The King Cometh
"Are you ready to come back?" Ray asked again.
Doug considered overstepping his bounds and speaking for the group, but thought better of it. "That's up to the General, it's his safari." He waved Kirk over and handed him the receiver.
"The men don't seem too discouraged, they've been looking forward to this trip for months, but I'll ask." Kirk set down the receiver and approached the men, already at work resetting the fence, he cleared his throat until he had everyone's attention.
"In light of the unforeseen events of today… If anyone wants to go home now, they're welcome to; no one will think any less of them."
Every man looked out of the corners of his eyes to the others, none spoke.
A proud little smile curled at the corner of Kirk's mouth, "All right, as you were."
The men resumed attending the fence. With several of the men occupied holding it up, Tony had made makeshift repairs to the battered fence using short pieces of rope to hold the separate sections together; flimsy, but passable for the time being. It would take the staffers back at the project at least a few hours to have new fencing to send back.
"We should have kept a lookout behind, that's for sure," Tony said, standing back, looking at the fence. A couple of support poles were badly bent, and their fence had a crooked lean to it.
"A trench," he said aloud, "a ring around the fence, three feet deep and about four feet wide."
"Not a bad idea," General Kirk agreed. "A little late now, but… next time."
"Next time?" Tony asked.
Kirk nodded affirmatively. "You live. You learn. You do things a little differently the next time."
Elsewhere within the camp, a sweating Jim removed his jacket, and dropped it to the ground.
"Jim, you've got blood on you," Davis informed him, pointing at his collar.
Jim strained to see the spot, which still had some blood from the pterosaur attack already drying on it. "You're right," he took a peek down his shirt, "good thing it's not mine." Casually picking his jacket off the ground, he found substantially more blood on the lower left side that he had failed to notice (as did everyone else). Letting out a sigh of frustration, he bundled it up and went to attend his washing on the other side of the camp.
Outside the fence, Tony and General Kirk were surveying the surrounding area, estimating the time and manpower required to dig a trench.
"Machinery would be the most efficient way," Kirk said, with his arms folded. "Maybe bring in a steam shovel."
Tony didn't answer, the air suddenly felt cooler, curiously, he turned around and looking skyward, the cause became apparent. Tyrannosaurus Rex, the king of the dinosaurs was standing over them, blocking out the sun. It stood as tall as a double-decker bus and he could see its knife-like teeth badly stained from meals past. Miraculously, despite its bulk, it had managed to creep up on them unnoticed.
"Back away slowly," Kirk said quietly as he started to do the same.
They stepped back cautiously; the other members of the group saw the T-rex and had already moved toward the relative safety of helicopter. The beast looked down on Tony and Kirk curiously as well as hungrily, and followed at their own pace, one step at a time and never more than a quick snap of the jaws away.
Sweating with fear, they finally reached the gate, and Tony began to push the twisted, creaky thing open. Watching with rifle in hand from the rear of the helicopter, Charlie Whitehorse watched as the Rex made a small facial twitch, and recognizing the motion, fired a quick, desperate shot as the Tyrannosaurus lunged at the two men.
The rushed shot struck the Tyrannosaur near the top of the skull, and it drew its head back, releasing a monstrous howl in a mix of pain and anger.
Swinging open the door wide open and running like the devil was after them, Tony and General Kirk made it into camp.
"Must have a thick skull," Charlie thought to himself, and fired again, with Jiggs joining him to provide cover fire.
The rex lashed angrily and swinging its tail, collapsed the broken down chain link fence.
The t-rex stomped into the camp with a deafening roar. Jiggs waved Tony and Kirk into the helicopter, and both the scholar and the staff sergeant followed after without looking back. From the cockpit of the chinook, Jim turned on the engines, and the rotors began to spin.
General Kirk looked about, "Is everyone here?" He took a quick head count.
"Jerry! Where's Jerry?"
In the initial excitement, Jerry had dove for cover underneath the helicopter and the only other one sure of his whereabouts was the T-rex.
With dust flying all around, the tyrannosaur circled the helicopter, curiously aware of the rotors, and keeping below them, it eyed Jerry underneath. The predator moved forward, keeping low. With its head near the ground it moved in for a better look and Jerry squirmed backward. The T-rex chomped at the air in his direction and tried to move in closer.
It had inched close enough for Jerry to see those huge stained teeth in detail, and smell its foul breath. Drenched in a cold sweat, he felt around on the ground for anything he could use, scooping up a handful of stones, he threw them at the tyrannosaur's face in desperation.
The rex pulled back instinctively, and momentarily losing its balance, the front rotor clipped off a small piece of meat at the top of its shoulder.
The Tyrannosaurus fell backward, stumbling awkwardly, and before anything else could happen, it disappeared into nothingness before Jerry's eyes. Far more relieved than curious, he crawled out and ran to rejoin the rest of the group in the helicopter.
"We thought you were a goner there…" said Doug, slapping him on the back.
As everyone was happy to be safe and sound, General Kirk answered the buzzing radio.
"General, I think it's high time you called it a day," Came Ray's voice.
Wiping his brow, General Kirk answered him, "I'm inclined to agree with you."