Lear’s eyebrows lifted. “What got into him?”
“Your compassion,” Ben said. “Meaning, lack thereof.”
***
“Greedy-ass bastard,” Coop mumbled after his ended the call. He looked up and saw the faces of his crew ready to receive orders. He needed some time to look at the map and plot a course to Lear’s River. The Mule was a versatile vehicle, and having tracks instead of wheels enabled it to travel on almost any surface. It was designed to carry four people comfortably. Coop figured one more in the front and one in the back could be crammed in. Two could ride the rear bumper; two could ride flat on the roof with the .50 caliber gun between them; the other three could sit on the bulldozer-like blade in front when turning it horizontally. It wouldn’t quite look like a clown car, but it would be pretty damn close to it.
“Everyone finish dressing and go through your personal items. If you find anything unusual let me know. We have no way of knowing where all this stuff came from. I don’t want us to let our guard down. It wouldn’t make sense for whoever provided our gear to do something malicious but we can’t be sure. Inspect food and water before eating it. Look for signs of tampering,” Coop said. “Chief, after I dress, come over, and we’ll plot our course.”
The crowd around Coop broke ranks and everyone left to follow orders. There was a slight spring in everyone’s step that had been missing. They wouldn’t be heading into the unknown with rocks, sticks, and bare fist. The dangers they faced still might end lives, but that was true in any war. The key to survival was to outmaneuver the opponent and kill them before they killed you.
Natasha finished tying her bootlace and stood upright. Her brown cotton shirt was buttoned, but the bottom hung past the waist of her shorts. She grabbed her shirt tails and tied them in a knot, exposing her midsection and navel.
Suge had his boots and pants on. He picked up his shirt and shoved a muscular arm in. “You know, that outfit looks really good on you.” The other arm went in, and he began buttoning his shirt.
“Thank you. I spent a lot of time picking it out. I wanted to dress practical, but I didn’t want to give up fashion,” Natasha said. “Funny, though. When we were naked, it was like we didn’t notice. Wearing clothes certainly adds distinction.”
“Oh, I noticed that you were naked. It just wouldn’t have been appropriate for me to comment at the time,” Suge said. His tone had matched a noticeable desire in his eyes.
Natasha must have noticed it too. An embarrassed smile crept across her lips. She said, “Maybe they’ll be an appropriate time in the future.”
Okay, things we’re really getting closer to normal now, Coop thought. Not even a half hour had passed since some semblance of civilization had returned and stirred the attractions between men and women.
“What about Logan? You know, what he did to you. Have you thought much how you would act if you met him again?” Suge asked.
Natasha sighed and closed her eyes. “I have.” She opened her eyes back. “And I can’t think of one good way to handle it. He killed me—pushed me over the edge of a cliff. I can’t forgive him just because I returned from an earlier time before it happened. He meant to kill me. He had no way of knowing I’d be back. And why? What reason did he have to kill me? We had been close friends.”
“You heard what Bats said. He thinks Logan had a thing for Matt and wanted you out of the way. I’ll say this, I don’t know much about gay people, but I did notice how Logan acted differently to Matt. Logan went out of his way to do little things—checking on him like a mother would do a child. He wouldn’t overdo it. And anytime Matt asked him to do something, he hopped right to it and always did something extra. The man would look so self-conscious when Matt thanked him. It was like Logan searched for approval. I guess it could have very well been Logan trying to win Matt’s affection.”
“I guess…that’s the only reason I could think Logan would want me dead. He never talked about Matt, you know—in that way. And we talked a lot about his relationships. I don’t know how I’m going to react when we meet again. There’s nothing either of us can do to change the past.”
“No, but thank God something changed the past. You’re here now. You were given a second chance,” Suge said.
“Third, if you want to get technical. I don’t know if I can be as gracious as whoever or whatever has us alive right now,” Natasha said.
Coop had finished dressing and looked about for Chief. The mercenary leader was in the passenger’s side of the Mule. Coop walked over and tapped on the window.
Chief opened the door but kept his gaze fixed on the GPS screen on the dash. “I’m checking things out now. We’re close to two hundred miles away as a crow flies from Lear’s River. From the satellite information we have stored, we should be able make it on this route.” Chief pointed to the screen, which had the route marked in small dashes. The path was far from a straight shot but looked like it didn’t add an excessive amount of miles to the journey.
Will and Gerald showed up by Coop’s side.
Gerald said, “This is some wicked piece of machinery.”
“You should see the Warthog. It’s a beefed-up version of this,” Coop said.
“Tell us about it,” Gerald said.
“The Mule’s nuclear powered. The rods are good for three months of continuous use before they have to be replaced. The tracks allow us to go just about anywhere—including on sand, snow, and mud. The fifty caliber machine gun can be operated from the cab. We sent the Mule ahead of the Warthog to clear tight paths for the larger vehicle. The blade in front comes in real handy at clearing the path of debris and foliage.”
“Is it hard to drive?” Will asked.
“No, we could teach you how in five minutes,” Coop said.
“We noticed the Redwater team has some sophisticated rifles. Can you show us how to use them? You know…in case we have a man down. I don’t think Gerald’s or my nine millimeter are going to do much good against dinosaurs,” Will said.
Coop saw the logic in the request. It was a morbid thought of sorts. But in war, whoever had the best weapons usually won. Will and Gerald would need to learn how to use the best weapons. He looked around and saw Meat inspecting his rifle. “Meat, can you come over here and show Will and Gerald how the JNY-Seven works?”
“Sure thing, boss,” Meat said, and stepped over carrying the rifle across his chest. “What we have here is the baddest-ass rifle created by man not in a video game. It’s called the JNY-Seven, but we just call it a Seven. The rifle holds one hundred rounds of custom ammunition. The bullets are caseless, so we don’t dump brass everywhere. The projectile in the bullets are small, but it’s made of a compound that explodes on impact. It’s an exploding bullet.” Meat held the rifle in one hand and pointed with the other. “Right on top, we have a grenade launcher used for blowing up shit a short distance away. There are three grenades in reserve. On the side here, is a version of a RPG—rocket-propelled grenade—for distance. Blows up Troodons pretty good. Too bad the Seven only carries one rocket. The gun shoots single shots, three round bursts, or can go fully automatic. The trigger mechanism is itself a pistol.” Meat pushed in a button, the hand-grip-trigger mechanism and a short section of gun barrel detached as a single piece—a handgun. “The rifle still can be used to fire grenades. This pistol is exactly like the sidearms the Redwater’s carry and is interchangeable with the one in the rifle. If you two will step over to the side, I’ll let you handle it yourself, and squeeze off a round or two.”
As the three men left, Suge arrived with Natasha leading the way in front.
Caveman, who had been unusually quiet, stumbled up next as he struggled to put on his belt. The man had a small ass to support such a rotund gut, and his pants would have had a better fit had they been a size or two larger.
Ron and Don arrived with Susan in tow.
Alex was last and the one who Coop wanted to speak to. The Professor first stopped next to Susan, who turned her head, shooti
ng daggers his way. He casually sidestepped over by Suge and Natasha. The young ex-lover crossed her arms, and her laser stare warned him he wasn’t wanted.
“Come over here, Alex. I’d like to go over a few things, and I’d like your input,” Coop said, trying to diffuse the situation. This really wasn’t the time for the women to hold grudges, though he understood why they did. He wished all the distractions could be pushed aside until all of this was over.
Alex stood next to Coop. Chief had the window down in the Mule and waited to hear the discussion. Bats exited the driver’s side, stood on a track, and looked over the roof.
“Did anybody find anything noteworthy in their gear?” Coop asked
A few people said no, and the rest shook their heads.
“Anyone else have a phone?” Coop asked.
Again, all negative responses.
“Not that it matters. The Mule has a satellite connection. Now, I don’t mean to look a gift horse in the mouth,” Coop started, “but I feel foolish for just taking all this stuff and hitting the road without asking a few questions.”
“I know what you mean,” Alex said. “Aliens, or someone from our future, keeps pulling us from our past and placing us back in the normal timeline. We are being used for a specific purpose. If the purpose is for us to leave Patagonia and reintroduce dinosaurs to the present world, why not just awaken us back at the camp on the other side of the mountains? That’s not happening. Instead, we’re outfitted with basically the same gear we had when we entered. Why would a higher power do that?”
“Well, if it’s God who’s doing this to us as Meat had suggested, then it might be to teach us a lesson,” Natasha said.
“Cut the God stuff,” Coop said.
“I’ll stick with science whether it’s alien or manmade,” Alex said.
“Cut the alien stuff,” Coop said.
Alex continued, “We’ve been given the means to make our way back, but we’ll have to fight our way. There’s no free ride here. And since we’ve been given the tools to leave, then I have to believe whoever gave them to us is also observing us.”
“Oh, Alex. You’re making our situation sound like some bad episode of The Twilight Zone,” Susan said. “The fact is we don’t belong here, and we’re given the means to leave the same way we came. There’s no reason to overthink any of this. We have this chance, and we have no other choice than to take it.”
The Professor’s wife had a point, Coop thought, when you cut the situation down to the basics. Still, Alex had made a good point too. “Alex, Susan, I think you’re both right. We have a chance, and we’re going to take it. If we’re observed along the way, then this was somehow a test. And whoever lives past the test might have an opportunity to discover more truth. So, that’s our goal. All of us make it out of here alive.”
“Let’s get this show on the road,” Caveman said.
“You heard the man,” Coop said. “Let’s load up and head on out.”
***
“Compassion?” Henry Lear said. “Coop is in no need of my compassion. Do you know the literal meaning of the word compassion?” Lear asked.
“I know what compassion means, Lear,” Ben said and slightly rolled his eyes.
“To have compassion means to suffer with. You heard Coop. He’s a man in fine health. He has food, weapons, and a means of transportation. He’s not suffering. The fact remains that he and the rest of the Redwater members are in my employment. I’m paying them, and their job is not complete. As a businessman, it behooves me to keep all business deals in perspective.”
“Death usually terminates all business contracts,” Ben said.
“Did Cooper sound like a dead man to you? As far as I know, the dead can’t speak. The contract is binding. In fact, because you three have prematurely abandoned the mission, you’re all in breach of contract,” Lear said.
“Excuse me, Mr. Lear, but you can’t be serious,” Matt said. He had wanted nothing more than to run out of the tent and hop aboard the Chinook. Now, the situation had spun into a whirlpool threatening to suck all three of them in. “We stayed in touch with Waterman the entire way back. Ace Corp was fully aware and in full compliance with our return. Our commitment to you is done.”
“But the information you gave us turns out to be incorrect. Isn’t that right? The others aren’t dead, as you reported. Let’s look at the facts: the mission is ongoing, and you’re outside the mountains surrounding Patagonia.”
Matt’s shoulders slumped. “Mr. Lear, you said a few minutes ago we could leave, and—”
“I’m not convinced that’s really Cooper you spoke to. Time machine, are you serious? I watched Clint Perry and Natasha Kamdar fall to their deaths,” Logan said. “There’s nothing the three of us can do to help get out whoever’s in there. We’re not military. You should let us go home. I hope to goodness that they really are alive. We can wait for them back in the States.”
Matt didn’t want to be any part of a rescue team going back into Patagonia either. He felt the three of them would just get in the way. There was something in Logan’s voice again that was a bit off-note. The young man was hiding something.
Matt knew he had reservations about meeting Alex again face to face. And for some reason, Logan acted like he had reservations too. Was there something about Clint’s and Natasha’s death Logan was hiding? Then it dawned on him, something Logan had said right when everyone believed there was only one bullet left in the revolver that Lear had pointed at Matt’s head. I love you, Matt, Logan had said. At the time, Matt categorized the statement as an emotional farewell. But now that he thought about it, and the way Logan had been acting toward him over the last few months, maybe the young man was reaching out for something more than favor from a friend and teacher. Logan had been so loyal and dutiful, concerned and caring…dare he think it? Loving? Did Logan do something to Natasha? Alex was dead, and Matt’s plan had been to be there for Natasha. Did Logan see this, too, and decided to remove Natasha from the picture?
Lear had been patient. Perhaps waiting for Ben to protest too. A few moments passed, and he said, “Mr. King, you said your commitment to me was done. How about your commitment to Alex Klasse? Hmmm? Or Susan Klasse and Natasha Kamdar. If there’s one chance in a million you could aid in the rescue of your companions, don’t you owe it to them to take it?”
So now Lear had resorted to the guilt trip game. Of course, it was easy for a person to ask someone else to risk the ultimate sacrifice. Why was it so important to Lear for them to go? Was there a plot within a plot? Before Matt had the chance to sidestep the question and ask again to leave and go home, Ben interrupted, and said:
“He’s right, Matt. We have an obligation to go back.”
Logan showed the internal conflict on his face. Matt thought it looked like the young man had aged ten years.
“If I thought we could be of some use, I might feel more of an obligation. Look at us. You can’t even walk without crutches. What happens if we get in a tight spot and have to leave the Warthog? We can’t carry you. Logan and I aren’t warriors,” Matt said.
“You don’t have to worry about me. I’m willing to take the risk. If I have to be left behind, then so be it. But I don’t think that way. Never have and never will,” Ben said, the words couldn’t have sounded more heartfelt.
Which made Matt feel like someone had just cut off his testicles and thrown them in the trash saying he didn’t deserve the pair. “Mr. Lear. What can we possibly do out there other than get in the way? I guess you could use us as dinosaur food. Are those diamonds more important to you than human life?”
“I think you and I have different philosophies concerning life. Life without risks is a life not worth living, in my opinion. I’ve lived an opulent life, but I’ve lived a hard and dangerous life too. Do I push others to risk their life? Yes, I do. But I ask of them no more than I ask from myself. Getting back to the question of what can you do, you three can do a lot. First off, none of the six-man team
here is familiar with the Warthog and how it operates. You are. I need you to navigate the ATTC for the rescue mission. Also, you are scientists. I believe your counsel is invaluable. Captain Diaz is a very capable military commander. The best commanders have a well-rounded team at their disposal. You three have made it across the mountains twice and have some feel for the Patagonian landscape. Time is a factor here too. I don’t have time to get another experienced Redwater crew over here. The quicker we can make the rendezvous point with Coop and the rest, the more lives can be saved. Wouldn’t you agree, Mr. King?” Lear said.
There were no gaping holes in Lear’s argument for him to try and crawl out of. Matt looked over at Logan, and the young student looked like he had just swallowed bitter medicine.
Ben had locked a gaze on Matt that demanded for him to commit or get the fuck out of his way.
“Logan, I’m not going to lie and say I don’t have reservations. But I feel like I need to do this for Alex and the rest. I…” Matt felt his conscience threaten to betray his secret, but this was not the time or place to confess his sins. “I need to go back and do this for me too.” The more he thought about carrying the burden of killing another man for the rest of his life, there had grown a monster he never thought would arise. Who knew how the consuming guilt would alter his future? This was a chance to right a wrong. A great weight lifted from his shoulders.
“That’s great, Matt,” Ben said. “Logan, you with us?”
The blond haired student lifted his nose slightly in the air and breathed out. “I feel just like Matt. I want to do this for the others, and I want to do this for myself too.”
“Admirable,” Lear said. He turned to Diaz. “Captain, would you please have your men assist in loading the Warthog? Get the heavy equipment operators on the bulldozers, and start clearing the path. I want everyone ready to head out one minute after the way is clear.”
“Sim, Senhor Lear.” Diaz commanded, “Nós temos nossos pedidos. Vamos lá.”
Lost World II: Savage Patagonia Page 14