CHAPTER 188

"Daniel?" Gary stared in disbelief from the passenger seat of the rover as it bounced along rough jungle terrain. He had so many questions running through his head.

Daniel was one of John Hammond's right hand assistants when he was on Isla Sorna, only John Hammond wasn't on Isla Sorna. He hadn't been for well over a week.

The first thing Gary blurted out was, "you shouldn't be here."

Daniel kept his eyes through the windshield. "Are you actually complaining that I just rescued your ass?"

"Well, where the hell did you come from?"

"Well, you see, when a man and a woman love each other very much…"

Gary stared blankly.

"It was a joke, son. Don't let it hurt your head." Daniel paused to marvel at Gary's short circuit, then he sighed and rolled his eyes. "I had the flu. Caught a real bad case of it around a week ago. Couldn't leave the island. Could barely get out of bed to take a piss. Next thing I know the village is deserted, the phones and the power are out, and the island is overrun with velociraptors."

Gary raised a suspicious brow. "And you didn't notice any of the gun fire, helicopters, gas grenades, people screaming in horror as they were torn limb from limb, dinosaurs roaring with murderous intent? No? None of that?"

"I was practically in a coma, Gary."

A thick metal tube poked through between Daniel and Gary from the back seat, and Bill's face emerged with it. "Hey, is this a bazooka?"

Daniel frowned, "do you know how to use one of those?"

Bill looked the rocket launcher up and down. "No."

"Then I suggest you put it down."

Bill nodded like it was a good idea that he never would have thought of and sank back in his seat.

Gary had done a double take. The back of the rover looked like a munitions bunker. "Where the hell did you get all that?" His head shot to Daniel. "And where the hell did you get this rover?"

"Storage unit B."

Bill's head came forward again. "No kiddin."

"Yeah, there's all kinds of fun shit in there."

"You got any cigarettes?"

Gary interjected, "ok, you just sit back."

"What? I was just asking."

Daniel answered over the two of them, "no dice, buddy."

Bill slumped in his seat. "Damn."

Gary was looking at Daniel with a stern accusatory expression. "I don't buy it."

Bill's voice came from the back, "what's not to buy? The man just saved our asses. We've got enough ammo here to send a brachiosaurus through The Great Wall of China. We're on our way to the plane. Where gettin' off this crazy rock, so what's with the third degree?" Bill was hit with a sudden stroke of concern. His eyes went to Daniel. "You do know about the plane, don't you? That is where you're headed, right?"

Daniel was nonchalant. "Absolutely. I saw the whole thing. The plane, the flares, the plane landing. Where else would I be going?"

Bill slapped Gary's shoulder. "You see. We've got nothin' to worry about. We'll be on that airstrip in no time." He settled back in his seat. "Now if only I could get my hands on a cigarette."

Gary's look was still severe. "Why didn't you kill Tomahawk?"

Bill sighed, "oh, come on, man. What's with you?"

Daniel actually took his eyes off the windshield and gave Gary a hard stare before easing up and returning to the path ahead of them. "Oh, you mean the big one. I was calling her bluff. She knew I had her beat, and I didn't want to waste the bullets."

In the back Bill was mumbling, "Jesus, Gary, you wanna polygraph the man?"

Gary had run out of questions, but he still felt that this whole thing didn't seem right. Daniel had always been clean cut and reserved. Now he was dressing like Indiana Jones and dishing out an attitude like John McClane.

Gary's eyes strayed down to the center console where the other rovers had a screen for monitoring motion sensor activity across the island. There was no computer here, but Daniel had one of his revolvers resting just in front of the stick shift boot. An inscription on the side of the gun caught his attention.

"He who makes a beast out of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man."

Daniel watched him eyeing up the weapon. "Words to live by."

"I'm not sure you understand the quote."

"Don't have to. It means whatever the hell I want it to mean."

A blur at the passenger window made Gary look up. "Oviraptor!"

A goofy looking turkey of a dinosaur came frolicking out of the brush and crossed right in front of the rover. There was an explosion of feathers as the creature smacked the hood and went tumbling over the windshield.

"Oh no," Daniel said with a devious laugh. "Ten points."

Gary looked at him astonished. "And a few million dollars worth of INGEN's investments down the drain."

Bill was laughing in the back seat.

"Ah, there's the road." Daniel pulled out of the jungle foliage and onto the road that led to the air strip. "We'll be there faster than crap through a duckbill."

"Great." Bill reclined and laced his fingers behind his head. His shoes were sticking between the front seats and shoving Gary's elbow.

Gary turned a dirty look at him.

Bill waved his hand and said, "do you mind?" and nudged his elbow away with the toe of his footwear.

"Whoa." Daniel brought everyone's attention to the windshield.

Bill leapt forward, pushing Gary aside.

"Damn it, Bill." Gary thunked against the window.

All three men stared ahead as Daniel slowed the rover to a stop.

Taking up the road and the surrounding jungle in front of them was a mixed herd of stegosaurus and ankylosaurus.

Bill let out a huff and stretched an open palm toward the horn in the middle of the steering wheel.

Daniel snatched his wrist. "No."