CHAPTER 168
As Marcus, Logan, and Dr. Conners sped through the jungle they kept their eyes open for danger, but there was none in sight.
Marcus said, "does anyone else find this all to suspicious?"
Logan was still chomping on his tobacco, "They're probably just waitin' to pop out and tear us to pieces when we least expect it."
Dr. Conners had his eyes ahead. He knew they hadn't seen the last of the pack yet, but he didn't have any clue what to expect next. He angled his lips at the mouthpiece on his headset. "We're coming up on the edge of the jungle. Everybody check in. Dianna, Gary, do you copy?"
There was only silence over the radios. Through the trees he could still hear the explosive rumblings of the CJ7s over the screams of the three dirt bikes. It was the only way he knew they were yet on the move.
Marcus said, "I told you them headsets weren't gonna be worth a damned. They're not gonna hear shit over those open headers.
Dr. Conners took little comfort in the fact that he could only hear the roaring of the Jeep engines from a distance. He knew he'd feel a whole lot better when he could actually see them again.
In the jungle ahead of them Dr. Conners spotted several gallimimus foraging through the foliage. It was a peaceful scene, one that would shortly be shattered by their intrusion. Already many of the ostrich-like dinosaurs were craning their slender necks to see what was amiss.
Dr. Conners said, "there they are. Marcus, you flank right. Logan, you take up the left. I'll go straight into the middle. For now let's just try and get them all going in one direction.
"Copy that," Logan and Marcus both replied.
The gallimimus began to honk and ruffle their feathers as the dirt bikes approached. Soon they were on the run. The once peacefully roaming herd was now stirring with chaos. With startled cries they sprinted toward the jungle's edge.
"Get in close!" Dr. Conners yelled. "Keep them together."
Some of the gallimimus were attempting to flee outward, but as Marcus and Logan flanked in on them they veered back toward the body of the herd.
Logan got particularly close to one of the gallimimus and almost crashed into its ankle. With a hiss the dinosaur snapped at him and then backed away into the herd.
Dr. Conners felt a stroke of confidence as he saw the gallimimus beginning to hold together. They had never tried a tactic like this to move the herds before. When they needed to transport livestock between Isla Sorna and Isla Nublar they typically slipped a sedative into the food supply or tranquilized them from afar with a long range rifle. There was never any corralling involved, but he figured if the raptors could do it, so could they. It appeared now that they were actually having success.
The gallimimus tucked in close together. Some of them were so tightly packed that they continually rubbed shoulders like people on a crowded city sidewalk. There was almost a sense of order to the herd though as they filed between the last of the jungle's tree trunks and broke into the open field. They were actually all moving together.
"Well I'll be damned, "Marcus said." This ain't workin' half bad."
As Marcus, Logan, and Dr. Conners sped into the open they were flogged on all sides by thick tall grass.
Logan shouted, "damn, it's like driving through a steel brush! I'm gettin' whipped to hell."
"Quit belly aching, Logan. We got shit to do." Marcus hollered at him over the radio."
Dr. Conners was watching the herd of gallimimus from the rear. There was a sudden change in their movement that didn't seem right. In his headset he heard Marcus shout, "Damn it! Look out!"