by Rick Poldark
Peter withered.
“What? What’s wrong?” Her eyes were searching, pleading.
“Tracey, there’s something I have to tell you.”
“What?”
He swallowed hard. There was only one way to tell her, and it was by being direct. “I’m in a relationship with Mary.”
Tracey stared at him, dumbfounded. She didn’t appear to process what he had just relayed to her. Then, as it dawned on her, she appeared crestfallen. “Oh, I see.” She turned away from him in embarrassment.
“I didn’t know how you felt,” pleaded Peter. “You were gone. I thought I’d never see you again.”
“You?” she spat. “You?”
“Tracey…”
“I could see her ending up with Jason. But, you?”
Peter shrugged his shoulders. “It all kind of just happened. She came back for me.”
“When everyone else left. When I left.”
“That’s not what I meant. You didn’t leave me. I told you to go, to save yourself.”
“I can’t say I blame you, Pete. She’s beautiful.”
“So are you.” He winced after saying it. It sounded pathetic.
“Do you love her?” Tracey’s voice was small.
Peter threw his hands down at his side. “I don’t know.”
Tracey turned around to face him again, her jaw set. “What do you mean you don’t know? What kind of answer is that?”
Peter raised both eyebrows. “To tell you the truth, she kind of scares me.”
“She scares you?”
“Yeah. A lot.”
Tracey shook her head, as if to clear her thoughts. “This isn’t why I pulled you in here. We’re getting sidetracked. There’s something we need to do.”
“Now I’m really confused. What the heck are you talking about?”
She looked at him, eyes determined. “They’re up to something.”
“Who?”
“Poseidon Tech. They’re not here for you or the others. Come on, you know how these guys operate. There’s something else.”
Peter threw his hands up in exasperation. “Yeah, but we don’t know what.”
She stepped closer to him, lowering her voice to a whisper. “Exactly. That’s why we have to find out.”
“Find out? How?”
“We have to sneak around and get a look at the main tent. Whatever is going on, it’s happening there.”
“It’s late, Trace.”
She popped her head out of the tent. Her left hand reached out for him and pulled him towards the opening. Now his head was also sticking out of the tent.
“Look,” she said.
Peter saw Nielsen walking back to his tent. He disappeared inside. “What am I looking at?”
“Nielsen turned in. Collins is walking back from the edge of base camp. We don’t have much time. If we’re going to do this, we have to do it now.”
“Even if we see something, how do we know what we’re looking at?”
Tracey snapped her fingers. “We’ll need help.” She dashed out of the tent, yanking Peter with her. She crept over to Marcy’s tent, dragging Peter along.
She squatted in front of the tent. “Marcy…Marcy, are you awake?”
Marcy’s head poked out. “I’m trying to get some sleep.”
Tracey shook her head. “We need you. We’re going to see what’s going on in that main tent, but we need you to recognize whatever it is.”
Marcy shot her an insolent look. “Can’t this wait till morning? I’m dead on my feet.”
“No,” whispered Tracey. “We have to do this now.”
Marcy scowled. “All right. All right. Hold on. Let me get my shoes on.” She disappeared back inside her tent.
Tracey stood straight.
“This is a really bad idea,” whispered Peter, leaning in.
“No, it’s crucial to getting off this island in one piece,” insisted Tracey.
“What if we get caught?”
“What do you think they’ll do to us?” asked Tracey. “Feed us to the dinosaurs?”
Before Peter could answer, Marcy emerged from her tent wearing her tank top, khakis, and her boots. “Okay, let’s do this so I can get some damned sleep.”
The three of them walked casually across base camp, Peter casting a wary eye at Nielsen’s tent. There was no light on within. He was probably sleeping, something Peter believed he should be doing at the moment, but once Tracey got a notion in her head, she was very tenacious.
Collins’ men all but ignored them, going about their business, keeping the camp secure.
“Look,” said Marcy, pointing.
Several technicians in Poseidon Tech jumpsuits fanned out, sweeping the ground with long apparatuses ending in what looked like a steering wheel in a cordoned off sector of base camp.
“What are they doing?” asked Tracey.
“Metal detectors,” said Marcy. “Part of the geological survey. Look over there.” Off to the right, a technician was manning surveying equipment and jotting notes onto a digital pad with a stylus. “That’s a total station. He’s recording distances.”
“What for?” asked Tracey.
“He’s marking coordinates,” said Marcy.
“There’s something significant about this site, other than being a landing zone,” said Tracey.
Peter pointed at a large red vehicle on metal treads surrounded by portable flood lights. A large drill was mounted on the front as two technicians shouted instructions, guiding the operator. “They’re taking core samples.”
“Part of our geological survey,” shrugged Marcy. “Nothing strange about that.”
“They’re going to draw an awful lot of attention.”
They saw a Humvee circling the survey area, the gunner scanning the jungle. Peter knew it wasn’t going to be enough if something large decided to amble out of the tree line.
“Let’s check out the main tent,” said Marcy.
They made their way to the back of the main tent. Marcy held up her index finger over her lips, telling Peter and Tracey to be quiet. She placed her ear up against the side of the tent. Tracey shrugged and did the same. Peter looked around, shifting his feet. Finally, he joined them, placing his ear up to the canvas.
They all heard voices from within the tent. One of them was clearly Collins. He’d returned faster than expected. Tracey cursed under her breath, and Marcy shushed her silently. Peter clenched his teeth and balled his hands into fists, terrified.
Marcy’s eyes lit up as she listened. Tracey touched her arm and mouthed, ‘Do you understand what they’re saying?’
Marcy shook her head. “You stay here. I’m going in to get a closer look. Don’t move. I’ll be right back.” She disappeared around the corner.
Tracey leaned forward, listening.
Peter was lost. He heard multiple people speaking, now including Marcy, but he only made out a few of the words—metal, phase shift, lock on.
“Can I help you?” The voice came from behind Peter, and its sudden appearance made him and Tracey jump out of their skin. Peter wheeled around and saw Collins standing there, glaring at them.
Peter looked around. “Uh…I was just trying to find my tent.”
“Well, it isn’t over here,” said Collins. “You were listening in.”
“No we weren’t,” insisted Tracey, sounding like a stubborn child.
“You do realize we can see you through the tent,” said Collins. He gestured up with his right hand. “You’re standing in front of the flood light.”
Tracey stepped forward, going for broke. “Yeah, well, we want to know the real reason why Poseidon Tech is here.”
Before Collins could answer, automatic gunfire erupted off in the distance. He whirled around.
“What’s that?” asked Tracey, but she had a feeling she knew.
“It’s coming from the direction of the river,” said Collins.
Peter had closed his eyes as soon as he heard the shots, re
aching out with his senses using the power of the life orb. He opened them. “A dinosaur. A Big one. Spinosaurus, I think.”
Tracey looked at him sideways. “Wow, Pete, you can actually tell the species now?”
As if in answer, a thundering roar filled the night air, followed by more gunfire.
Collins got on his radio. “Chief to perimeter guard, report.” He waited, no answer. “Perimeter guard, report.”
The radio crackled. “It’s coming through. It’s huge. We can’t stop it…” The pops of gunfire filled the background, and the call terminated.
Collins looked at Peter. “Wait here. You’ll be safe here.”
Before Peter could say otherwise, Collins ran off, shouting instructions to the men around him.
“Let’s get inside the main tent,” said Tracey. “At least we’ll get a good look at what’s going on inside.”
Peter nodded, and he followed Tracey around to the front of the tent as they heard more gunfire erupt in the background. Before them, under the large tent, sat a large array of electronic equipment. Techs manned screens and keyboards. They looked up from their monitors, their terrified expressions eerie in the dim illumination.
“What’s going on out there?” The question came from a young woman with shoulder-length brown hair, around Marcy’s age. Her face was white, and it wasn’t just the illumination of her monitor. All eyes were on Peter and Tracey.
“We’re under attack,” said Peter.
The woman’s eyes were wide as platters. “From what?”
Another loud roar answered the young technician’s query.
“Is that a dinosaur?” asked a paunchy man in his thirties with sandy blonde hair, his glasses nearly falling off his face.
“I know what we’re working on,” declared Marcy, stepping forward from behind a table of laptops. “This land we’re sitting on is abundant in an unclassified metal. Poseidon Tech is using it to focus the stabilization grid.”
Peter and Tracey traded confused looks.
“By locking onto this vast deposit of ore, they’ll be able to keep the island phased into our home dimension,” said Marcy.
“That’s how we’re going to get home,” said the man in the glasses. “This way there’s no time pressure to make it through a brief window. They could hold the portal open indefinitely.”
That last sentence sent a chill down Peter’s spine. He looked at Tracey, his expression grave. “That’s what they’re here for.”
Tracey looked pale, as if she’d seen a ghost. “Peter, there’s something I have to tell you.”
“What?”
“In the mission debriefing, before we landed on the island, Nielsen played audio from 207’s flight recorder. Peter, I think something wants off this island.”
He nodded. “That entity. The one that turned Mike Deluca into a monster.”
“The one that offered to teach you how to use the death orb,” added Tracey.
Marcy walked over to them. “I’m sure this is all just for the mission, to help get us off the island, like Randy said.”
Randy nodded.
Tracey glowered. “I’m not so sure of that.”
Nielsen came barreling into the main tent. “We’re under attack! A dinosaur made it through the perimeter defense—big one, too. Collins wants us here in the center of base camp until it’s over.” He looked around the room and was stunned to see Peter and Tracey already inside the tent.
Peter shoved past him to look outside. Tracey was right beside him. Base camp was in a state of barely controlled chaos. The drilling for core samples ceased, and technicians flocked to the main tent as Collins and his team mobilized. The remaining weapons team hopped into their Humvees as the remaining Huey’s blades began to turn.
Tracey pointed to the tree line to the south. “Look!” Bolts of light streaked into the jungle, trained on something they couldn’t yet see from the main tent.
“That doesn’t sound good,” said Marcy, standing beside them.
“We’ll be safe here,” said Nielsen. “Collins is all over it. There’s only one.”
Peter turned on him. “Do you have any idea how large and dangerous a Spinosaurus is?”
“Peter, look!” Tracey gawked at something to the south as gunfire erupted. Several of the technicians darted up front for a look. A few remained inside the tent, cowering behind their laptops.
Peter turned in time to see the Huey rise into the air and fly south. He saw an enormous, hunched figure enter the clearing. It was long with a massive sail on its back. “That’s got to be a twenty-footer,” said Peter.
“Bigger,” said Tracy.
Nielsen looked out the front of the main tent as Collins’ team engaged the ‘spine lizard.’ He turned to Peter and Tracey. “You know what this thing is. Does it have a weakness? If it does, you need to tell Collins.”
“It’s thought to be largely aquatic,” said Peter. “I encountered one in the river when I escaped the Zehhaki. The only reason I’m still alive is dumb luck. I got caught in the rapids, and it didn’t follow me.”
“Is it weaker on land?” asked Nielsen.
“It’s definitely built for water,” said Tracey. “It has a crocodilian bone structure. It uses its tail and webbed feet to propel itself through water.”
“It must’ve followed us back from the river,” said Peter.
“Or, we left a trail of breadcrumbs,” said Tracey, glaring at Nielsen.
He shot her a sharp look. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“We dumped the Stegosaurus bodies in the river. Remember?”
“There’s nothing we can do about it now,” snapped Nielsen. “So, is it weaker on land?”
“I wouldn’t say that,” said Peter. Then he snapped his fingers, his eyes lighting up in an epiphany. “Crocodilian! It has nostrils on the top of its head. Tell your copter to focus its fire on the top of its head. If we can disrupt its breathing, it might go away.”
Nielsen nodded and got on his radio. “Collins, it’s Nielsen, come in.” He was so excited, he forgot all about callsigns.
The radio crackled. “Chief, here.”
“Our paleontologists said to concentrate fire on its nostrils on top of its head to disrupt its breathing.”
“Copy that.”
*
Nielsen watched as the Spinosaurus tore through the ground forces, roaring at the Humvees as they fired grenades at it. Its long, slender profile allowed it to dodge most of the fire. However, its sail took a few hits. In response, it bellowed at them in fury.
The Huey started firing at the top of its head. Streaks of light flew past its head, most missing their target. The large beast hunched and swerved, scooping its long snout into the melee and snatching up foot soldiers.
It pressed further and further into base camp, stomping on tents. Its massive sail was broken, blood glistening by the light of the moon and gunfire. Collins’ team surrounded it, the Jeeps circling it, firing grenades. Each time it dipped its head to attack, they concentrated fire at the top of its head. One grenade made contact, wreathing its head in fire and smoke. It shook its head and staggered backward as the Huey barraged it with its minigun.
It whipped its tail about as it whirled around, catching one of the Humvees. The vehicle veered off, nearly flipping onto its side. As the hulking predator turned its body, its tail caught the gunner of the other Humvee, pulling him out of the mount.
Nielsen winced as he saw the Spinosaurus stomp on the gunner with a large, clawed foot. The massive lizard swooned as the other Humvee recovered, the gunner firing into its side. The Huey descended, coming in closer, taking advantage. Its minigun fired into its side. The dinosaur fell sideways, hitting the ground hard. It moaned, struggling to regain its footing, but Collins and his team moved in for the kill.
Nielsen turned to face the group. “We did it! Dr. Albanese, that was brilliant!” He looked around and saw the excited and relieved faces of his technicians, but he didn’t see either
of his paleontologists. Panic rose up within the project manager. “Where’d they go?”
“Who?” Marcy looked sheepish.
“You know who, our two paleontologists!”
Marcy shrugged her shoulders. “They left the tent.”
The panic was replaced by annoyance. “Where’d they go? Go and find them. Congratulations are in order.”
*
Marcy burst out of the tent, looking around. With all of the technicians inside the main tent and security out by the fallen Spinosaurus, base camp was empty. She strolled between the tents, hands casually in her pockets, her eyes darting back and forth. She squinted, rubbing her eyes as she saw them appear out of thin air. They slipped off Tracey’s company-issued, light-bending camouflage blanket and got into a Jeep.
She stalked over to them. Peter looked over at her and muttered something to Tracey, who was shoving hand-held signal flares and a flare gun she found in the Jeep into her pack along with the camouflage blanket. Tracey looked up and frowned. Marcy thought they both looked like two children who were caught trying to cut class.
“What are you guys doing?”
“We have to go,” said Peter. “There’s something really important I need to do.”
Marcy looked back over her shoulder. “Nielsen’s looking for you two. Collins took the Spinosaurus down. We won.”
Tracey got out of the Jeep and looked into Marcy’s eyes. “Marcy, Peter set something in motion that he needs to correct. It could affect us all, even endanger this expedition. I’m going with him. He’s going to need my help.”
“But…Nielsen…”
Tracey smiled. “If he’s really here to stabilize the portal, he won’t be focused on us.”
“Maybe I should come with you,” offered Marcy.
Peter shook his head. “Too dangerous.”
Tracey reached out and squeezed Marcy’s arm. “You work for Poseidon Tech. Besides, we need you here to keep an eye on what he’s doing. If our hunch is correct, Poseidon Tech’s interest is in keeping the portal open indefinitely. They want to lay claim to this island.”
Marcy shook her head. “I can’t imagine why.”