Chapter 23
Fatal Error
"Second infa-red cluster coming up now," said Edgar, typing rapidly on the laptop computer. "Are you sure about taking live young Lew?"
"Yes, I am," said Dodgson, spinning the steering wheel in his hand as they hit a pothole. "No incubation period. We don't need to worry about breaking them. We just grab the scrawny things and presto, we're richer than the Queen of England. The world screams in appreciation, and we sit on a beach, drinking mojitos until we drop."
"What about that 'getting infected with the doomsday disease' thing?"
"Dinosaurs that young wouldn't be infected. It's spread through unsuccessful attacks by predators or sexually-transmitted. If an animal that young was wounded, likelihood is that it'd be taken by the predator. And anyway, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages as far as I'm concerned. If any of the bastards are infected, we put them down. We'll have plenty more to play with."
They were heading south along the main road, the Gallimimus nest behind them. Edgar shifted in his seat, putting the laptop at a different angle, so that the air conditioning hit him better. He hit the return key with a flourish, and watched as the loading bar appeared on the GPS screen on the dashboard. It scrolled across quickly, and disappeared. With an electronic beep, another red isosceles triangle popped up, two miles south of the first. It pulsated in brightness steadily, just like the first. Edgar sat back, and rested his head. Behind him he could faintly hear the rustles and bangs of the infant Gallimimus. It had started to wake up as soon as they had left the jungle ten minutes earlier. He had only managed to stuff it onto one of the cages in the trailer before it had started to kick and squeal.
"Good," said Dodgson, glancing at the GPS display. Edgar watched as the Route Finder program traced a route from their position to the second red triangle. They were close; perhaps only a mile and a half away. Dodgson accelerated, and the suspension on the Jeep squeaked as they rounded a corner. Out of Dodgson's window the electrical fence continued to run adjacent to the road, yet now it was well over thirty feet high. The fence still had the same run down look; blackened and charred. The metal was beginning to rust, and the concrete base was crumbling. They passed one section which had been completely flattened, as if it had been torn apart.
"Where do you suppose all the bodies go?" Edgar said.
"What?"
"You know, from all the dead dinosaurs. We've been here two hours and I haven't seen anything dead lying around."
"They end up washing up along the shores all over the place. I bugged the InGen place years ago. Murphy's been getting reports of carcasses washing up in the US, Central America and Ecuador." Dodgson glanced at the GPS for a moment as they came to a Y-Section in the road, and turned right.
Edgar frowned; that didn't make any sense. The dinosaurs all lived on the land. It was obvious that ocean currents caused them to wash up on the western shores of the mainland, but how did they get into the sea? "I hate to go poking holes in your report here," he said, "but our prehistoric friends all live on land."
"And you're wondering just how they make their way into the sea?" finished Dodgson, nodding.
"Right."
"From what we could discern from the conversations between Murphy and Wu disease interferes with the brain; the pituitary gland and cerebellum mostly. Makes the host think it's dehydrated, even when it isn't. Makes it stay near water, like a river. When the disease finally kills the dinosaur, it collapses right there, at the water source. Then a storm or something comes along, and the water level rises. The body is washed downstream to the sea."
"...Oh," said Edgar. "Well, how come none of the dinosaurs are sick now?"
"I don't know," said Dodgson, accelerating forwards again, "but it might come in recessive periods."
Edgar nodded and sighed. With another glance at the GPS display and saw that they were only a mile away from the second cluster.
He was suddenly thrown forwards in his seat as Dodgson slammed on the brakes, and the Jeep fishtailed on the dry tarmac.
"The hell?!" Edgar shouted. The seatbelt pressed painfully against his collar bone as they screeched to a stop, and he let out a rasping cough. The trailer crashed into the back of the Jeep with a metallic wang, and Edgar could hear the tiny Gallimimus scream and slam against the side of its cage as it struggled in panic. Swearing Edgar sat up, and stared out of the front of the windshield.
Less than five metres in front of them there was a mass of blackened metal. Edgar frowned, and leaned forward in his seat.
"What is it?" he said.
"It's a car," whispered Dodgson.
As Dodgson said it Edgar saw that he was right. The black mass was oddly shaped, and was bent and crumpled. Not to mention the fact that it was upside down. But it was definitely a car; or at least, had been.
To his surprise, Dodgson opened his door, and got out. Edgar watched silently as Dodgson walked over to the car in front of them, and inspected it. Edgar felt suddenly uncomfortable and vulnerable with the door wide open. Dodgson was crouching down, peering through the crushed window frame of the overturned car.
"What is it?" Edgar called out.
"Must be one of the tour vehicles," said Dodgson. "The one that was attacked."
With a glance around, Edgar got out and approached the vehicle. He came to stand on the other side of the car from Dodgson, and looked at the body of the car. Through the blackened metal he could faintly register a multiple coloured paintwork, and a series of stencilled vinyl running the length of the body. He leaned over and squinted. They read 'Jurassic Park'. "You're right," he said, "it is one of the tour vehicles."
Now Dodgson had gone down onto his stomach, and was clambering into the car.
"Is there anything inside?" Edgar said.
Dodgson crashed around for a few moment before re-emerging, and then stood up, holding a large blocky object that was coloured faintly green. He then nodded towards their Wrangler, and then headed back towards the Jeep. "Just this," he said, handing Edgar the object as he climbed back into the driver's seat.
Edgar turned the object in his hands as he ducked down into the Jeep, and inspected it. It was caked in dried mud, and was twisted out of shape. It was largest at the front, with tendrils of burnt wiring sticking out in odd places. The back looked like a headband, as if the object was to be placed over the eyes. He turned it over again, and a glint of reflected sunlight flashed into his eyes. There was broken glass at the front. He scratched it with his fingernails, and removed some of the mud, revealing a piece of broken glass. As he continued to remove the mud he saw that the glass was arranged into two eyeholes. "They're night vision goggles," he said, showing them to Dodgson.
"Not useful then," muttered Dodgson, strapping on his seatbelt. "Throw it out."
"Whatever," said Edgar, and pressed a button beside him, unrolling the window. Carelessly, he threw it out onto the tarmac, where it hit the ground with a crack. Dodgson span the wheel in his hands, and stepped on the accelerator. They sped off, around the car in the middle of the road, and continued along the main road.
"What could have done that?" asked Edgar, dusting his hands to get off the specks of dried mud.
"What could have done what?" said Dodgson, staring out through the windshield intently.
"Dude, stop bullshitting. You saw that thing back there, buckled out of shape like that. Something flipped that car over and crushed it. Now tell me, what the hell was it?"
Dodgson didn't answer him.
Edgar frowned. "Lew. You said that the dinosaurs nested near their old territories, which means that we're heading towards whatever did that back there. And judging by the height of the fence on the side of the road right now I'm guessing it ain't no pixy."
"So what if it is," said Dodgson irritably, "it doesn't matter what the fuck it is. We have to get all the species."
"What species is it?"
Dodgson grunted, and turned to look at him. "Tyrannosaurus Rex."
Edgar felt a chill wash over him. He'd seen the escaped Tyrannosaur from his television set years ago, during the San Diego incident. It had been documented heavily since then, and snippets of information that he never wanted to know jumped into his mind as his eyes widened. "Do we have to?" he heard himself say.
Dodgson looked at him with a hint of disgust. "Shut up," he said, "That gun could take down a herd of Elephants."
"Lew, it's been tested once, against a bunch of featherless ostriches."
"It'll work," said Dodgson bracingly, "anyway, this Jeep has been strengthened more than enough."
Edgar was hardly comforted after seeing what had happened to the other car. To distract himself, he brought the laptop off the dashboard, and began typing again, gathering the data for the third compilation.
As he was accessing the file containing the infa-red data, the drives whirred, and screen went black. He frowned, his fingers poised over the keyboard. Once again, the word 'Login' had appeared in the top-left corner of the screen.
"The hell..." he muttered to himself. He sat back, and sighed. He hit the escape key, hoping to get back to the previous screen. Nothing happened.
He swore to himself.
"What?" said Dodgson.
"Nothing," said Edgar, picking up the notepad with the username and password on it. "Just that stupid radio network again."
"Check it out," muttered Dodgson, spinning the wheel slightly, "see if Murphy's logged in again."
"Yeah...," said Edgar, punching in the username and password that the system had given them earlier. The welcome screen popped up.
Jurassic Park Control Module
Remote Access
He hit the return key, accessing the update screen. The drives whirred for a moment, before clicking into place. The update screen appeared, and he squinted at the data.
Control Module – Latest Activity
06/09/93 07:17Operation: Safety1 OnOperation: Safety2 OnOperation: Safety3 On06/09/93 07:18Operation: Main Power On06/09/93 08:23Operation: Fini.obj20/10/93 23:47Operation: System Failure IW power fail – fuel gen 013/06/07 13:21Operation: Geothermal Plant ActiveOperation: Login 'Hammond' GPlnt CTOperation: Access Power Distribution NetworkOperation: Initialize grid 'ZC-3'13/06/07 13:23Operation: Main Access Operation: Access Radio Network Access DeniedOperation: Logout 'Hammond'13/06/07 14:02Operation: Login 'User#1109' RAT
13/06/07 14:48
Operation: NOTICE; 'ZC-3' initialized
Operation: 'ZC-3' power levels 27
13/06/07 14:53
Operation: 'ZC-3' power levels 41
"Anything new?" asked Dodgson.
"Nothing much," said Edgar, "the part of the island that Murphy reactivated is online and building charge. But he hasn't logged in again."
"Good," said Dodgson.
Edgar began hitting random buttons, trying to access some new part of the system by chance, or get back to the infa-red data.
"What are you doing?" asked Dodgson.
"Trying to get back to the data files, or get to another part of the radio system."
"Well, how did you do it last time?"
"I didn't. We went to the Gallimimus nest, and then when we got back it was gone."
"Well, we must have lost the signal or something. Just leave it, and we might lose it again."
Edgar shrugged, and shut the lid of the laptop. He put it up on the dashboard, along with the notepad. "How far until we get to the next nest?"
"We're almost there," said Dodgson.
Edgar nodded, and reached behind him. He grabbed the large shiny suitcase, and brought it into his lap. Popping the lid, he opened it up, and stared at the gun pieces inside. With a grunt, he picked up the capacitor, and began assembling it.
Dodgson slowed the Jeep as Edgar slipped the connecting cord into the grip, and slotted in the capacitor. The brakes squeaked quietly as they trundled to a stop, and they both sat in the quiet, listening. Dodgson clicked off the ignition, and took a deep breath. The engine clicked as the sounds of the jungle floated over to them. On their right side, the fence towered over the top of them, glinting in the sunlight. On their left was a sea of greenery, a mass of primary rainforest that seemed to go on for miles. Edgar checked the GPS, and looked at the red triangle in relation to their position. The Tyrannosaur nest was on the left, in the jungle.
"Lew...we could get the others and come back to this," said Edgar quietly. Now that he was here, he really didn't want to do this. The Tyrannosaurus Rex was the most feared Dinosaur ever to be discovered. His heart was beating faster in his chest, and he was finding it hard to keep the calm in his voice.
"Jack, we need this. Even if all the others don't make it, this single species could make us richer than you can imagine."
With that, Dodgson got out of the Jeep, and looked around. Edgar followed him, and stared into the jungle. The hairs on his neck stood up in the heat of the day. They were in there, somewhere, close by. He didn't like the idea of being so close to their nest unprotected. He stared into the jungle intently, looking for any sign of movement; perhaps a flock of birds exploding from the canopy or the rustle of leaves.
But the jungle sat quietly in the late afternoon sun, the greenery shimmering in the heat wave. He walked around the back of the Jeep, treading carefully. Inside the trailer he could hear the infant Gallimimus chirping happily. He approached Dodgson, and handed him the gun.
"Okay, same deal as before," muttered Dodgson, checking the gun over. "We go in together; I step out, and shock one of the infants. You get it while I keep the adults back."
"You're sure that gun can handle them?" said Edgar tensely.
In response Dodgson snarled and shoved him roughly into the jungle. Edgar stumbled as he passed the tree line, into the dense vegetation.
It was dark underneath the trees, surprisingly so. The sun was beginning to get lower in the sky now, and Edgar really wanted to get off the island before it got too low. He quickened his pace, taking care not to tread on any of the twigs that littered the ground. He could hear Dodgson walking behind him, making what sounded to him like a lot of noise.
"H-How big are they?" he heard himself utter over his shoulder.
"Around forty feet long, twenty feet high maybe," whispered Dodgson, bending a low overhanging branch out of his way.
"Jesus, they're as big as a house," said Edgar in a voice that wasn't his own. Sweat was pouring down his chest now underneath his shirt. He tried to steady his breathing, taking slow, deep breaths. He also noticed that his knees were beginning to twitch.
"They have poor visual acuity, similar to that of Frogs," said Dodgson.
"What the fuck does that mean?" hissed Edgar, his panicked mind struggling to absorb the complexity of Dodgson's words.
"It means that they don't see stationary objects well."
"Yes, that's very interesting, but why are you—"
"I'm telling you this because if something does go wrong, they won't see you if you don't move."
"How could you possibly know that? I mean, they've been extinct for millions of years."
"Another fact that I managed to liberate from InGen."
"Figures..." muttered Edgar.
He stopped suddenly, causing Dodgson to bump into him, cursing. He smelt something in the air, something strange. It had a sweetish, tangy quality to it. He looked around carefully, looking for the source of the smell. But there was just the same, untouched foliage.
"What?" hissed Dodgson.
"That smell..."
"So what?"
"How far in did the GPS say the nest was?" said Edgar, struggling to remember.
"Hundred metres or so."
"What if they can see us right now? Like...what if they're hiding?"
"I don't give a fuck, keep moving."
Dodgson gave Edgar another shove in the small of the back, and he stumbled forwards again. As his left foot came down, there was a resounding crack as his foot came into contact with a hard bundle of objects, and a horrible crunching sound that echoed sickeningly through the trees.
Edgar froze instantly, closing his eyes as he silently cursed himself. From the sudden silence he could tell that not only had Dodgson frozen behind him, but that all of the jungle sounds had ceased altogether. There was no croaking of Frogs, or buzz of insects. Complete silence.
He held his breath, listening intently, not daring to move a muscle. His blood raced in his ears, and his heart felt like it was trying to claw its way into his throat.
They both stood stock still in complete silence for over twenty seconds. Edgar's muscles began to ache from his awkward position, only the toes of his left foot in contact with the ground.
He chanced a glance at the ground where his left foot lay, trying to discern what he had stepped on. His chest cavity gave a lurch as he realized that he was standing on the skeleton of a small dinosaur. It was in the later stages of decomposition, with only a few scraps of skin and flesh adhering to the bones. He could see that several of the bones, such as the femurs and some of the ribs can be sheered in half. He guessed that the section in between the two areas indicated the bite radius of whatever killed it. Even from his precarious angle he could tell through a rough calculation in his head that the predator of this creature had a mouth well over a foot wide.
He swallowed hard.
And then, through the trees, came a low growl. It rose ever so steadily, building from nothingness. The very air in his lungs seemed to vibrate. The growl felt as if it lasted for an age, reverberating through the jungle. And then there was a deep shudder that ran through the ground, like a miniature earthquake. The leaves on the trees swayed from side to side slightly, and the bones on which his foot lay jostled around.
Boom.
It was walking, he realized. There was Tyrannosaur near them, very near to them, walking. He shivered.
He looked over his shoulder at Dodgson, asking silently what to do.
Dodgson felt up his hand, signalling to wait.
They stood still for another minute, but no other sounds rang through the jungle. Still, Dodgson signalled for them to remain still. Edgar could see Dodgson's eyes darting around, searching the branches of the trees high above their heads.
It was only when the chorus of the jungle resumed that Dodgson nodded, and pointed the way forwards.
Cautiously, and with a great amount of effort, Edgar managed to move his legs, and crept forwards. The knees were now quaking violently, and he was finding it difficult to prevent himself from breaking into a run back to the Jeep. But then he reminded himself of how much they needed this. How much he needed this. Anyway, Dodgson would probably zap him if he did anything of the sort.
Another growl rang through the trees suddenly, directly ahead of them. It was alarmingly close, and was accompanied by another deep, booming footstep. Edgar could now see that the trees were in fact thinning. Dodgson tapped him on the shoulder, and pointed to their right.
Silently, they slunk forward a few metres, and then Dodgson pushed Edgar into a crouching position. He could see that there was now only a thin barrier of foliage between them and the clearing ahead. The air smelt pungent, like rotting flesh.
Beside him Dodgson pulled a leaf from a branch next to him, held it up in the air, and then dropped it. Slowly, it fell to the ground, but blowing back against them as it did so.
So they were downwind. So they wouldn't be able to smell, them, and apparently if they didn't move they wouldn't be seen either. The tight knot that had woven itself in between Edgar's heart and lungs loosened slightly as this comforting information. He was starting to think that perhaps these animals weren't quite as dangerous as he had previously believed.
But his newfound optimism was cut short by the sudden disappearance of the bright light ahead of them. Edgar frowned. It was as if the sun had been switched off.
Boom.
Another footstep. His eyes widened as he realized that the Tyrannosaurs had moved, and he was standing in their shadow.
Dodgson reached up ahead of them, and parted the fronds between them and the clearing, holding the gun ready.
Beyond them there was a small clearing in the jungle, roughly the size of two tennis courts. The foliage had been almost completely removed, the bare red earth carpeting the floor. Sunlight struck the ground, unobstructed by foliage, casting an eerie yellow glow. In the centre there was a single mound of mud, roughly two feet off the ground. Emanating from the mound was a series of high squeals and chirps. But none of this registered to Edgar's mind at first.
His mouth fell open as he stared at the two massive figures that dominated most of the clearing. Two Tyrannosaurs stood on either side of the mud mound in the centre of the clearing. They were immense, standing at least twenty feet off of the ground. Their heads were box shaped and solid-looking. The wide eyes stared downwards at the nest, the vertical slit-like pupils fixated in a chilling stare. Their nostrils dilated with every breath, their massive chest cavities rising and falling. Their teeth looked like bread knives, and were coated with a thin film of blood.
The dinosaurs were a dark reddish colour, which made them look oddly out of place against the perpetually green background of the jungle. Their bodies were heavily muscled, most noticeably on their hind limbs and shoulders. It was clear from a glance that they weighed several tonnes each. Now that he saw them, he highly doubted that their Jeep would stand a chance against either of them.
As he watched, one of the Tyrannosaurs bent down towards the nest below, and growled softly. The squeaking from inside the mound came again.
The other Tyrannosaur growled too, though slightly higher pitched than the first. Edgar noted that this Tyrannosaur appeared to be slightly larger than the other one.
Edgar looked at Dodgson, and saw that Dodgson looked far calmer than he felt. Edgar was shaking from fright and adrenaline, barely able to hold his position.
But Dodgson looked at him calmly, and nodded. And to Edgar's amazement, Dodgson stood up straight, raised the gun in front of him, and walked into the clearing.
Edgar's breath caught in his throat as he watched. Dodgson took one step into the clearing, and stopped, holding the gun tightly. Both of the Tyrannosaurs paused instantly, and turned their massive heads to face him.
They looked momentarily confused and shocked that an animal had wandered so carelessly into their nest. But a second later their surprise had been replaced by blind fury.
The larger Tyrannosaur roared; a terrifying scream which made his insides turn to ice. There was sudden burst of scared dinosaur's vocalisations from all around them. The other Tyrannosaur lowered its head, and took a bounding step forward.
Dodgson remained completely calm, and moved his hand up to press the button on the side of the gun. It emitted a low buzz, and he twisted the dial on the top. It gave a shudder in his hand, and then sat quietly.
The larger Tyrannosaur roared again, and moved to stand in front of the nest. Edgar was sure that the sound of its roaring would be heard by Murphy and his team, wherever the fuck they were.
The other Tyrannosaur snarled viciously, and took another bounding step forward. Now it was only twenty feet away from them.
Dodgson raised the gun, aiming it at the torso of the Tyrannosaur, and squeezed the trigger slightly. A red dot appeared in the middle of the Tyrannosaur's chest, the red beam of light cutting through the clearing.
Unperturbed, the Tyrannosaur growled at him as he moved. When he paused, it gave a high bark of agitation, and made to step forward again.
Dodgson squeezed the trigger. A spark shot from the tip of the gun, and impacted one of the claws on the Tyrannosaur's left forearm.
The Tyrannosaur shrieked, and took a step backwards in shock. It shook its head from side to side, and roared menacingly. But the dinosaur was hesitant now. It eyed Dodgson with a frustrated gaze, cocking its head from side to side. The other Tyrannosaur continued to watch from behind, guarding the nest. The squeaks from inside the mound were now far more insistent.
The smaller Tyrannosaur was now looking more confident, but appeared uneasy at the fact that Dodgson had stopped moving once again. It was shifting on the balls of its feet, cocking its eyes. Edgar could see the eyeball working in the socket, as if searching for him. Hesitantly, it took a small step forward.
Fluidly, Dodgson twisted the knob on the top of the gun, and waited as the gun emitted a loud whine, and vibrated more powerfully in his hand. He fired.
There was a whoosh, like the rush of wind, and a bolt of lightning leapt from the gun, and struck the Tyrannosaur square in the chest.
It screamed, and stepped backwards again. It looked suddenly confused, and began shaking its head violently from side to side. Then its eyelids drooped, and it began to topple to the left. It almost fell over, but then its eyes snapped back open, and it righted itself, still shaking its head. The Tyrannosaur groaned for a moment, and then fixed its stare back on Dodgson, and roared in fury.
"Son of a bitch," Edgar heard Dodgson mutter. "Jack, get out here."
"What?" Edgar squeaked in a strangled voice.
"I said get the fuck out here right now. Get one of the kids."
"I don't think Mummy and Daddy will like that," he muttered, not daring to move. Dodgson was insane. He would never be able to subdue both of the Tyrannosaurs.
"They may not like it, but they won't be able to do anything about it when they're unconscious. Now get out here!"
Edgar cursed to himself, and stumbled out into the clearing. At his appearance both Tyrannosaurs roared at him and the closer of them took a step forward, its confidence restored.
"Eat this," grated Dodgson, and twisted the dial all the way to full setting. The gun gave an ear-splitting whine, and it vibrated so much that Dodgson had trouble holding on to it. Edgar watched, trying to steady his shaking legs, as Dodgson lifted the gun and fired.
Edgar's hair flew up as the gun emitted a rush of wind in all directions, and made a sound like a gunshot. Dodgson flinched for a second, cursing. And then for single terrifying moment nothing happened. Edgar almost pissed his pants as the Tyrannosaur bared its 30 centimetre long fangs, and stalked forwards.
Then a huge bolt of white hot electricity blasted out of the gun, twisting and arcing through the air. The Tyrannosaur only had time to roar when the bolt slammed into its neck. Its eyes bulged out of its skull, and it made a low growl. It's limbs tightened and convulsed. Then its eyes rolled back in its head, and it fell forwards.
The ground shook with the impact, lifting Edgar's feet off the ground for a moment. There was deafening silence as Edgar looked at the fallen Tyrannosaur, which lay silently, its eyes closed.
Glancing at Dodgson, he saw him switch the gun from his left hand to his right, shaking his left, which had turned an angry red colour. Edgar frowned to a second, but then realized that there was still another Tyrannosaur in the clearing. He snapped his head up.
The second Tyrannosaur looked at its fallen mate for a moment, and then at Edgar and Dodgson. And then with a low, furious snarl, it bared its massive fangs, and roared. It made to take a step forward, but Dodgson raised the gun again.
The Tyrannosaur paused; it's foot in mid-air, eyeing Dodgson. It remembered, thought Edgar. It was learning. Dodgson seemed to have been counting on this. He turned the dial down to a lower setting, and aimed at the ground at the Tyrannosaur's feet. He fired, and a spark of lightning flew out, and struck the ground.
The Tyrannosaur yelped, and stepped back. It now stood over the top of the nest, from which Edgar could hear the infants inside, screaming.
Edgar glanced at Dodgson again, and saw then he was sneering. Edgar could hardly believe that he could do such a thing. Edgar was petrified. He had never been so scared in his life. His legs felt like jelly. But Dodgson took it all in his stride. He blasted another spark at the Tyrannosaur's feet, driving it back. It yelped, and took another booming step back. The infants inside the nest were screeching, and Edgar could now hear them scrabbling around, trying to escape.
The adult now seemed to be torn between self preservation and protecting its young. Dodgson then issued a series of bolts in quick succession, and the Tyrannosaur had no choice but to back up.
Dodgson continued this process several more times, until the Tyrannosaur stood twenty feet back from the nest, at the rear of the clearing. All the while Dodgson and Edgar advanced into the clearing, towards the mound of dirt in the centre. Now they stood parallel to the fallen adult; Edgar could hear its deep, steady breathing.
"Jack, get one of the kids, now," said Dodgson, and walked forwards several more paces. Edgar shuddered at the thought of what he was about to do, and hesitantly followed. They now stood at the base of the mound, the squeaking infants now only a few feet away.
Edgar shakily began to climb the small hill, keeping his eyes fixed on the adult Tyrannosaur, which was shifting uneasily at the tree line. He reached the lip of the hill, sweat pouring along his nose, and peered over the edge.
Inside there were four miniature Tyrannosaurs. They looked very much like their parents, but their heads and eyes were larger in proportion to their bodies, and they had a ring of fluffy down around their necks. They looked up at him with wide eyes, and squeaked in fear. They stood frozen, their heads pulled in closer to their shoulders.
"Grab one," hissed Dodgson from the bottom of the mound, eyeing the remaining adult.
Edgar took a step down into the mound, scattering small stones and mud everywhere. The infants squeaked in alarm, and the adult roared. It took a step forward menacingly.
To Edgar the message was clear; the adult would not tolerate him going any further. Shaking, Edgar took another step down into the nest, and waited for Dodgson to disable one of the infants.
Slowly, Dodgson began to walk up the side of the mound, keeping the gun trained on the Tyrannosaur. But that was it.
The Tyrannosaur roared, and lowered its head, baring its fangs again.
"Lew, shock it!" shouted Edgar, "Now!"
Dodgson grabbed the dial on the top of the gun, his fingers slipping on the metal, and set it to full charge. He raised the gun as the Tyrannosaur made to take another step forward, and fired.
Once again there was an ear-splitting whine, and Edgar felt his hair fly up once again. But then something new happened. There was an acidic hiss, and the whine stopped suddenly. And then Dodgson yelled. Edgar snapped around to watch as the gun flew from Dodgson's hand, soaring through the air to land several feet away. The skin of Dodgson's hand was raw, and looked badly burnt. Time seemed to slow down as Edgar watched turned to look at the adult Tyrannosaur, and he groaned.
There was complete silence for a moment. And then, almost snidely, the Tyrannosaur gave a long, reverberating growl. Edgar and Dodgson had both frozen, staring forwards almost sightlessly. Edgar could feel his heart hammering against the wall of his chest, and his breathing was shallow and erratic. The Tyrannosaur was staring at the location in which they were, but Edgar could see that it was confused by their lack of movement. It had stopped moving, standing still, and had stopped its vocalisations. Perhaps Dodgson was right, and it really couldn't see them if they didn't move.
Suddenly one of the infants lurched forwards, and clamped its jaws around Edgar's right ankle. He yelled in pain, and kicked out. The infant remained fastened to his leg, and gave a yank. Edgar lost his balance and they both went tumbling over the side of the nest. Edgar yelled as stones rained down all around them as they rolled down the outside together, and then the air shook as the adult roared.
Oh shit, thought Edgar. He was going to die. Panicking, he lashed out viciously, and kicked the infant in the face with his free foot. It screeched in pain and shock, and detached itself from his ankle as his boot came into contact with its eyes.
Edgar scrambled to hit feet, and chanced a peek at the Tyrannosaur. It had lowered its head, and was charging across the clearing towards him. The ground was shaking violently, and he found it hard to stay on his feet. His blood rushed in his veins, and he felt a sudden surge of adrenaline. A quick glance told him that Dodgson had turned tail and ran for his life, his arms over his head, back towards their Jeep.
But Edgar had no intention of going back there. If the Tyrannosaur caught him inside, he wouldn't stand a chance. He had no faith in any of the strengthening that it had undergone; his panic stricken mind was far beyond listening to reason.
Swearing, and terrified, Edgar sprinted into the jungle on his right, away from the Jeep. He could hear the shrieking of the infant which he had kicked from his ankle. It sounded as if it was agony, but he couldn't care less. In fact, he found himself gaining some strange joy out of the fact that he had managed to injure it. The ground continued to shake, and he could hear the adult roaring furiously.
He had no idea where he was going, what he was going to do. He just ran for his life.
But after several minutes of running, he couldn't possibly run anymore. He scrambled forwards on his hands and knees, wedging himself in between a rock and a thick bush. He stood as still as he could, panting frantically. His lungs seared with each breath, and he struggled to get enough Oxygen to his brain. His vision was drifting in and out of focus, and he swayed momentarily on his feet.
As he slowly recovered, he came to the sudden realization that he was completely alone. Only the sounds of the insects and frogs accompanied his panicked breathing.
The Tyrannosaur had gone after Dodgson.