14

13 - Place to action, the real one !

D-day - Everywhere on Isla Nublar – 7 : 45 am.

Sat in the room of command, Owen and Nicolas remain silent.

Alternatively, they look through the big window.

The day struggles to impose its clarity. A heavy, gray, dirty sky is pouring a lot of water, while the wind blows violently.

- It does not tempt to go out, eventually says the Frenchman. »

- I agree with you. But I am well afraid that it is necessary to us to do with it. I would be surprised if our enemies abandoned. »

- Do not count on it. Trevor will not give up. He is a true professional. He is paid to do this mission. He will go to the end. And no doubt that this bad weather suits him very well.

« Helicopters are nailed on the ground. Tanks will progress only with great difficulty in this waterlogged soils.

« It so eliminated the main part of our forces. It remains only the light vehicles.

« Good thing we received the reinforcements. »

- Ok ! Ok ! I believe in you ! Within one hour, we shall gather a last time our troops in the amphitheater, for an ultimate briefing. »

« Then we shalll have to go out there and be reactive.

« By the way, Wisley (Wisley is Marvin's equivalent on the night staff), what does the weather report say ? »

- Always similar, answers the young man. The maximum of the hurricane will pass on us at about 4 : 00 pm. "

- In other words, concludes Nicolas, the attack can intervene from 2 : 30 – 3 : 00 pm.

« So everything will have to be ready from 1 : 30 pm and we shall have to be ready to go for it at 2 : 00 pm at the latest.

« Anyway, the "top stopwatch" will be given by the explosion. As soon as we shall hear it, it will be necessary to verify its location on the map and to determine, precisely, the Trevor's most likely route, to avoid rushing blindly on him.

« After that, it will be for Blue and its friends Dromeosauruses to act. You see, I managed to say it ! »

- Conveniently, says Owen, we left the Velociraptor near the former aviary of Pterosaurs. How are we going to get it back for the mission for which we expect from it ? »

- It is very simple, I made an appointment with it in a precise point. It will be there a big part of the day to wait for us. »

- All the same, I would like to know what you are telling it. To admit everything, your whispers bother me a little ! »

- No problem, answers Nicolas ! If you want, I shall say aloud all that I shall communicate to the animals. Like that, you will be able to follow more easily what takes place.

« Does it suit you ? »

- It would go to me actually well enough ! »

- Hey well, it is said ! It will also be of use to our men who will understand better, so, the movements of our own dinosaurs. It will avoid any error. »

Silence returns to the great hall, which slowly empties from the night staff.

D-day - South headland of the island – 8 : 30 am.

Under the big tent which shelters them, with great difficulty, from the rain, all the men and the small dinosaurs are gathered around Trevor.

- Hello to all, says the colonel. This will be our last meeting before the action.

« I hope that you are all ready, men as animals.

« In this connection, Clifford, how passed the training of our allies with scales ? »

- We cannot better, my colonel, answers the soldier called out. I had concocted them a whole lot of exercises. They got out of it marvelously. They are at the top : speed, efficiency, reactivity and obedience, everything is all right. »

- Very good, answers Trevor. Thus, sirs and dinosaurs, listen to the program of our day.

« Right after the end of this meeting, we dismount everything and we load the barge.

« At the end of morning, we embark and we go in the creek which I indicated you yesterday.

« The landing craft will follow the coast as closer as possible to avoid us having to face the biggest waves.

« This journey will certainly be rather painful, considering the conditions. So we shall leave early to give you a small time of recovery, because, afterward, we shall need all our strenghs.

« If you are sick, vomit in your helmet.

« And make animals lay down. No need that, pushed by the swell, they fall on you or break their legs during the trip.

« Arrived on the spot, we shall leave all together, men and animals.

« By the way, did everybody verify his remote control ? »

- Affirmative, my colonel, answers Luigi. Everything is ready ! »

- Very well. Once near the wall, Ernst will advance. Charlie, you will accompany him with the ladder.

« Ernst, you will place quietly your explosive loads. Do not take care of cameras. Even if we are located, weather conditions will not allow them to intervene in time.

« As soon as the wall will have exploded, Giovanni and Antoine, you will intervene with lasers to cut the wire netting.

« Then we shall penetrate into the park.

« Lieutenant Jurgen, you will take the command. You will pass with the first group. It will consist in six men with six dinosaurs - the numbers 1, 2 and 5 for the Velociraptors, and 6, 8 and 9 for miniature IdR. Number 11, which was hurt in the previous mission, will stay near the barge on the beach with Gunther and some men, to protect our re-embarkation if it takes place badly. Ernst, Charlie, Giovanni and Antoine, as soon as your work will be ended, you will come back to strengthen them.

« Once the first group passed, Ramji and Johannes, you will advance with your rifles and you will destroy the three closest cameras, right and left of the fault. I do not want those on the other side to see more.

« The intact cameras will be too far, and with the twilight and the rain, will not anymore allow to distinguish much.

« That is when the second group, commanded by Luigi, will pass in turn.

« The purpose of this stratagem is, you will have understood it, to prevent our enemies to determine our exact staff.

« To end, Radamel and Igor will pass in their turn with beams and grapnels. They will remain hidden, in approximately 250 m to the left of the passage, when we look from the inside of the park, and they will wait for us, having installed the device of crossing. They will help us cross fences on our return by covering up us if need be. »

- Why not to stand out by where we shall have entered, my colonel ? »

- Because, if they want to trap us, that's where they will wait for us. »

- and animals ?

- We shall think it over at the time of leaving the park because I am not sure that there remains a lot at the end of the mission.

« As soon as you will be grouped inside the reserve, you will go back up as quickly as possible towards the enemy installations by following the border of the forest on approximately two kilometers. »

« Once there, you will begin to progress more slowly, but under cover this time, to the neighborhood of this point (he puts his finger on the map), materialized by the letter C.

« Our friends will face the troops on the opposite side exactly at this place. »

- But how will they know that we are there, my colonel, questions Ignacio ? »

- ecause we shall take care to let them know, but in a rather imprecise way, so that they are forced to deploy without knowing exactly where we are going to appear.

« I explained everything to the Lieutenant. He will detail you the operation when you will be on site.

« Last recommendation : prohibition to intervene during the fight ! You're here to lead the animals, that's all ! So hide, please, because I do not want a loss. »

- We are not too much used to doing that, my colonel. We are warriors above all. »

- I know, answers Trevor. But the orders are formal. We are paid to test the animals, and rather well. We needed money, that is the reason why I accepted. But I find this mission rotten and I do not appreciate it more than you. »

- And you, my colonel, you do not come with us ? »

- Yes, of course ! I shall cross the wall at the same time as you, then I shall follow you at a distance, always under cover, so as to arrive on the spot approximately one hour after you. Your dinosaurs will so have time to express all their talent.

« I shall join you then with N°13. »

- Oh yes ! N°13, repeats one of the men. »

All discreetly exchange glances, without saying a word.

- Anything else, asks Trevor ? »

- No, my colonel, answers Jurgen. Everything is clear. »

- Well sirs, I wish you good luck and I plan well to see again you all here, this evening, at the time of the re-embarkation.

« In the meantime, we have some work and time is short. »

D-day - Amphitheater of the 5th floor - 9 : 00 am

Everybody is there, even both wounded soldiers of the day before. The doctor of the site reconditioned them.

The first one to speak is lieutenant Jefferson.

- Listen to me, guys, he starts ! The exercises are over. Now we turn to serious questions. So, get ready to make movement at any time !

« Minimum Equipment ! Some little food and one hundred cartridges by man. »

« Only light weapons : pistols and assault rifles.

« Also plan bladed weapons : daggers and bayonets because we shall fight certainly hand-to-hand.

« Protect yourselves from the rain at best ! »

- We shall be transported there by trucks, Owen pursues. It will not be those of yesterday but electric vehicles, totally silent.

« We shall come down from them only at the last moment to take a stand.

« Our enemies will remain certainly hidden in bushes or under trees, to take advantage at best of the mimicry of their animals.

« In any case, we must not agree to place ourselves within a hundred meters of the edges. »

- Why, asks a corporal ? »

- Because their dinosaurs will go out to full speed of the forest. It will be necessary to them then hardly six seconds to browse this distance.

« But, at the beginning, you will see them very badly because they will be confused with the background.

« They will only be a furtive shadow moving in the scenery. They will be particularly difficult to adjust, especially since their race will probably not be straight.

« When you will begin to distinguish them, they will be practically already on you. Your response time will be particularly short.

« Then, they will jump among you. Impossible, then, to use firearms. You would risk to injure yourselves each other.

« This is why the lieutenant insisted on the necessity of taking bladed weapons.

« Also think of the amplifiers of light, they will be useful for you. »

- How do you plan to localize them, asks sergeant Harrys, the other sergeant of the unity with Milton ? »

- It's very simple, with scouts. "

- You have Cheyennes or Iroquois, pursues the non-commissioned officer ? »

- No ! But we have our dinosaurs of fight, too.

« I am going to present them to you. They are four.

« First of all, there is Blue, a female Velociraptor, that you can see here. »

Marvin shows the photo of the animal on the big screen.

- Do not confuse it with those of the opposite side, pursues Owen ! Moreover, its role will be only to track the movement under of our opponents.

« We shall have only to follow it with our binoculars.

« When the moment to put ourselves in position will have come, we shall remove it from the zone of fight, to avoid any error.

« And here are its three accomplices ! »

Three clearly smaller dinosaurs appear in their turn.

- They are Dromeosauruses, even if their name has no importance. They accompany it everywhere.

« For those, there are less risks of confusion because those on the other side do not have, except, of course, if they have hidden them to us.

- And who says to us that they will not join their friends during the fight, asks a "marine" ? »

- In this case, my assistant would immediately detect their intentions and would warn us. »

- There's little chances that it occurs, intervenes Nicolas. Ours are free, without constraint while those on the opposite side are under control. »

- Here we are, sirs, you know everything now, concludes Jefferson.

« Last thing though ! In no case we must approach the edges and let alone enter the forest. We would then be dealing with a perfectly invisible enemy. We would be risking a massacre because we would suffer losses without ever seeing the adversary.

« Am I clear enough ? »

- We understood well, answers Milton. »

- Perfect ! Go to equip yourselves ! Gathering at 1 : 30 pm in the shed near the vehicles, concludes Owen. »

D-day - Further south - Same time.

The dismantling of the camp is ended and everything is loaded, from now on, on the landing craft.

Trevor is satisfied. There is no trace of their bivouac, not even a piece of cigarette. Men and animals have embarked.

The floating machine gets ready to leave.

- Useless to wait longer, announces the colonel to Miroslaw, the pilot of the barge.

« The sea is already enough agitated.

« Let us not wait that it still gets stronger. »

- At your orders, my colonel, answers the soldier !

« Be careful ! Here we go. »

Without waiting, the barge moves back then turns to the open sea.

Meanwhile, Trevor joined Williamson, the radio.

- Call The Mole, he asks ! »

- Hello, here " Dinosaur 1 ", " Dinosaur 1 ", I call "Guard dog". »

- Here is "Guard dog", I listen to. »

- Hello The Mole, here is the colonel ! Stay ready to make movement at any time. As soon as " Mother hen " will contact you, you will make road towards it. It has to pass between Isla Nublar and your island.

« It will follow the coast of yours at first to get back you because you will be the first ones to reembark.

« Then it will come to our position to recover us, so that we have a minimum of navigation to do.

« All this will have to be made very fast, at approximately 5 : 30 pm. »

- Understood well, my colonel, answers The Mole. We shall be ready in time. »

The barge now goes out of the creek and has to face the unchained sea. Rolled around in all directions, men and animals suffer. Some people are already sick. Fortunately, the route will not be long.

Without waiting, Miroslaw directs his movement eastward and follows the coast in the closer, to avoid facing most hardly of the swell.

Every time he can, he modifies his trajectory to avoid taking the biggest waves abeam.

Thanks to dexterity of the pilot, the journey takes place rather well.

Considering the conditions, and, after less than 40 minutes of navigation, the place of destination appears.

Immediately, Miroslaw engages the barge in the narrow passage that gives into a perfectly protected cove.

Almost immediately, the swell calms down and the frail barge comes to accost on a narrow sandy beach.

As soon as the front door opens, men and animals rush outside.

Some are very pale, others behave as if they were drunk.

No way to begin the operation in these conditions.

In any case, it is too early.

- Okay, says Trevor ! We spread a tarpaulin between some trees and we shelter below.

« We rest and we eat.

« I want you to be in possession of all your forces for what waits for us. »

D-day - The same place – 1 : 00 pm

Trevor arrives among his men.

- The moment has come, he says ! Is everybody Ok ? »

- No worry, my colonel, we are all ready. »

- Good !

« Well ! Equip yourselves : poncho and heavy helmet, automatic pistol with two chargers, even if, normally, you should not have to use but it is a safety, and a dagger.

« Some vitamins bars, if necessary.

« And that's all ! We travel light because it will be necessary to be fast at the time of the return.

« Above all, do not forget your control device !

« As soon as everyone is ready, we dismount this camp and we go there. »

Less than half an hour later, everything is ended.

- Let's go, says Trevor ! In single file. Twenty meters spacing between every man. »

The column starts up, accompanied with its dinosaurs, while the rain doubles and while the thunderstorm is listened.

Nevertheless, half an hour later, the commando arrives on the spot and stops under the cover of the trees.

- Ernst and Charlie, says Trevor, do your job, now ! »

Without a word, both men go to the concrete wall.

D - day - Control room - Same hour

- Alert, shouts suddenly the guard of the room of video surveillance ! Men approach the surrounding wall. »

Owen, Nicolas and Jefferson arrive running.

- Where do you see them, says the American ? »

- Here, mister Grady, they are between cameras 22 and 23. »

This time, Nicolas brought with him a site map in paper version.

- I see, he says. They arrive by the southeast.

« It is a good choice because, on the other side of the fence, there is a forest zone where they will be able to hide very easily.

- As soon as they will have penetrated into the reserve, we shall go to them. »

- Why to wait, asks Jefferson ? »

- Because the fact of viewing these images can bring us precious informations. »

Meanwhile, both men on the screen pursue the methodical installation of their explosive loads.

Ernst even goes as far as making faces to cameras.
- He makes fun of us, says Jefferson ! »

- It completely looks like him, answers Nicolas. »

The finished work, Ernst and Charlie quickly go back under the trees.

A few moments later, the bombs explode.

A wide breach is now opened in the wall.

Without waiting, two new silhouettes appear on the monitor.

They are Giovanni and Antoine who attack immediately the armored wire netting.

- They are equipped well, says Jefferson, admiring. And they thought of everything. »

- I hope well that not, answers Owen. But these images prove us, if need were, that we have to deal with strong part. »

On the screen, the lieutenant Jurgen advances with the first group and crosses the passage which Ernst opened.

He is accompanied with about ten men and with six dinosaurs.

- You were right, says Owen to Nicolas, there are well both species : three Velociraptors and three miniature IdR. »

The two last men stop suddenly, just before crossing the breach.

Taking out rifles with telescopic sight under their ponchos, they destroy methodically the closest cameras.

« Well done, says Owen ! They want that we know that they penetrated into the park but they do not want that we know how many they are.

« What are the closest cameras which still work ? »

- The numbers 19 and 25, answers the guard. But with the rain falling and the backlighting, they will not serve us much. »

Indeed, the images they transmit are unusable.

- They prepared well their action, says Jefferson. »

- It was necessary to expect it, answers Owen.

« Good ! Useless to wait more. The time has come to go to meet them.

« Let us join your troops, lieutenant ! »