Neo Jurassic Smashwords 11-17-2014 Read online

  “I’ll explain when I can, but for now, we have to get moving.”

  Drake rummaged through his pack. “At the least let me get these on.

  He pulled out his second skin shoes. Appie took a step back.

  “What are those?”

  He looked down at the odd looking pair. He, too, would have been confused if he didn’t already know what they were. When he got sick, his parents had indulged him with anything he fancied. And these Nikes had been high on his list. A wave of sadness went through him. His parents. They had done everything possible to save him and in the end, when they couldn’t, they had done the unthinkable and frozen him.

  Appie shuffled next to him, bringing him back to this time and this land.

  “I take it you guys don’t have bio-organic shoes?” Drake didn’t wait for the answer. These people were running around with spears and sending smoke signals. He slipped on the rubber looking “slippers.” The shoes had been dormant for centuries so it took his body heat a few moments to “wake up” the biological molecules that confirmed the shoe to fit his foot perfectly.

  Grinning at the shocked look on her face, Drake waved his arm toward the forest. “Ladies first.”

  CHAPTER 5

  Lavla tried to keep her groaning quiet, but her back ached as if a brontosaurus had walked across it. She held her belly with both hands, trusting that Lev would keep a steady pace. Only occasionally did she have to lash out to catch his metallic mane to keep herself aright.

  “Is it time?” Lik asked beside her. He hadn’t left her side since they began the march across the plains towards the Unclaimed Forest.

  She had to bite her lip to keep from screaming. “I’m fine.”

  His eyebrow raised. He might be a bit off, but he could see her distress.

  “We should stop,” he offered.

  “No!” Lavla snapped. “I will be in the same amount of pain whether we are stopped or not. I cannot risk the clan just to take a break.”

  “You are in labor,” Lik retorted. “They will understand.”

  “I am not in…”

  Then her water broke, gushing over Lev’s shoulders.

  Lik just gave her that look.

  “We keep moving,” Lavla said sternly. Lik shrugged as they continued.

  They had to keep going. Even though they had not yet had a response from Appie, the clan headed toward the forest. They could not take on the Syns alone. Even though it felt as if they were bringing trouble to Appie’s doorway, she knew that their leader would have it no other way.

  Lavla looked over the shoulder behind the clan. It looked clear, but the Syns were there, she knew it. She could feel them. She could also feel the baby within her demanding to be released into the world.

  Why could he not have waited another day?

  As the contractions got closer and closer together, she could only hope he waited until they were rejoined with Mattu.

  “Ahead!” Choukoli yelled, pointing toward the forest. At the edge was a fire. There were no smoke signals. There was no need. The flames were Appie’s answer. The head of the group turned west toward the fire.

  Lavla was greatly relieved that it wasn’t far. Perhaps they could reach it before the baby came.

  As another contraction gripped her body, Lavla realized it was only perhaps.

  * * *

  “I don’t get it,” Drake said, sounding like a broken record even to himself. He didn’t get any of it. Ever since he had woken, he had been confused and numb. How could he feel anything under the circumstances? If he actually tuned into his current circumstance, he feared he would just curl up into the fetal position.

  Ruby’s constant pestering for grain wasn’t helping anything either.

  “Why are we going back in there with the bats and the Spino-whatever?”

  The rest of the group was busy arming themselves. They had shields woven of leaves. It was crazy.

  “We have nothing to throw off the Syns,” Mattu explained in a tone that Drake assumed that the tall man used for small children.

  Appie came over. “If we can choose the battleground, we greatly increase our survival. Out in the open like that, we can be surrounded.”

  Okay, he got that, but what about the dats? “But in there…”

  Mattu shrugged. “We will cover the vents to prevent more Jeholos from entering then take care of the rest.”

  “Take care of the rest?” Drake could hear his voice go up a few octaves. They barely survived the last attack. What had changed since the last time?

  “Turn around,” Appie ordered.

  He obeyed the girl only because he didn’t have any reason not to trust her. She secured a tightly woven guard around his neck then tied two more onto his wrists.

  “It isn’t perfect, but it will protect your more vulnerable veins.”

  And to think he’d once thought cancer was the worst thing he’d ever have to face. Dats hadn’t even been on his radar back then.

  Drake squeezed his toes into his bio-organic shoes. They would need to be watered soon. Stasis hadn’t been kind to them, but they were still better than any other shoes in the world. They automatically adjusted to his stance, creating an almost bounce-like quality to his walk. Now if only they could protect him from the reptilian vampire bats.

  “Ready?” Mattu asked as he put his hand on the handle of the door.

  Drake wished that he could say no, but he certainly didn’t want to stay out here by himself, even with the huge bonfire crackling and smoking behind them.

  Appie gave him a wan smile as she nodded to Mattu.

  Taking in a deep breath, Drake clung to the staff that Appie had given him.

  Time to take on his worst nightmare.

  * * *

  Appie closed her eyes as Mattu opened the door. Not that she was afraid. Well, not because she was that afraid. No, she needed to adjust her eyes to the dark. She heard the clunk of the door and a slight whooshing sound. She took two steps forward and entered the long downward-sloping hallway. Only then did she open her eyes. Light streamed in from behind her, illuminating a little ways down the hall. It appeared empty, however they all knew what awaited them deeper in the bowels of the facility.

  She could feel Drake’s quivering body behind her. If any of her clan shook so, she would be embarrassed for them and eject them from the tracking party, but Drake was different. He was not accustomed to their harsh world. For goodness sake, the boy had over a thousand movies at his disposal. That was a lot of free time on his hands, hands that clearly had never held a weapon before.

  But still he came. That was courage. He continued moving forward even in the face of so much fear. So, instead of embarrassed, she was proud of him. She only hoped they both survived long enough for her to tell him that.

  Ruby came alongside her, nudging Appie’s arm, not for grain but for comfort.

  The first Jeholo came swooping in, blaring its sonar, trying to confuse them. Fortunately Mattu had them stuff grass in their ears, dulling the sharp sound, keeping their wits about them.

  Salvve took the lead, his long spear the most effective weapon they had. Pipo had a crossbow but only five bolts, so she was held in reserve, only to use them in the most desperate of circumstances. They were going to need those bolts against the Syns.

  The spear flew from Salvve’s hand, flying true, nailing the Jeholo square in the chest. The thing screamed, then fell to the floor. Ruby squawked, backing away from the violence. Salvve ran forward, put his foot on the bat and pulled the spear out, stabbing the creature several more time to make sure it was dead, then took up the lead position again.

  Appie dug her fingers into her short spear. It didn’t fly nearly as well and was usually used for close combat, although allowing a Jeholo close courted danger.

  “Stay behind me,” Appie said to Drake as they descended the tunnel.

  “No problem there,” he answered in a shaky voice.

  * * *

  Drake gulped as
the next dat flew towards them. This time the dat tilted, avoiding Salvve’s spear. After course correcting, it flew straight at the wide man. Then a bolt went through the thing’s neck. It spun several times then crashed to the ground. Mattu was there, stabbing it with this sword as he glared at Pipo.

  “Emergencies only.”

  Pipo walked over and pulled the bolt out, putting it back into her quiver. “Nothing was wasted.”

  She then went over and butted foreheads with Salvve.

  Now that was a marriage.

  All turned as the flapping of another creature filled the tunnel.

  Mattu strode forward. “We must make haste.”

  The tall man rushed forward, slicing the dat’s wing as he ran by it. The thing wobbled, flapping a non-wing, finally crashing into the wall. Chimmus took it from there. By the time Drake got to the spot, it was slick with blood. Luckily his bio-organic shoes compensated, creating a rough sole to keep him on his feet.

  Ruby ran next to him allowing him to balance against her metal frame.

  Drake held his breath as they continued down the long hallway that he knew sloped under the forest, striking for the center of it.

  It took them several minutes to finally reach the main level. The door was ajar. During their escape they had not been able to close it.

  Where were the dats? Drake clung to his staff knowing it wouldn’t do much good in his hands. Pipo had her crossbow up. The rest had their weapons at the ready. Everyone seemed on edge that there hadn’t been more dats in the hallway.

  Silently they slipped past the door and into the cryo room.

  Then they stopped. Dozens of dats hung from the ceiling.

  “They are in their hylar phase. Those others were just scouts.” Mattu stated.

  Appie whispered to Drake, “A temporary hibernation they go into after they take a grueling hunt.”

  “Will it last long?” Drake asked.

  “No more than a day’s length, and they can be rousted fairly easily,” Appie continued, “Unlike their Trydar phase, which lasts months.”

  So much for a quick victory then.

  Mattu moved quickly and quietly to start blocking the vents to prevent more of the dats from coming in. Then Drake got an idea. He headed to the wall and grabbed seven face masks. He handed one to Appie.

  “Put this on.”

  She turned the object over in her hand. “Why?”

  He handed the next to Mattu. “These will protect us.”

  “From what exactly?” Chimmus asked as he handed her a unit.

  “If we shatter the tubes, the gas inside of it will kill off the dats, the masks will prevent our lungs from being damaged.”

  Mattu seemed to weigh the mask in his hand turning it over, inspecting each side. “I have not heard of such a thing.”

  “Well, I’m familiar with them. It was part of our orientation.”

  Appie stepped up next to him. “If Drake is right, we can take out all the Jeholos together without risk to ourselves.”

  “That is what worries me,” Mattu said in a low dangerous tone.

  “What?” Chimmus asked.

  “Plans this simple seldom go as planned.”

  * * *

  Appie bit her lip, absently patting Ruby. Mattu was right. Many had spoken eloquently of the benefits of old world weapons or defenses. Yet each time they rarely worked as they should have, more than likely causing harm to the person trying to use it, rather than to the enemy.

  “Most of us will go behind the door. That risks only one to smash the tubes,” Drake reasoned.

  “I shall stay,” Appie announced.

  “Or I,” Chimmus chimed in.

  “It shall be I,” Mattu stated.

  Drake stepped forward shaking his head. “It’s my plan, it will be me.”

  Mattu looked the boy up and down. Drake still seemed as off balance and as scared as ever, but there was also a strength, possibly the reason he had survived when so many others had succumbed to their icy grave.

  Mattu gave a single nod. “Once the glass begins to shatter, the Jeholos will awaken. You must find a hiding place until they die.”

  Drake clutched his walking stick. She’d told him it was a staff, but really it was Old Man Grey’s walking stick, however it seemed well suited for the task. The older man was the first one into the hall. Pipo helped him with his mask.

  Then the group was behind the door and he was alone in the cryo room with dozens of creatures dangling above him. The cryo gas was not meant to inhale. As a matter of fact, it was quite toxic. He remembered the scientists hammering that into his head.

  That the gas had to be evacuated before the subject was awakened and took his first breath.

  Hands shaking, Drake focused on the first tube. He’d played baseball and had a two-fifty average so he had a pretty nice swing. He didn’t usually hit the bleachers, but he’d hit a few solid doubles in his day.

  If only his parents could see him now. They would not believe it.

  For a moment, melancholy threatened to overwhelm him. How long had they lived after he’d been put in the tube? Did they live to see the nuclear holocaust? Drake hoped not.

  He had to shove all of that down though. He had a task at hand and people were relying on him.

  Squaring his feet, Drake cocked the staff back and swung as hard as he could. Mattu had been right. The dats woke up as soon as the wood connected with the glass. It was hard to see through his gas mask and the white fog, so he moved to the next tube. The more he broke, the faster the dats would go down.

  One flew at him, trying to latch onto his wrist, but the guard Appie put there slowed him enough that Drake was able to throw the beast off. He went to the next tube, shattering it.

  By now the dats were gasping and screeching and gasping some more. He hit another tube. In their panic, they were now biting anything they could get to. Drake dove under the counter, trying to stay out of the way of the swarm.

  A dat followed him though and would have found purchase if Ruby hadn’t grabbed the thing by its tail, dragging it out from under the counter.

  Another dat fell to the floor, flapping pitifully, blood pouring from its nostrils. Then another dropped. Then the sound of thumps filled the air until there were no more.

  Drake rose up on one elbow to peer out from beneath the counter. The floor was lined by dead dats.

  It had worked!

  He scrambled out from under the metal table to find one dat still very much alive. It stood on the floor, below the level of the gas which had risen. Its red-rimmed eyes seemed to glow in the foggy room.

  Mattu’s words rang in his ear. Seldom did simple plans go accordingly, or something like that.

  Drake cocked his bat back, turning to the side, getting ready to take the swing of his life.

  To his surprise the dat backed up, retreating under a table, getting out of reach of even Ruby’s long neck. Drake took a step forward, the dat backed as well, then tried to climb into the vent that Mattu had blocked.

  Drake just couldn’t attack a creature, even as fearsome as the dat, while it was in retreat.

  Instead he went to the door and opened it. “Be careful there’s one still alive.”

  The group entered the room, surveying through the white fog. The surviving dat flapped his wings, gaining height.

  Everyone else raised their weapons, but Drake stepped in front of them.

  “I think it just wants to escape.”

  And sure enough the creature sailed over their heads, flying into the tunnel, up and away. Appie slammed the door shut.

  “Just in case he changes his mind.”

  * * *

  Lik caught Lavla just before she fell off of Lev. The contractions were right on top of each other. She had no time to catch her breath or hang onto the metallic lion.

  “We must stop,” Lik implored.

  Lavla shook her head. “We must make the forest first.”

  Despite her best efforts, her labor
had attracted much attention. Most of the clan surrounded Lev and Lavla. Only the young ones, riding with the supplies on Tonka, were not in attendance.

  The Widow Ritto held Lavla’s hand. “Child, we must prepare for the birth.”

  Lavla refused, pulling her hand from the old woman’s. “We must make a run for it.”

  “But, why?” Ritto begged.

  Most of the clan did not know of the Syn danger. Lik and she had thought it best to keep the knowledge amongst them to stop widespread panic.

  Lik looked to Lavla. She nodded. It was time the clan knew.

  “Syns are tracking us. Experts, not the local wild ones,” Lik stated.

  A gasp went up amongst the clan. Dinosaurs were one thing. A concerted Syn attack was another. Ritto backed away.

  “You are right.”

  Lavla had already known that. Her life and even her infant child’s life were nothing compared to the clan’s.

  “Allow me,” Lik said as he climbed on behind her.

  He maneuvered her so that he was holding her in his arms, gently cradling her. Even though she did not feel the same way as Lik, Lavla did not argue as he wrapped his arms around her. This position was infinitely more comfortable than trying to straddle Lev.

  The baby’s father had sworn he would be at their son’s birth.

  As the contractions and the moments ticked by, Lavla was worried he could not fulfill that promise.

  * * *

  “They are making a run for it,” Robertum stated as he rushed back to the camp.

  Between the smoke signals and the corresponding fire near the forest, Durnag had assumed some foolhardy attempt to escape would be coming soon.

  He waved the anxious Robertum off. “We shall follow.”

  “Are you sure we should not attack now?”

  Durnag looked up slowly at the newest member of his unit. The expression must have been enough as Robertum lowered his gaze and bowed before Durnag.

  “I want to cut out the entire cancer,” Durnag stated. “We will have them from the east and the forest will have them from the west.”