at all.
Alex saw Logan’s jaw tightening, and after several moments, Logan said, “Is there a problem?”
“Earlier . . . I don’t think I told you thanks for giving me a hand. So, thanks,” Bats said.
Logan’s stiff shoulders relaxed. “You’re welcome. I’m sure you would have done the same for me.”
“Maybe,” Bats said. His brow crinkled like it was a scenario he played in his mind.
“So we’re cool?” Logan said. The man obviously wanted to get past any bad blood between them. It would certainly help clear one of the unnecessary distractions on this trip.
“Yea
h. We’re cool. Just keep your hands to yourself, and there won’t be any problems.” Bats tried to give Logan his sleeping bag.
Logan raised his hands in frustration. “Bats, you are a man without a clue, which surprises me and frustrates me at the same time. You’re older than I am—been all over the world and met people from different societies. You’ve seen and done things I’ve never imagined—lived a hard life I will never know. You’d think a man with your life’s experiences would understand people better. Know that not everybody thinks the same way—how some of us are put together different. Not in a bad way, just different from your way. You actually told me ‘keep your hands to yourself.’ Do you know how ignorant that makes you look? You and I are different. You should have enough insight to know I’d never even consider putting my hands on you. I respect you for who and what you are, and in turn, I expect the same from you. So, my advice is to get with the times. Erase ancient stereotypes and unjustified prejudices of the past. Gay people aren’t some monsters that can’t resist molesting the same sex. We’re just people. People like you. Just trying to live life and make it in this world. So I ask this, if you want to thank me for saving your life, you can do it by rethinking everything you know about people and their sexuality. Stop putting barriers between you and those who are different.” He took his sleeping bag from Bats.
Alex watched Bats’ face the whole time Logan lit into him. Bats’ stoic demeanor hid whether the words penetrated callused perceptions or if a lit fuse was about to reach a pile of TNT. Logan had drawn a line in the sand and disarmed himself by taking the sleeping bag. It was Bats’ move now.
Bats’ head shifted to the side. With a raised lowered lip and a slight nod, he said, “I can do that.”
*
With no stars shining from above or the yellow-orange light of the moon to give its hope, darkness surrounded the camp like a cage. Early man would build fires at night to keep roaming predators at bay. While no one took the time to gather wood to build a fire, the few lights Don set up acted as a substitute, crudely surrounding the perimeter.
Alex didn’t know if his MRE, home-style chicken with noodles, tasted so good because it was a quality product or if it was because he was so hungry. The Warthog had plenty of snacks in the front cabin, but the rough ride on the way up made his stomach too queasy for him to care. He imagined he’d drop a few pounds over the next three weeks—a few pounds he certainly could spare. To drink, he chose a packet of lemon flavoring to zest up his water. No beer or wine for this trip. At least, a variety of flavorings, including tea and coffee, were available.
The rear cabin had a bladder holding a couple of hundred gallons of water. That wasn’t nearly enough water to last the trip and wasn’t meant to. There was plenty of water available in Patagonia, and they would have to resupply often. Contamination wouldn’t be an issue, as the rear cabin housed a reverse osmosis water purifier. Still, water other than for drinking had to be rationed. Washcloth baths would have to suffice until they found a river or stream to bath in.
Everyone seemed in good spirits. The Redwater crew intermingled more with Susan and his students.
Natasha treated him like he was invisible, and Matt acted like he was tethered to her. The disturbing part—Natasha didn’t seem to mind.
Logan mostly kept to himself, as if something weighed on his mind. For whatever reason, Alex didn’t think it had anything to do with Logan’s conflict with Bats.
Susan sat at a foldout table on one of the few foldout chairs brought on the trip. She sipped on instant coffee as Chief described in minute detail some of the more harrowing adventures he’d been on.
Ben finally had to put his money where his mouth was and took Caveman on in an arm wrestling match. At first, it had looked like Ben was going to win. As the back of Caveman’s hand neared inches from the table, the big man grinned like the Cheshire Cat and easily reversed the situation, practically toppling Ben from his chair. At least Ben didn’t get his arm broken.
The fatigue of the day had finally won. Coop declared lights out, and everyone nestled in their own small personal space. The Sandman played his enchanted song, weighing down eyelids with magical dust.
*
A sharp beep emitted from the Warthog’s cab. Alex sprang up from his sleeping bag and looked around, trying to get his bearings.
Coop rose and flipped on a light. Everyone in the front cabin stirred.
“What is it?” Alex asked.
“It’s the movement alarm. The low-level radar and thermal camera work together to give an alert when a life form is detected,” Coop said as he entered the cabin.
Susan sat up. Her head swiveled about as she tried to focus. “Alex?”
“Everyone stay calm. Let Coop call the shots.” Alex stepped over to the cab and looked over Coop’s shoulder as he fiddled with a computer screen.
The image showed a mostly black screen with something on all fours passing by the area. From this view, it was hard to tell the size, but the shape was clear, although it looked cartoonish. The thermal image showed bright reds, greens, blues, and yellows—different colors in variance of heat from the creature.
“Hang on a second. I’ll zoom a night vision camera on it.” Coop clicked a few buttons and brought up another screen. The black and green picture showed a prehistoric creature of some type, ambling across the scrubby grass.
“Son-of-a-bitch,” Alex marveled.
“Whatcha got, boss?” Meat had entered the front cabin. He was the first on watch duty tonight.
“Not sure, but it doesn’t look that big. Did you see it out there?” Coop said.
“Thought I heard something, but I couldn’t see anything. Do you want me to shoo it away?” Meat asked.
“No. Let’s not make any contact if we don’t have to. If he doesn’t bother us, we won’t bother him. Alex, do you know what this is?” Coop asked.
“I’ve been studying up on my dinosaurs. It looks a lot like . . . hold on.” Alex went to his bag, pulled out his electronic pad, and turned it on. “Okay, that thing looks a little bigger than a sheep. See the back of the head? That’s called a neck frill. And its mouth, the frontal beak? I’m pretty sure that’s a Protoceratops.”
“Easy for you to say,” Meat joked.
“According to this, it had powerful jaw muscles and dozens of teeth. You wouldn’t want to go sticking your hand near its mouth. Fortunately, it wasn’t a meat eater. Still, I wouldn’t take any chances. That thing weighs around four hundred pounds and could be a handful.”
“Meat, go back outside and watch it through the night goggles. If it starts heading this way, fire a warning shot to spook it off. Don’t, and I repeat don’t, shoot at the thing,” Coop said.
“Gotcha, boss.” Meat disappeared from the front cabin.
“Can you get pictures of that?” Alex asked.
“It’s all on video. In fact, it’s being beamed up on satellite, and the boys at Ace Corp are watching it just like us.”
By this time Susan and the others had crowded Alex from the backside, trying to get a look. Alex stepped away not to hog an experience of a lifetime. That was a dinosaur out there. An honest to goodness dinosaur! Euphoria washed over him as if he were baptized by Jesus himself and the Holy Spirit had imbued him with power. All those years of chasing after mythological beasts had only led to disappointment. This was real. This was now. This was a gift from time’s past. He was there as one of the first witnesses.
“Looks like he’s not interested in us. He’s heading off toward the woods,” Coop said as the animal’s tail swayed behind him—as if giving a slow wave farewell.
Alex felt like he floated on air. When his crew turned to him, wearing wide smiles and amazed expressions, he was too excited to even talk.
He focused on Natasha. That loving expression had returned in her gaze. That look would inspire a thousand ships to leave for war. For him, it fueled a transformation, clearing his mind to see the future.
Chapter 11
It took nearly two hours for Alex and the others to calm down and get back to sleep. The rest of the night was uneventful. A cacophony of snores did wake him a time or two, though. He wondered how mercenaries on recon missions were able to sleep quietly and remain undiscovered. One of the Redwater guys snored loudly enough to scare a T-rex away, he imagined.
When the wake-up alarm chimed, the glow of day had just begun to thin the darkness. Alex rose with the vigor of a twenty-year-old, ready to dress, and explore the new land.
“Good morning everyone,” Alex said to no one in particular.
Coop was already up and at the computer in the cab. “Good morning.”
“Something new on the thermal cam?” Alex asked.
“No. Things are quiet. Have you noticed we haven’t seen any birds?” Coop rose and arched his back.
“Yeah, I did think about that yesterday afternoon. Something’s keeping the insect population in check, though. Small dinosaurs were insect eaters.”
“A biological evolutionist would have a field day in this place, I bet,” Coop said.
By this time Logan, Matt, and Natasha were up and getting dressed. Susan had managed to roll over. She was either too tired to pop up or perhaps waited for Coop to leave before pulling off her nightshirt.
“We’re going to hit the latrine and head for breakfast,” Logan said, with Natasha leading the way.
Natasha had on hiking shorts and a brown cotton shirt with the tails tied in a knot by her waist. All she needed was an Indiana Jones style hat to give her that ’30s safari look. Her flip-flops flapped at a steady pace as she headed out the front cabin.
Matt looped his boot string and tightened the knot. He rose to follow after Logan.
“Matt. Hang back for a minute,” Alex said.
“See you guys outside. We’ll launch the drone after breakfast.” Coop placed his cap on his head and left the front cabin.
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