16
15 – Never cry victory too soon
Surprised by the attitude of the Frenchman, Owen turns and comes back to him.
- What are you doing, he asks in an annoyed tone ? It's all over ! The men are tired and soaked, and so are we. It's time to go back to the camp.
« Furthermore, the noise of the fights has, as I had said, attracted our big predators. Tyrannosaurs are unless eight hundred meters and Allosaurs hardly farther.
« As they do not hurry, we have time enough to re-embark and leave. But we must not drag on. »
Harrys also turned back.
- What happens, he asks ? »
- There is that sir makes his rebellious person ! There is no longer anyone of the opposite side and he does not want to go away. »
Having a vague blow of eye at his friend, Nicolas turns around towards vehicles.
- Mister Conway, join me, please ! »
The old guard of the park runs immediately and comes down.
- I need your camera, specifies him the Frenchman. »
- But finally, tells him Owen, irritated ! Did you notice that nothing more was happening ? It is finished ! We go away ! »
- No, answers laconically the Frenchman ! »
- How's that, no ? We have defeated them all, there's no one left. We can go. "
- We have not won yet. We overcame the infantry. Now, they send us tanks. »
- What do you want to say ? »
- That something alive and very heavy approaches. And intelligent moreover, because it makes big efforts to be the most silent possible.
« Do not you feel these vibrations in the ground ?
« Then, look ! »
In front of four men, the surface of one of the multiple puddles is shaken at regular intervals.
- Also glance on our small friends, pursues Nicolas ! They are frozen with fear. Some tremble. They understood, too. »
- Do I have to put back my soldiers in position, asks Harrys ? »
- It would be of no use, sergeant. We are not equipped to fight against what is approaching.
« We have made a big error, that not to plan that those on the opposite side could not have given up in the "always bigger, always more hardly, always wilder". »
« Our weapons will not be more effective than a wasp sting.
« Make your men leave, sergeant ! And leave with them ! Your mission here is ended. You very well performed it ! »
- If what approaches is also formidable as what you claim, our presence will be of no use either. Better to leave as well ! »
- And let this dirtyness moves freely in the park ? If we lose sight of it, we will have all the difficulties of the world to find it again because it will hide.
« And if it kills for the pleasure, as the Indominus Rex about which you spoke to me, when you will open the reserve to the public, the visitors will discover fields of corpses !
« No way ! »
- And what do you plan to do ? »
- I do not know too much. To bluff, to save time.
« Claire, do you hear me ? »
- Yes, Nicolas, very well. And I have to tell you that I did not like too much what you have just said ! »
- I am sorry about it but listen to me, please, because time is short.
« First of all, ask Bryan Narrow, the paleontologist, to come in the control room. I would need his knowledge when our last-minute visitor will show itself.
« Then, make send us one eight wheel-drive armored car with a heavy machine gun. »
- But it is going to take at least half an hour to join you, intervenes the young woman ! You will never hold on a so long time !
- You are doubtless right but I have no better idea. »
Then, turning to Conway, the old guard :
- Listen to Jasper, I am going to have to risk. Then, if you want it, you can leave me your camera and return with the "marines".
« I shall not reproach it to you because, here, the chances of survival are thin, not to say almost invalid. »
- Sorry, mister Randanne, but if you stay, I also stay ! »
- Very well ! I thank you for it !
« And you, Owen ? »
- What a stupid question ! You do not imagine that I am going to leave you all the honors ? »
The words has become useless.
Already, vehicles go away, lighthouses switched on, this time.
In the control room, Claire runs around.
She has transmitted Nicolas's orders and, already, the heavy vehicle dashes in the rain.
- Make it arrive on time, she says for herself. »
- I would not want to be the bird of ill omen, says Marvin, but we are badly embarked, on that case ! »
- Keep silent, cut the young woman, the bad look ! Useless to rub salt in the wound. I know that these stubborn persons are going to be massacred !
« And I can't do anything to avoid it. »
Tears flow slowly on her cheeks.
« I'm sorry, says Marvin in a low voice. I did not want to hurt you. Maybe this situation is going to be fine ! »
- It is kind to tell me that. But you know well that it is not true. »
The telephone rings, putting a stop to the discussion.
The young man picks up.
- It is mister Harper, he says. He comes to the news. »
- Good evening, mister Harper, says Claire. »
- Good evening, madam Dearing. Then, what's new ? »
- The attack was countered. »
- Good ! Many damages on our side ? »
- Yes ! Good thing we had received the reinforcements ! »
« But … »
- But what ? »
- It seems that it is not finished. Apparently, our opponents reserved us a naughty surprise. »
- What is it ? »
- We know nothing about it yet. I am going to allow you to see our monitor screen. So, you will discover, at the same time as we, what it is. »
All this time, on the ground, three men are as statued.
Owen and Jasper do not take their eyes off Nicolas, who, on his side, observes intensely the border of the forest, all the senses on the alert.
Near him, the group of dinosaurs gets excited.
- Do not go there, says suddenly the Frenchman ! You would have no chance. »
Then, addressing the two men :
- It is there, he says. It has just stopped and it observes us. It waits for the right moment. »
- You see it ? »
- No, it has taken the color of its environment, but I hear it breathing.
« What are you waiting to show yourself, he yells suddenly in the wind ? »
As an answer, in a noise of storm, throwing pieces of broken branches in all directions, the monster comes out of the forest.
It is an enormous biped : nine, ten meters long, maybe, and between four meters and four meters fifty high. It wears a necklace, too.
The animal gives a horrifying cry which resounds in the wind.
Three men has got the head down.
In the control room, everyone has jumped and Claire has uttered a cry of terror.
- My God, says Harper ! It missed only this !
- Doctor Narrow, says Nicolas without losing his cool, I need informations. What is this ugly creature ? What are its strengths ? Its weaknesses, if it has some ? »
- First of all, it is not a real dinosaur. It has never existed. As Indominus Rex, a few years ago, it is an animal fabricated. And what we can say, it is that they put the package. »
« To save time, I suggest you calling it IdR2.
« Everything takes place as if it had been made from spare parts of other saurians.
« The horns, first of all. The one that it wears on the nose calls back that of the Ceratosaurus and those situated just over eyes those of the Carnotaurus. Both were carnivorous theropodes as the T-Rex.
« The three other rows which it has on the nape of the neck seem it borrowed from stegosauridae.
« In my point of view, they are essentially of use to the defense, by protecting the neck.
« There are two terrible new features compared to the first-generation IdR.
« First of all, the osseous masses at the end of the tail, inspired by ankylosauridae. They are redoubtable weapons. Considering the power of the animal, they can act as maces which, in the impact, can break the hardest bones.
« Especially be wary !
« Finally, the long claws at the end of the superior members were borrowed from Therisinosaurus, enormous biped apparently herbivorous. They are particularly long and cutting as razors.
« To finish, be wary of jaws. Apparently, the set of teeth was strengthened. They are even more formidable than those of the IdR1. »
- Charming tiny creature, concludes Nicolas ! Thank you, doctor for this very precise description. If I understand well, we have in front of us a heavy tank with a strengthened armor and provided with all the possible weapons. Magnificent perspective ! »
- Your summary is a little bit schematic but, finally, rather exact, answers the scientist.
« I wish you good luck and, especially, a lot of chance, even if, if I were you, I would go away as quickly as possible. "
- No Way ! But thank you anyway ! »
- You know, says Owen, he speaks the language of the common sense. What do you want to do against that ? »
- To hope, that is all ! »
- You have an idea ? »
- Just one last card to lay on the table. The future will tell us if it is an ace of hearts or a two of spades. »
The Frenchman advances of some steps whereas the predator goes to him, the threatening mouth.
Only some meters separate from now on both protagonists.
Everywhere, on the ground, as in front of screens, each holds his breath, expecting the worst at any time.
The animal always moves forward.
It is now very close to Nicolas.
- Go back, yells Owen, you are going to be devoured ! »
- Not sure, answers the Frenchman.
While the animal gets ready to throw itself on him, he extends his left hand in the direction of the huge predator.
Immediately, a beam of blue light goes out of his hand and is going to strike, almost at point-blank range, the breast of the dinosaur.
This one finds itself suddenly thrown of several meters before falling again heavily on the ground.
Badly shaken, he has difficulty in recovering up.
In the edge of the forest, a man with white hair, tall and slender, has just appeared, holding a small device in his hand.
- Get up, he roars ! »
And, without waiting, he presses one of the buttons.
Immediately, the IdR2 screams in pain and stands up with difficulty.
- Hello, colonel Trevor, shouts suddenly Nicolas ! »
- So, we know each other. Ignacio was right ! Nevertheless, your head tells me nothing. »
- It is normal ! It is very old. But if I tell you : frogmen and Basra »
- Okay, I see ! If I remember well, you had taken a heavy defeat in the period. I considered you were dead. Apparently, the lesson did not serve you. You come to take a second one ? »
- If I were you, I would not take any bets. Luck always ends up turning. »
- Sorry but I do not have time to waste in sterile chatter.
« And you, number 13, I gave you an order ! »
But the monster hesitates. It does not understand what happened to it, nor how the small biped, in front of him, was able to be so strong. It is obviously afraid of seeing the event reproducing.
Behind him, Trevor gets impatient.
- I gave you an order, he repeats ! »
And, again, he presses the button, so injecting a new dose of peptide of the pain into the monster which shouts then with suffering.
From his part, Nicolas has taken out of his pocket his small case too.
The animal is near enough so that it can activate it.
- Listen to, he says in addressing the IdR2, all that you endure is imposed to you by this man. »
Without hesitation for a moment, he presses the little button and the light switches off immediately on the necklace of the dinosaur.
- You see, resumes the Frenchman, now he cannot hurt you anymore. »
Actually, although Trevor gets excited on his case, nothing more takes place.
The animal seems to have understood.
He turns his head towards his executioner and yells a cry of rage.
Making about-turn, it goes to the colonel, the threatening air.
- Then, Trevor, shouts Nicolas ! It seems that you are still very sports. You go to be able to demonstrate it because you are going to need to run very fast if you want to escape your animal. »
- Bastard, roars the colonel who unsheathes his Colt and fire twice in the direction of three men, but without precision. »
Then he precipitates himself into the forest.
Without waiting, the IdR2 launches in his pursuit.
The noise of its running decreases gradually.
- He is going to be devoured, concludes Jasper. »
- It is not certain, retorts Nicolas. This guy is very cunning and his pursuer can not run very fast, in this interweaving of branches, because of its big size.
« Anyway, we won only a short respite because, that he catches up or not Trevor, the monster will eventually come back to us. »
- Can you redo the blow of the electric shock, asks Owen ? »
- Unfortunately not. I exhausted in one blow almost all of my reserve of energy to push aside this animal, and the recharging is going to be rather long. »
- And this armored car which does not arrive, growls Jasper. »
- Do not be unjust, retorts the American. I am sure that the guys make every effort to arrive as quickly as possible, but the traffic is complicated. »
In the woods, the pursuit continues.
Despite his speed and the many obstacles he runs through, Trevor has all the difficulties to maintain a sufficient distance between his pursuer and him.
Looking over his shoulder, without slowing down his race, he notices with anxiety that the IdR2 is almost on his heels.
He must nevertheless succeed in disappearing from the field of view of the animal if he wants to be able to carry out his plan.
Fortunately for him, the slope becomes more marked.
In a desperate movement, he throws himself forward and rolls down to the river. Arrived in the water, he gets up without waiting and goes back up the current of several dozens of meters.
Then he drops face downward. Having a last look to the big predator, he notices that this one is almost masked by the vegetation and that he clearly slowed down its race.
Apparently, it lost its track. The colonel also notices, by a hole of the foliage, that the light of the necklace is lit again.
Without waiting, he presses one of the buttons before hiding himself under the edge of the river bank.
An explosion is listened… followed by a horrifying cry of pain.
But the vibrations of the ground do not stop for all that.
Apparently, the dinosaur is always alive.
Hidden in herbs, Trevor ventures to take a look.
The predator is still looking for him, but it is carrying a serious wound in the neck, which bleeds extensively.
Obviously, the explosive device did not perfectly work. Maybe that the numerous shocks which it received in the forest have damaged it.
The explosion was much lower than planned.
But it matters little because the animal, tired by its fruitless search, turns and goes back up now towards the border of the forest.
As soon as it is out of sight, Trevor comes out of the water and goes away by running in the direction of his point of meeting with his men.
He indeed has to do nothing more on site. His mission is ended.
- I let the others manage n°13, he says for himself ! I wish them good luck. They will have, at one time or another, to accept to face it. If they do not make it now, this nasty animal is enough crooked to go to hide in the woody zones, where it will be invisible. I think that they will then have difficulty in finding it and their losses risk to be important.
« It is a pity that the camera is out of order. I would have liked well seeing that. »
- The IdR2 is not dead, says suddenly Nicolas, who so breaks the tense silence of three men.
« The bomb has not done its job. »
- Maybe it had got loose, suggests Jasper ? »
- I do not think because we clearly heard a cry of suffering just after the explosion.
« And now, I hear it to move in the undergrowth. It will be back here in a few minutes. »
Without participating in the discussion, Owen has moved a little away.
- Hello Claire, he says in his microphone ? »
- I hear you, answers the young woman. »
- Have you news of the reinforcements ? »
- Not recently. Wait ! I contact them. »
A few moments later, she goes back on the word.
- The course is very difficult despite the qualities of the vehicle. They managed to browse more than half the distance and should reach you in about ten minutes. »
- Tell them to open their eyes very widely, because the animal risks to come to their meeting. »
- What do you want to say there ? »
- That we shall not be able to retain it the time required, in spite of our six small muscular arms ! »
- I do not like your humor ! »
- It is all I have left, I cannot do anything about it. »
- Mister Grady, here Harvey Harper, drop and go away ! We shall manage to pursue this horror in a different way. »
- I am willing, but my assistant is stubborn. He will not want to leave. »
- Then, let him ! It is his choice, that he assumes it ! You are not obliged to sacrifice yourselves with him ! »
- Except for one thing : he is my friend and it is because of me that he is there. »
- And I, says Claire, eyes full of tears, do you think to me ? »
But Owen does not answer. He did not hear the question because he had the spirit somewhere else. He is looking around for Nicolas.
This one is a little farther and seems in deep conversation with "his" dinosaurs.
Suddenly, the small predators part and go away by running in different directions.
- You finally understood, Owen apostrophes him ? You made our small friends leave and, now, it is going to be our turn ? »
- You are right, you should leave, Jasper and you. Useless that we risk our life all three. »
« As for our dinosaurs, I did not tell them to go away, I confided them a mission. »
- Ah well ! And which one ? »
- A crazy idea which does not have a chance out of a hundred to succeed, but which I am going to try all the same.
« As for you, you should listen to Claire's call. Useless to return her unfortunate for nothing ! »
« She waits for you, join her ! »
- And you, do you think of Magdalena ? »
- I only think of her. But, you see, it is so recent that I still have difficulty in believing that it is not a dream. And then, I spent all my life to risk it for things in which I believed. I am not going to change now.
« That takes place from now on between this horror and me. »
- You are crazy ! You are going to face an animal of about nine tons alone and the naked hands ! »
- Not exactly. But it is too late to discuss it. The IdR2 is not very far anymore. I think that its wound has to make it suffer because it moves slowly.
« Nevertheless, it should not delay appearing. »
Meanwhile, colonel Trevor has continued his crazy race.
Reached out of sight from his enemies, he has taken the risk of going out of the woods to move faster.
Everything goes well for him.
By about ten minutes, he will have joined his men near the surrounding wall.
They will be able to cross the fence all together and disappear in the jungle to join the barge.
Lost in his thoughts and taken by his run-up, he arrives in the middle of a group of Coeluruses.
Surprised, dinosaurs move away on his passage but they regain immediately their self-control and chase after him.
It is indeed an attractive prey and within the reach of the small group.
Already, the first specimens attack the fugitive, at the level of legs and of back, and bite him with ferocity.
While running, Trevor has taken out his pistol of his gun case. With his left fist and the butt of the gun, he savagely beats the animals that cling to him.
He also shoots those who try to overtake him, on the right or on the left, with a formidable efficiency.
A little farther, lieutenant Jurgen is alerted by the noise of the shots.
- Someone has problems there, he says suddenly. It is certainly the colonel who has troubles.
« Five men with me, we will meet him.
« We deploy as skirmishers and we open our eyes ! »
Without a word furthermore, six men dash forward, all the senses alert.
They need only not much time to join Trevor.
This one was obliged to stop and defends himself as he can.
In spite of the precision of his shootings, he has difficulty in containing the assaults of Coeluruses.
The arrival of Jurgen and his men is providential.
Thanks to this reinforcement, the small predators are quickly put to flight, leaving numerous corpses behind them.
- Thank you, lieutenant, says the colonel, you arrived just at the right moment. »
- Let us not stay there, my colonel, our shots could attract our enemies. »
- You are right, the time has come to bow out.
« Let's go ! »