Bone Quarry

by K D McNiven

“The doctor removed the bullet and I’m happy to report there was very little damage to the muscle and ligaments as it didn’t fully penetrate. He is a very lucky man. However, that being said, with the amount of blood he lost, he’ll have to remain here for a couple of days on antibiotics to make sure no infection sets in.”

  A sigh of relief tumbled from Meg’s lips. She sagged against Jayden for support, not realizing how spent she was for all the mayhem they had just gone through. “Thank God. Can we see him?”

  “He’s still sleeping, but yes. You can go inside and wait for him to wake up.”

  “Thank you,” Meg replied, already heading in the direction of his room.

  Jayden grabbed two chairs and slid them up beside the bed. Despite the fact the two were divorced, Jayden could see Meg still cared deeply for Rourke. And from what he’d witnessed so far, he was certain Rourke still loved Meg. He wondered when the two of them would acknowledge it.

  Meg finished her coffee, tossing the Styrofoam cup into the garbage. When she turned back around, she saw Rourke’s eyes flutter open. She smiled. “Trying to wimp out on us, huh?”

  The corner of Rourke’s mouth curled upward. “Thankfully, it didn’t work out that way. Glad to see you two made it out unscathed.”

  “The nurse says you have to stay here for a couple of days to mend. I know it will be bothersome, but you have to stay put!” Meg said.

  “Right now, I won’t argue. I feel like I was dragged down a railroad track for miles.” Rourke winced as he tried to push himself up.

  Meg got to her feet and adjusted his pillow. “Jayden got hold of the police commander. They’re going over to the compound to check things out. Hopefully, they’ll arrest the lunatics working there. At least the one who shot you.”

  “They all need to be corralled,” Rourke said flatly. “Look at the damage they’ve done already. If we don’t dispose of the beasts they’ve created, I don’t want to think about how many more innocent people will die.”

  “Loads!”

  “Is there a law against recreating dinosaurs?” Jayden asked, drawing both of their attention. He shrugged. “Just asking.”

  “Not that I’m aware of,” Rourke said. “However, they would have at least had to apply for the proper permits given by the Heritage Foundation of Brazil. My guess is, Dietrich Laboratories misrepresented themselves. To have these permits cleared, they would have to, of course, show their credentials, and base their research on paleontology study. Any findings would thus have to be reported to the Institute because all discoveries belong to the government of Brazil. How they slipped through these procedures is the question we ought to be asking. And someone with bundles of cash has to be supplying Dietrich Laboratories.”

  “I agree,” said Meg looking thoughtful. “You don’t think the HFOB is turning a blind eye, do you?”

  Rourke cocked his head, staring at her disbelievingly. “You don’t mean a bribe, do you?”

  “You said yourself, someone with deep pockets and overflowing with cash must be supporting the laboratory.”

  “I suppose it’s possible. Money has its rewards. I am sad to even entertain such backdoor behavior, but how could this be overlooked?”

  “What if I contact the head of BHF and see if I come up with something?”

  “No way!” came his forceful reply. “If they’re taking bribes knowing these villagers are dying in the jaws of these beasts, what do you think they might do to a young woman snooping around?”

  “It’s not up to you, Rourke! You can’t tell me what I can or can’t do. Sometimes I think you forget we’re divorced!” she replied hotly her pink lips set in a pout.

  Rourke made an effort to get up, stopping short when knifing pain drove through his shoulder. Face pinched up, he said, “Can you hold off until I’m out of here, Meg? Will you at least promise me that?”

  It galled her that he still treated her like his wife. However, after everything they had gone through thus far and everything they had seen, she understood his hesitancy about her prying into BHF’s organization without backup. If they had taken a bribe, which seemed likely, the last thing they would want is someone poking their nose into their unlawful transaction. The foundation’s job was to keep vigil over treasure hunters out to loot artifacts and to preserve Brazil’s archaeological heritage. Rourke made a point. If they were dirty, what would her fate be if she discovered the truth? It was risky. Dangerous.

  “All right.” Reluctantly she abandoned the idea of going it alone, though her expression reflected her disappointment. “I’ll wait it out. But you have to promise not to be stubborn, have to save the world mentality, you are characteristically known for. If you are entertaining thoughts of sneaking out of here with the notion you’re going to singlehandedly take them on, you have another thought coming!”

  The tension on his face eased after she had given in. Painstakingly he settled back onto the pillow. With a sly grin, he replied, “Promise.”

  “We’re a team then?”

  “We’re a team.”

  ***

  Dr. Wilhelm drove back to the compound. He sat in his vehicle for some time staring at the front of the compound. The entrance was demolished. Cement lay in rubble where the door used to be. It would take more money than he was able to scrape together to rebuild the place, but if he was to complete his obligations, he would have to come up with a way. Perhaps he could convince Mr. Nakamura into investing a bit more money if he explained his lab was in shambles.

  Before leaving the safety of his vehicle, Wilhelm thoroughly scanned the vicinity to make sure the Purussaurus was nowhere to be seen. When he felt secure, he stepped out and began scaling the debris, making his way into the interior. Once inside, he saw the upper floor was still intact. One positive thing.

  “Anna!” he called out, listening intently for any sound. Everything remained quiet. “Anna, are you in here?” He began walking through the hall then stopped dead in his tracks. In front of him was a hand coated in crimson blood, the radial and ulnar arteries dangling from the torn flesh. A dainty diamond ring he had given Anna as a gift, still on her finger.

  He squeezed his eyes shut and turned his head away, a wave of nausea washing over him. Throat constricted, he vomited, releasing a wail of anguish. Anna had been his joy. She had stood alongside him over the years, never complaining, always eager to share his bed after a long day stooped over microscopes while experimenting with certain types of genetically modified plasmid vectors they used in cloning. It was Anna who had been single-minded in building an assemblage of clones in her genomic DNA library, or what she often referred to as ‘shotgun’ cloning. Her objective; to hit the bullseye on the desired gene they were searching for. For the most part, she had been the driving force behind the project. If he was honest, there were more times than he could count when he’d wanted to throw in the towel and fly back to Germany—work in a conventional lab with his colleagues. It had always been Anna who encouraged him to stay focused, wanting him to recognize their great accomplishments. She knew one day it would all pay off. Their names would be the talk of the scientific community. But now…

  Hearing the rumble of a vehicle coming down the drive, he glanced out and spotted a jeep filled with four camouflaged police. Knowing he would undoubtedly be arrested, he dashed up the stairs, the ting of metal as his feet fell, resounding through the interior. He pushed through one of the doors and into a small laboratory. At the rear, a false cabinet pulled out and behind, a crawl space. Wilhelm got down on hands and knees and crawled across the cement floor into the cubby hole, slightly larger than himself. He pulled the cabinet back into place and waited quietly.

  Commander Fernando’s eyes panned the compound, surprised by all the debris. He couldn’t imagine what could have collapsed the façade of it save an earthquake, which he knew was not the case. As he strode across the checkerboard floor, he immediately caught sight of the bloody hand and a chill rode along his spine.

  “Hernandez, bag
the hand as evidence while I take a look around.”

  He shook his head as he heeded the commander’s instructions, his face paling. The stories had been flying through the small village about the monster attack on Dietrick Laboratories. But to actually see the destruction first hand was another matter altogether. Hernandez could only imagine how enormous the beasts must be to do such incredible damage. And then there was the hand…

  Fernando climbed the circular staircase, peeking into each room as he reached the top floor. The upper area had not been damaged. He walked the length of the hall and went through a door leading into a large laboratory. He stood in stunned silence, his eyes darting from left to right, taking in the hideous display of glass containers lining the shelves. Each was filled with a clear fluid, most likely alcohol, Fernando mused, to preserve the various stages of Purussaurus’ growth, amongst other bizarre creatures he was inept to identify.

  He stooped, peered into one of the containers, face contorting in horror as he stared at a gray blob suspended in the liquid. A peculiar creature, arms splayed, and mouth gaping, revealing sharp, three-inch teeth. Peculiar in that its head was merely the size of a golf ball—more teeth than head. Its yellow eyes bugged out as though they might possibly pop out. The hair on the back of his neck stood taut and he shivered despite the heat. With cautious strides, he walked over to a length of windows and peered downward. Metal bars were bent inward, several had broken free from cement pilings and laid out over the floor. A side door had been smashed in as well. Flabbergasted at the sight, he stood like a statue, his heart racing. The thought of these creatures returning back through the rubble hijacked his peace of mind, and suddenly all he wanted to do was flee.

  When he turned to leave, he spotted blood droplets over the white tiles. He knew Rourke had been shot by one of the scientists in the compound. He stooped and with the blade of his pocket knife, chiseled several splotches and slid them into a small baggie. Without further delay, he joined the others on the main floor downstairs and motioned for them to follow. If Dr. Wilhelm Dietrick was around, he had concealed himself well. Fernando would have to wait another day to question him, and his poor assistant Anna he’d been apprised of…well, that was a whole other matter.

  Chapter Nineteen

  ⁂

  Captain Burke had left the area to resupply the ship. He had been gone for three days and now dropped anchor just offshore. He had received a call from Meg who had informed him of all the details and said Rourke would be released later in the day. Jayden and Kyle were already preparing the zodiac to go ashore and would bring them back to the ship, at which point they would make decisions on how to go forward with the Purussaurus issue.

  It was a short time later he spotted a ship off starboard on sonar. After several attempts trying to communicate with it, Burke finally made haste to the deck, grabbed a pair of binoculars and gazed out over the rolling waves. Burke caught sight of a Japanese flag flapping in the breeze and his brows raised. Nautical flags indicated they were dropping anchor and were carrying dangerous cargo. Something did not sit right with him. He had to wonder if they had something to do with Dietrich Laboratories? It was a reasonable assumption after what had transpired at the compound. But Japanese? How were they involved, he reflected?

  A short time later, he spied a side boat being lowered and five men climbed inside and within seconds, the boat scudded over the gentle swells towards the shore. Burke had an unsettling feeling in the pit of his stomach. Surely, they weren’t intending to try to transport the Purussaurus to Japan? Or were they? The crew agreed Wilhelm had to have backers. The project which had been set up was financially impossible for one man to sustain.

  Even when Burke went back to the pilot room, he kept a close watch on the other ship. Not knowing exactly what its intentions were made him unsettled. And when the rest of the team came back on board, they all felt the same.

  “If they make an effort to remove these animals, they will be endangering other people’s lives as well,” Meg said, her brows knitted together expressing her concern.

  “Perhaps we need to involve Commander Fernando?” said Rourke. “He is better equipped to take this on then we are.”

  “Now you’re talking,” Meg said.

  She looked pleased that Rourke had concluded he wasn’t going to go take them on single-handedly. However, her moment of relief was short-lived when Rourke added, “I am going to go ashore and snoop around to see who those men going ashore are and what they’re up to. I’m rather suspicious they have something to do with Dietrich Laboratories.”

  “What?” Meg’s voice sounded brittle. “You were just shot!”

  “And?”

  She stared at him as if he had three eyes. “There were five men! Five!” She held up her hand and wiggled her fingers.

  Rourke grinned. “You don’t need to be so melodramatic, Meg. I didn’t say I was going to take them all on and duke it out. I said I was going to check and see what they’re doing.”

  Her face flushed and she bit her tongue. Everyone on deck had their eyes locked onto them. By this time, she figured they had probably grown used to their sparring. She knew Rourke’s stubborn nature, knew it would only end up a verbal ping-pong match if she continued to try and talk sense into him. Besides, they were divorced. She had no right interfering in his decisions, nor he in hers.

  “Fine,” she replied, squaring her shoulders and lifting her chin defiantly. “Then we all go. You agreed. We’re a team.”

  Humor danced in the depths of his eyes. “I did say that, didn’t I? Okay then, let’s have some dinner and then take a short cruise to the beach.”

  “Before anyone leaves,” said Burke. “The ORI called. I filled them in on our circumstances, but…”

  “Uh, oh,” said Kyle. “Something unfortunate is about to surface.”

  Burke smiled. “As a matter of fact. Funding has now stopped. We discovered what we were sent here for and they are no longer willing to carry us. Still and all, they told me I could remain with the ship until the dinosaur thing is completed.”

  “In other words, Captain, you’re saying we will no longer get a paycheck?” said Camilla. Her mouth set in a tight line.

  “That’s the short of it, I’m afraid. Those who can’t afford to stay, need to leave next flight out. I have to take the boat back to Macapá and get a few supplies and secure the tickets. I plan to leave in the morning. Terribly sorry, but ORI calls the shots. Also, you need to see the data we’ve acquired taken back and put into their hands.”

  A time of silence followed, the crew eyeing one another to see how the situation would resolve itself. It was obvious Rourke would still be financed as ORI had been willing to contract him and Jake as a separate entity, executing an entirely different job. Now that the team had wrapped up their investigation as to why the fish were dying and had evidence of red algae along the banks, there was nothing left for them to do. A separate team would need to come and do clean up—obviously not until the Purussaurus issue was dealt with.

  “I feel like a traitor. It’s just I don’t have the finances to continue. I have house payments, and…” Camille said.

  “No need to apologize Camilla. We fully understand. Don’t beat yourself up about it. ORI isn’t giving you any other alternative,” Burke interrupted.

  “I’m with Camilla,” Cory said. “I have a hard enough time making ends meet as-is. And well…I have a family to consider. I’m not sure they would understand me staying to slay dragons.”

  Three other team members voted to go. All eyes turned to Kyle and Jayden.

  “I’m here for the long haul,” said Jayden. “No way am I going to cut and run now. I’ve already invested time and energy into bringing down these scaly over-sized lizards and I intend to keep on until I know the town’s people are safe.”

  Kyle shrugged. “I don’t have a family to worry about and have enough finances to see me through. I’m in.”

  “I’ll make all the arrangements,�
�� Burke said. “Those who stay on are free to continue using the zodiac and whatever else is necessary.”

  An hour later, the team sat down to dinner. A traditional Brazilian shrimp soup, made with coconut milk and tomato was served, the creamy texture pleasing to the palate—the flavor light and aromatic. The crew gave a thumb’s up to the chef, Larry Crowe, who always went the extra mile to serve something authentic while anchored in international waters.

  Lingering over drinks in the lounge to say their goodbyes, the mood was melancholy. Working side by side over the weeks had knitted them together and sadness blanketed them seeing that half the team would be leaving. Meg had especially bonded with Camilla and hoped they would get another opportunity to work together.

  “You make an awesome divemaster. I’m glad they chose you because you always check and double-check the equipment. Everyone feels safe going out with you,” Camilla told Meg.

  “Thanks, Camilla, I appreciate your compliment more than you know. And I have to say, you’re amazing! You dazzle me in the lab. I’m truly going to miss you and Cory. Great teamwork.” Meg bent forward and gave Camilla a hug.

  “I’m going to miss you too.”

  After everyone left to pack their belongings, Meg headed out on deck, walking toward the dive station where she located Rourke.

  Before loading into the zodiac, Rourke pulled Meg aside, his gun-metal eyes piercing hers. Her breath caught in her throat, and she quickly looked away, not wanting him to see how he affected her.

  “That kiss,” he said softly. “At the compound…”

  “Chalk it up to adrenalin,” she said. “We almost lost our lives.”

  Unbelief was etched on his face. She shifted nervously from one foot to the other under his scrutiny. “Adrenalin?”

  “Yeah, that sort of thing happens all the time. Now, let’s get loaded, they’re all looking our way.”

  He sighed, shook his head and walked slowly toward the boat.

  As usual, the jeep was left parked a distance from shore, leaving them to walk a quarter-mile to retrieve it. Once there, Jayden and Meg climbed into the back, Kyle, and Rourke in front. They were unduly quiet as they drove toward the compound. The incident with Jake fresh in their minds.