“That it does, Ron. We’re sticking with Chief,” Don said.
“Guys, I don’t think it’s a good idea for us to take sides this quickly,” Coop said. “There’s still time—”
“How far is your cave from here?” Bats asked Gerald.
“Since it looks like it’s morning, I’m pretty sure we can reach it before night time. We know where we’re going, so it won’t take as long to get there as it was to find it in the first place.”
“See, if we waste any more time arguing over it, we’ll miss out finding water and shelter for the night,” Bats said.
“We found water heading south,” Coop said.
“Water and killer dinosaurs,” Bats said. “Our chances are better going back to Hawkins’ cave.”
There was nothing to dispute that fact. Coop had no intentions of going back south anyway. This truly was the moment of decision. And even though he agreed with Bats, he didn’t like the way all of this was going down. He decided not to break ranks, mostly out of pride. “I’m sticking with Chief. I believe we’ll find a way back to the Mule.”
“Everyone. The situation is far more complicated than it used to be. Now that none of us are reborn until all have died, we’re in a predicament. Let’s say some of us reach the Mule—or just one of us, doesn’t matter. We call for help, help comes, and…”
“And then you get them to come to our camp and rescue us. No big deal,” Bats said.
“That’s not what Alex was getting at,” Coop said, realizing the situation. “Help comes, and we make it to your camp. How many are alive? Or rather how many of us have died? None can come back to life until we all die. So what happens? The survivors tell the rescuers to pick them up at the vortex by the volcano and then kill themselves?”
“What happens if just one of us makes it out of here, and the rest of us die? Do the dead stay trapped in some sort of suspended animation for all eternity?” Natasha asked.
“Which strengthens the point that we would be better off if we all stayed together,” Alex said. “As much as I’d like to take another trip toward the Mule, I don’t think it’s the best plan.”
“Susan, I don’t think we’ve heard from you,” Coop said.
She stood by Chief with the side of her face against his chest. “This is a horrible, horrible place. We’ve no chance making it back to the Mule.” She loosened her embrace around the Redwater leader and gazed up into his eyes. “I’m sorry, Chief. I can’t go back out there—it’s suicide.” She turned her head toward Bats. “I’d rather try to find some place safe and wait.” Her arms wrapped around Chief’s chest, and with her eyes closed and tears slowly rolling down her cheeks, she said, “But you can’t leave me—you just can’t.”
Gerald stepped over to Coop’s side, and whispered, “I thought you said that was the Professor’s wife.”
“I did. Long story for later,” Coop said. The fucking soap opera continues.
Chief’s face sagged like hooks with lead weights pulled it down. He had just drawn a line in the sand, and Susan had stomped all over it. His face reddened as he focused on Bats. Coop wondered who the man was madder at. Bats for dividing the group, or Susan making him choose between her or his command.
“I’m sorry, Susan,” Chief said in a tone that sounded contrived to hide emotion. “I have to give it at least one more try.”
She didn’t hold her tears back and whimpered.
The man obviously had feelings for her. Coop watched Chief’s stern expression melt as he tightly hugged Susan. “I’m sorry. I don’t give up this quick. It’s in my DNA. We’re smarter now—learned some things. Every time we go out, we’ll improve and increase our chances to make it.”
“If you were fucking smart you would have learned you’re nothing but dinosaur food out there,” Bats said.
Chief tore his embrace away from Susan and stomped over to Bats. The two men faced off nose to nose. Chief said, “You’re out of line, mister. And if you don’t shut the fuck up right now, I’m going to do it for you.”
Bats swelled his chest and brought a finger up. “I don’t take to threats. There’s nothing but air and opportunity between us. Take your best shot.”
“Guys, stop this ri—” Coop began.
Lightning arced across the Patagonian sky, striking the volcano’s mouth. The earth rumbled, quenching the situation. The swirling vortex that brought them back to life slowly darkened, turning the white smoke-like spiral gray. The blue, green, and red lights flashed in the time tunnel in a kaleidoscope of colors.
“What’s happening?” Natasha yelled.
Suge pulled her closer. “I’m not sure, but it doesn’t look good.”
The winds picked up, bathing the survivors in hot air. Lightning spider-webbed behind the volcano and struck the vortex.
Coop had been in his share of firefights back in Vietnam, but that had been many years ago. He had been close to explosions as mining companies blasted the terrain in search of treasure. But never in his life had he ever experienced the brutal release of energy such as then. Everything had gone white and the noise so loud it deafened him.
He had collapsed to the ground but didn’t lose consciousness. The sky above returned to focus, the familiar layer of clouds hiding them from the rest of the world. He turned his head and saw the others had met a similar fate—either flat on their back or on their side—slightly stirring.
“What the fuck was that?” Meat said.
“Did somebody shoot a nuke at us?” Caveman said.
“Doubtful, but something released a lot of energy,” Alex said.
“Is everyone okay?” Coop sat up and surveyed the area.
Various voices answered, all indicating no one was hurt.
Chief was the first to stand. He looked over at Bats, who had fallen next to him, and offered him his hand.
Bats hesitated a second, and then reached out and accepted the kindly gesture. He rose to his feet. “Thanks.” Then he turned his gaze away from Chief. His bottom jaw dropped, and he said, “Son-of-a-bitch.”
“What?” Chief turned around, and said, “The vortex is gone. And look what’s there!”
Pain shot through Coop’s knees as he sprang from the ground. The spinning time tunnel had vanished, and what was left in its place was too good to be true. “I don’t believe it.”
“It’s the Mule…and look, there’s gear—supplies,” Suge said.
“No fucking way,” Meat said.
“Roll Tide,” Ron said. “I bet the Bear heard two ’Bama fans were in need and sent us some help.”
“You know he would if he could,” Don said.
The Mule looked like it had seen some time in Patagonia, but it bore no damage from the earlier Spinosaurus attack. It was completely intact, .50 caliber machine gun and all. Backpacks, folded uniforms and clothing, and JNY-7 rifles and pistols lay neatly in front of the vehicle.
Caveman had made a beeline toward the equipment. “This better not one of thems mirage things.”
Chief had gone and helped Susan up, and they and the others walked over to check the gifts.
“This is our old stuff. It’s got our names on it and everything,” Caveman said.
Natasha found her backpack and clothing. “Boots and socks, shirt and pants, I’m in heaven.” She brushed the dust from her hands and the rest of her body. “I wonder—yep, panties!”
“I don’t know what all this stuff is, but I bet it’s a game changer,” Gerald said. “Will, here’s our stuff. Backpacks, food, nine millimeter pistols, and extra magazines.”
Suge picked up his JNY-7. “Grenade launcher…RPG…full magazine.” He pointed the barrel toward the volcano and squeezed off a shot. The caseless ammo left the barrel and made a small blast when the exploding bullet hit its target. “It’s the real deal.”
“Would everyone please turn around so I can put on my panties? A girl needs her privacy, you know,” Natasha said.
Alex burst out in laughter. Ron and Don looked perp
lexed at each other. Meat chuckled. Apparently the gifts had elevated Natasha’s spirits to where humor, though be it irony, found its way out.
Coop, too, felt renewed in spirit. Patagonia had put such a burden on everyone that the old civilized person had been lost. This equipment is just what they needed to bond the team back together. It had come at the perfect time.
“This changes everything, again,” Alex said.
“You bet it does,” Caveman said. “We’s have a fightin’ chance.”
“Guys. The vortex is gone. The time machine is no longer here to bring us back to life. Now when we die, we won’t be coming back,” Alex said.
“We’ll just have to make goddamn sure we don’t die then,” Bats said. He had his underwear on and his shirt, about to button it.
Staying alive was still going to be a challenge, but with weapons, the chances of surviving increased exponentially.
“Look, I even have my nut-free MREs,” Susan said as she dug through her backpack.
Chief shot Alex an ugly look.
The Professor quickly averted his gaze and acted like he hadn’t heard her comment.
“I’ve got six MREs and four bottles of water,” Meat said.
“Don and I do too,” Ron said.
“I’m going to check out the Mule. See if the satellite link is working,” Bats said.
Coop probed his backpack and felt something hard and plastic. “Don’t bother. Look what I have.” He held up the satellite phone. “And it’s got a full charge.”
Chapter 11
“I don’t know who this is or how you have Vincent Cooper’s phone, but I must warn you that phone and anything else in Patagonia is the possession of, or solely permitted to be extracted by, Ace Corporation,” Henry Lear said. The man’s 11 lines between his eyebrows looked like rows in a garden.
An eerie warmth washed behind Matt’s mind as his subconscious struggled to make sense of an impossible situation. The call couldn’t be from Vince Cooper. From all indications, he had died not long after he had reached the cave with the diamonds. Meat had told them Coop had called, and all the big Samoan heard was gunfire, explosions, and dinosaur cries. Had the Geologist survived somehow? It sure sounded like Coop’s voice coming over the satellite phone.
“Henry? Is that you?” Coop said.
Anger quickly melted from Lear’s face, and the surprised expression, his mouth opening wider, threatened to let the cigar fall. It was obvious the CEO at least thought he recognized Coop’s voice. “Who is this? Vincent Cooper is dead.”
“Henry, I’d know your voice anywhere. There’s a long story I could tell you—and I will later. Right now, we’re just looking for a way out of this place,” Coop said.
“Vince Cooper died in front of a cave. I watched a video taken by the Mule. He was eaten by a Spinosaurus. You can’t be Vincent Cooper.” It was hard to discern if Lear’s words were an affirmation or said for the man to convince himself.
“We,” Ben said. “He said we.”
“Ben? Is that you?” a different voice said over the phone.
“Alex?” Matt said. “Alex, it’s Matt.” Nostalgic memories of his old friend clouded his reasoning. This couldn’t be the Professor though. Matt had watched Alex get torn apart by Troodons. He had been the one who sent Alex plummeting to his death.
“Silence! Everyone,” Lear yelled. He lowered his head into his shoulders and crossed his arms high on his chest. After lost in thought for a moment, he said, “I demand to know who this is and who you work for.”
“I work for you, Henry H. Lear. CEO of Ace Corporation. We’ve known each other for over twenty years now. This is my sixth assignment. You paid me one hundred grand upfront, and I get a small percentage on the diamonds we bring back,” Coop said.
“Cooper could have told someone that…or…or someone in my employment has that information, and they’re fucking with me right now.” Lear’s eyes widened, as if he had figured out the ruse. “Where is this call coming from?” he demanded.
“Henry, goddammit man. Use the GPS on your phone and see for yourself,” Coop said. The frustration in his voice sounded genuine.
“I don’t know how to work this thing,” Lear said.
“Here, let me.” Ben balanced on his crutches for the short travel to the desk. He picked up the phone, pushed the screen a few times, and then turned the screen for Lear to see. “It’s coming from inside the mountain range. From Patagonia, all right. The location is in the north—see right there on the map? They’re near one of the major landmarks—the volcano.”
“The volcano? That’s nowhere near the cave,” Lear said.
“You’re right, it’s not,” Coop said. “Henry, the story we have to tell is totally unbelievable. Yet, as evident by my voice, is true. Me, Chief, Bats, Suge, Meat, Caveman, Ron and Don…the Professor and his wife, Natasha—even Hawkins and Prescott. We’re all alive, and we want nothing more than getting the hell out of here.”
“Coop, if this is Cooper, you know how I am. I don’t want to hear the whole birth. Just give me the baby,” Lear said.
“Okay, this is it. I’ll give you the facts and the speculation,” Coop said and then took a deep breath. “Sometime after we all died, we woke up by the volcano. There is—or there was, some phenomena that looked like a vortex. We believe it to be a time machine of sorts. This vortex brought us into the future, meaning now, from a time before we were killed. We weren’t actually brought back to life, although it seems that way to us. So the man you’re talking to hasn’t truly died. We all just stepped from a time where we lived, to the present, avoiding the hazard that killed us.”
“Fascinating,” Lear said. “What kind of machine is it? Can you control it? Do you think it’s something we can disassemble and ship back to the states?” Lear asked.
Lear’s greed showed no boundaries. Learning of nothing short of a miracle wasn’t enough to restrain his consuming desire for profit. He just couldn’t rest in the comfort that his friend and the others were actually alive.
“Henry, we had no control over the time machine. It really wasn’t a machine, per se. But that’s all moot now. Whatever that thing was that brought us from the past to the present is gone. It just disappeared. An equally unbelievable story is what appeared in its place,” Coop said.
“I can’t imagine anything topping a time travel story,” Lear said.
“Well, the vortex disappeared but did leave us gifts. All of our gear—clothes, food, weapons, all laid out nice and neat for us like we were about to start a new mission. And…and the Mule is here.”
“What?” Lear said.
“I’m looking right at it. Bats has the engine rolling, and he just gave me a thumbs-up. We’re all good to go, but we’re going to need some help,” Coop said. “I take it the Warthog made it back with Ben and Matt there. Is Logan with them?”
Matt turned toward Logan.
The young man had his gaze glued to the ground. With some effort, he said, “I’m here.”
Matt’s mind was racing ninety to nothing. Alex was alive. Transported from a time before he was killed? What the hell? Could this be true? If so, did Alex have a memory of him kicking the Professor to his death? And what was up with Logan? It’d seemed to Matt that Logan would be ecstatic to hear Natasha and the others were alive. Something was eating at Logan. What was it? Did it have something to do with the way Natasha and Meat had died? Did the two deaths go down a different way? What was Logan hiding?
Coop continued, “We have the Mule, and though it’s going to be cramped, we can all fit on it and make better time escaping. I’m not sure how far we are from Lear’s River, but I know the Mule won’t be able to cross that. We’ll need the Warthog to meet us on the other side—or as close as it can get to it—and get us back over the mountains. How soon do you think you can hire a crew and bring the Warthog this way?”
“I have a six man Brazilian force that I can send over now,” Lear said.
“Hold on,” Matt
said. “The earthquake dumped a bunch of rubble on the path through the mountains. I don’t know if it’s possible to go back the way we came.”
“Shit,” Coop said.
“I’ve got some heavy equipment in place ready to clear the path,” Lear said. “I had the bulldozers delivered in case we had to extract the Warthog. But now, we can use them to clear the path back.”
“Any idea how long that might take?” Coop asked.
“Unfortunately, no,” Lear said. “So, what’s the plan?”
After some silence, Coop said, “We’re going to load up and head southeast. You can track us and follow our progression. Send the Warthog our way as soon as possible. Maybe we can meetup in a few days. One thing is for certain, if any of us dies along the way, there will be no coming back. The time machine’s gone.”
“Not the most unusual of circumstances,” Lear said. “I expect a full report, Coop. You’re still leading this mission. I want you to bring everyone back alive. It’s bad enough we’re losing the Mule. Now we won’t have any way to get back to the cave and get the diamonds until I can get another shipped in—and that may take months.”
“Well, then, I have some news for you that just might brighten your day,” Coop said.
“What’s that?” Lear said.
“Bats just handed me a pouch he found inside the Mule,” Coop said. “A pouch filled with red diamonds.”
“Red diamonds? In the Mule? What for the love of God is going on here?” Lear said.
Coop laughed so strangely Matt thought the geologist might break down and cry. “I don’t know…I just fucking don’t know. It’s…it’s like there’s some game going on, and we’re all just pawns.”
“Let’s hope the game is stacked in our favor then,” Lear said. “You get your team together and head toward the river. I’ll get the bulldozers clearing the path. Waterman will contact you later for updates and a rendezvous point. Don’t forget about that report. And don’t let those diamonds leave your sight for one second. Are we clear?”
“Yes, Henry, we’re clear. I won’t let anything happen to your precious motherfucking, cock sucking, ass licking, goddam pieces of colored glass,” Coop said, and then the call terminated.
Lost World II: Savage Patagonia Page 13