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Jurassic Park Dawn of Retribution Stage Six
By JPJunkee+Yvonne
SIXTH STAGE
"The fear of death follows from the fear of life.
A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time."
-- Mark Twain --
Malcolm watched on, as the Hummers stopped under a canopy of thick trees. His window was rolled down and he could hear some of the military men talking in Spanish. He could only make out a few words, so he just settled for listening and observing. That is, until the door abruptly opened.
"The vehicles cannot come through here, so we need you to get out," one of the men said to him in broken English.
"Uh, okay, then."
Malcolm cautiously exited the Hummer and immediately began to look for the others. Adam Kaje was the only other person he saw. He was having a very heated conversation with General Aldez, so heated that the General ended the debate by calling over some armed troops. Kaje held up his hands and flashed a fake smile.
"Okay, okay. Misunderstanding. That's all, gentlemen. Won't happen again," he said.
Malcolm could easily see through the hard exterior shell of the man. Kaje was definitely frightened by whatever the two men were talking about. The more fascinating thing to Malcolm, though, was the fact that Kaje was speaking fluent Spanish, as the argument progressed. He hadn't realized the man could speak Spanish, and it infuriated him that he had no clue what they could have been arguing about.
"What's going on over there?"
The sudden familiar voice broke Malcolm away from his thoughts. It was Grant. He hadn't even seen where he came from. As he turned around to look at him, he saw another Hummer, parked a few feet behind his own.
"Kaje was having a disagreement with Fidel Castro over there," Malcolm answered, glancing toward Kaje and Aldez. Then he looked back at Grant, "Did you know the great and noble dino digger spoke Spanish?"
"No, I didn't."
Malcolm was about to ask Grant why he wasn't looking around for Ellie, but the question was answered on its own, when he saw the large man, Sisqo, holding a gun toward Grant. He leaned in closer, so Sisqo wouldn't hear.
"These people are very trigger happy."
"Yes, I've noticed that," Grant said, nursing a bruised shoulder. He had been persuaded to exit his vehicle by brute force, and the constant pulling and shoving was getting to him.
Still whispering, Malcolm continued, "Where's Ellie?"
"I don't know," Grant said. He shrugged and looked back at Malcolm, "You know, this guy doesn't speak English. You don't have to whisper."
Right before Malcolm's eyes, Grant was suddenly knocked down. Sisqo had violently pushed him to the ground, grunting something in Spanish.
Malcolm looked down at Grant, "He might not speak English . . . but he doesn't like you much either way, my friend." Malcolm tried to stop himself from grinning, but he couldn't.
Grant waited for Sisqo to give him some breathing room, and then he slowly got to his feet, smirking at Malcolm, "You're all heart."
"Indeed."
The third Hummer approached, and parked alongside the vehicle Malcolm had been forced to leave. A rear door opened and Ellie was directed, by gunpoint, to exit the vehicle. She joined the others.
"Any ideas why we stopped?" She whispered to Grant and Malcolm.
Grant shook his head no, but Malcolm actually said the word no, and that's when things became increasingly difficult.
In his mind, Sisqo had given the Americans more than enough warnings about talking. At this point, it only seemed like one of the doctors was cooperating now, so he went into action. Never to be one to slight a woman, Sisqo raised his rifle and struck Ellie on the top of her right shoulder. Surprised by what had occurred, the woman slumped to the ground wincing and holding her shoulder. The moment the giant Rican had attacked Ellie, Grant had been right there for her. Worried about her, he had knelt down to see if she was all right, and that's when Malcolm was attacked. As Sisqo brought his rifle back up, in one fluid movement he quickly spun it around and attacked Malcolm's ribs with it. Grant watched him double over in pain, trying very hard to stay standing. The attempt was short-lived, as Sisqo hit the tall man in the head with the butt of the rifle, smiling as Malcolm finally fell to the ground.
After seeing that Ellie was okay, Grant had gotten angry about what had happened and stood up, paying little attention to Ellie's plea not to. By the time he got to his feet, Sisqo was more than ready for him. Setting the rifle to fire, he rested the barrel on Grant's shoulder, aiming it toward his neck. Immediately, Grant stopped moving, but Sisqo pressed the barrel into his neck, causing him to back up. The two men moved backwards until Grant unexpectedly backed into one of the Hummers, stopping him in his tracks. Sisqo smiled and pressed a little harder. Grant winced.
"Sisqo. That's enough," Martinez said in Spanish.
Sisqo lowered his rifle, studying the frightened look on the scientist's face. Satisfied that he had scared him enough, he relented and backed away, leaving Grant to lean against the truck of his own free will. After taking a few deep breaths, Grant made his way back to Ellie, who was already standing.
She could see he was very worried, so she embraced him and whispered in his ear, "I'm okay."
He whispered back, "Try not to talk anymore, okay?"
She nodded as he hugged her back, refusing to let her go right away.
Malcolm finally got to his feet. Shrugging and holding his ribs with one hand and his head with the other, he glanced toward Sisqo. The rather bitter Rican wasn't even looking his way anymore, which relieved him. Martinez was standing close to Sisqo and Malcolm thought that it looked like he was perhaps trying to protect the scientists from the angry man. He watched Ellie hold onto Grant tightly, visibly shaken. She had been through quite an ordeal in the last day or so and it was a wonder she was still able to cope at all. Then, he saw Kaje come walking back toward them. Kaje gestured toward Malcolm, who was still nursing his sore ribs.
"Looks like someone has a very loud mouth," Kaje observed, smiling a little.
Malcolm wanted to say something very badly, but out of the corner of his eye, he could see that Sisqo was now looking in his direction. He just smiled in a fake way and nodded.
General Aldez had stayed behind for a moment, whispering to a few of his men and pointing toward them. In this case, even if he did speak Spanish, they were talking too low to hear. After two of the men nodded, Aldez smiled and approached everyone.
"I'm hoping that this little quibble will serve as a valuable lesson to you all. We are not playing around here. The reasons you are here are quite serious, so I trust that you will all pay more attention to the rules."
Malcolm couldn't resist, even with the demented Sisqo glaring at him. He had an audience of men staring at him.
"You do realize that your silly rules and regulations won't help you when all hell breaks loose, right?"
Aldez frowned.
"I mean, are you really so blind that you think that you can control this whole thing like that? You give us some rules; 'no talk, or we beat you like cavemen'. I know you don't want us quiet, so we won't attract any of the animals. I know that, because your own soldiers are speaking at whatever volume they damn well please. So, the way I see it, the only reason you are treating us like this, is to show that you are in control, plain and simple."
Still holding Ellie's hand, Grant leaned towards Malcolm and softly whispered, "Ian, give it a rest, you've made your point."
Malcolm looked at Grant, and then back at Aldez who was glaring at him, then he shook his head, "No, no, I won't give it a rest. These guys are in such deep shit, that they don't even realize it. They feel the utmost need to bash us over the head a few times, for whispering to each other. Why do they do that? Simple! Because they do not have the control they want, so they have to put on a show, and beat us with the butts of guns. It's the same thing with this mission that we've all been invited to come along on. They don't have control over the situation. Oh no. They wish they had control, but in truth, they're in over their heads, and in the back of their minds, they all know they're going to die."
Grant elbowed Malcolm in the ribs. Malcolm jumped and winced at the pain. Ellie and Grant were both looking at him, and the latter's eyes looked angry when he growled, "Shut up now, Ian."
Malcolm looked away from Grant, and back at Aldez.
"You know what your problem is?" After hearing a large sigh from Grant, he continued, "It's not that you've been brought up by a brute military and have been taught that the mission is more important than the civilians. No, your problem is far more advanced."
Malcolm turned to everyone else, and said, "Has anyone ever heard of the Lorenz Attractor? No? Well, I'm not all too surprised. Okay, what the Lorenz Attractor basically says, is that something that looks simple and normal, can change radically, but to the eye, no one will ever see the change. The change lies beneath the surface. The Lorenz Attractor basically tells you, to expect such a change in an exceedingly complex system -- like this island. This island has changed. Yes, we all know that the disease has changed it. But, don't you think that sometime between the last expedition and now, that perhaps something else has changed?"
Sisqo couldn't understand a word this man was saying, but he could see that it was frustrating the General, so he took a few steps toward Malcolm. Aldez briefly looked at him and held up his arm, shaking his head. Sisqo grunted and stayed in place.
After a slight beat, Malcolm continued, much to Grant's dismay, "That's your problem, Mr. Aldez. You didn't see, expect, or even want to admit there could have been a change. You looked at the information provided to you on the piece of paper in the briefing room . . . and you saluted your superior . . . and you came here expecting to be able to control the mission. That's your problem. You don't think! Now tell me, how close am I here to hitting you on the top of the head with a gun, huh? Who controls the court now, General?"
Aldez scowled and removed a hand-held taser-gun attached to his belt. Malcolm stared at Aldez, almost daring him to press the button and electrocute him.
"You are a very deluded American, Dr. Malcolm," Aldez said, as he pressed the button on the taser.
The electric waves shot from the small hand-held device, and struck Malcolm in the chest. He doubled over in pain, clutching his chest as his body began to convulse and shake in the electrical currents. He instantly struck the ground. He couldn't move, but he was totally aware of what was happening, as he saw Aldez lean over him and place his finger over the button again. He was beginning to lose his ability to see clearly, but he did manage to see Grant struggling away from Ellie to try and help him.
"Alan, no---" Ellie said, trying to stop him.
It was too late though, Aldez simply turned and used the device on him instead. Holding the button a little longer than was needed, Aldez finally let up and watched Grant sink to his knees and then fall, face first into the dirt. He wanted the other man out of the way, so that he could concentrate on the scientist who had just humiliated him in front of his men.
"Who wants to beat the delusion out of Dr. Malcolm?" Aldez announced.
It wasn't really a question, but more of a demand upon his men. The four closest men, which happened to be the four men Aldez had made eye contact with, stepped forward, and dragged Malcolm a few feet away from everyone. Without a word, they began to beat on him, some of them kicking him and some of them leaning down and punching him.
Malcolm, who was temporarily incapacitated, was defenseless to the constant punching and kicking. Intense pains shot through his body as he was repeatedly hit in the abdomen, the chest, and the head, with people kicking him in the chest and legs. He felt someone lift his body and turn him over, and then they continued to kick and punch him.
Aldez watched with great appreciation. He was certain that this man would stop being a nuisance now. He looked over at Kaje and smiled, but Kaje turned away and walked toward Grant and Ellie.
When Kaje was close enough, he knelt next to them and glanced at Grant. His body was still quivering and he had a far away look in his eyes. He almost looked as if he were dying. Ellie was holding his hand and whispering to him, but he wasn't responding.
"How's he doing?" Kaje whispered to her.
"I don't know," she answered softly, squeezing Grant's hand tighter.
She was worried about Grant, but she couldn't stop looking toward Malcolm, who was still being severely beaten.
After several minutes, Malcolm was finally able to move his arms slightly over his head, in an attempt to protect what he deemed the most important . . . his mind.
Martinez had distanced himself from everyone, keeping an eye on Sisqo. If the big man would have made a move toward Malcolm or Grant, Martinez wasn't going to let him get far. He watched the four men continue to attack Malcolm and then decided to act. He took a deep breath and walked toward Aldez.
"General, with all due respect, sir . . . I think this has gone on long enough."
Aldez looked away from Malcolm and stared at Martinez for a very long time before speaking.
"You are not in charge here, so you should keep your negative comments to yourself, Sergeant."
Martinez was afraid to push it further, but he needed to do something.
"If you end up killing one of them," he said, gesturing toward Malcolm, "That will not be easy to explain, sir."
"We'll just say he was a dinosaur meal."
"Sir, we are treating these men like animals."
Aldez had looked away again, smiling like a boy on Christmas, as his officers were beating Malcolm.
"Very well, then," Aldez finally relented, "Instruct them to cease the beating."
Martinez nodded and quickly made his way over to Malcolm and the four men, shouting something in Spanish. The men stopped the assault and took a few steps back and lined up in a military formation.
Aldez approached Kaje, who was still with Grant and Ellie. He could see that Grant was coming around now, as Ellie helped him into a sitting position.
"Now you can see what happens when I am crossed," Aldez said softly, pointing toward Malcolm, who wasn't moving much. "I hope it doesn't come to this again," he said directly to Grant.
Grant was able to look at him, but didn't respond verbally. He simply nodded as his labored breathing began to settle.
* * *
Leah moved through the lush foliage of the jungle, with her hand raised to protect her face. Her feet were beginning to ache, and her thighs were starting to burn. She felt like she couldn't go another step. She felt like collapsing right then and there. She was exhausted. And the thing that worried her the most was the thought of the fact that it had only been a few hours so far.
Leah looked to her left, where Aaron Madison was walking along side her. His face showed no emotion. She knew that inside his head, he was probably frightened out of his wits. Larson didn't need him. He was just extra weight, and his head, just a place to unload a bullet or two.
What would she do, without him? Leah had worked professionally with Madison for nearly five years now. All the while, he had been a supportive colleague. Leah and Madison had never really said that either one of them was a friend of the other. But, they didn't need to.
Where would she be without him?
Well, she wouldn't be here . . . However, she couldn't blame him for that. He had tried to talk her out of it. He had looked out for what was best for her. But, in the end, he had caved and had given her a helpful hand.
Leah tripped over an exposed tree root, and lost her footing. She toppled down onto the dirt, landing on her right elbow. She groaned slightly, then looked at her elbow to see it was only scratched the smallest bit. She looked up and saw Madison making his way over to her and extending a hand.
Leah put up her own hands, and was about to grab onto his, when another arm came in, and pushed Madison's arms slowly down.
Brock Larson stood still, his hand tightly gripping Madison's wrist. He looked into the smaller man's eyes, trying to intimidate him. Aaron held his gaze, not backing down. Finally, Larson released his wrist.
Larson then turned to Leah, and extended his own hand, to help her to her feet.
Leah hesitated for a moment, then grasped Larson's hand. Instantly, she was yanked back to her feet. She felt as though the power in his arm had nearly dislodged her own.
"Are you okay?" Larson asked, his voice kind and calm.
Leah nodded her head slowly, not quite sure of what to make of the whole situation. Larson's attitudes and actions varied so much, that he seemed like a different person every time they crossed paths. She wouldn't be too surprised to hear that Larson may in fact not be all straight in the head.
Larson offered a gentle smile, then turned away from Leah, and continued to walk through the jungle.
Leah watched him walk away.
She jumped slightly, when Madison said, "Are you okay?"
She nodded slowly, "Yes, I'm fine."
"Hurry up, you two!" they heard Larson shouting up ahead. "I want you to see this."
Larson was out of view now, hidden by the thick vegetation of the jungle. There was something about the way he shouted, though, that made Leah feel uneasy.
"You stay here," Madison said. "I'll go check it out, and then come back for you."
Leah nodded.
"I don't think so," a voice said behind them.
Turning they saw Griffin grinning at them. In his hands, was his assault rifle. His eyes had a disturbing twinkle in them.
"Larson wants you both to come. That means you, too, girly. Or, was that not clear enough for you?" Griffin said.
Leah and Madison turned their backs to Griffin, and began to walk in the direction Larson had gone. Griffin followed close behind them, branches breaking under his feet. Leah thought of nothing else but the muzzle of Griffin's rifle being pointed at her spine.
The thought was enough to give her the chills, and make her eyes begin to grow watery.
She was so deep in thought and worry, that she didn't notice the putrid smell, until she brushed away another branch of leaves, to reveal one of the most grotesque things she had ever seen.
The eyeless, decaying skull of the triceratops stared right back at her. The green, flaky skin just barely hung to the skull of the creature. The big molars and incisors of its jaws looked like those of an angry dog growling at her.
The gagging smell of rotting flesh hit her now. She nearly fell again, the smell was so bad. She fought to ignore the smell, as she slowly approached the massive head of the dead dinosaur. She allowed her hand to reach out, and stroke one of the long horns.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" she heard Larson say, somewhere beyond the carcass of the triceratops.
Leah took her hand away from the horn and looked at Larson. He stood, with his hands in his pockets, a proud smile upon his face, while all around him lay even more carcasses of different dinosaurs.
Leah gasped.
"Holy shit," Madison said softly.
The head of a velociraptor with absolutely no skin tissue, lay on the ground at Larson's feet. The head had no body. Then, to Larson's left, lay the body of a decomposing stegosaurus, with no head.
"What is this place?" Leah asked, her question directed to no one, and everyone at the same time.
"This is . . . slightly disturbing," Madison breathed. He was now walking about the remains, poking his foot at some of it.
Griffin moved past Leah, he too seemed a bit awestruck by the sight of so many dead bodies.
"Dónde ellos mueren," Larson said. "That was what we called it. It means, 'where they go to die'. InGen never did find out why groups of all species, of all ages, of all shapes and sizes would just come to a certain spot, and pass away. It didn't always happen this way. It's a phenomenon, I suppose. With no true answer to the riddle."
"What did they die of?" Leah asked. Larson frightened her, but the scene was so odd and horrid, she had to know more.
Larson sighed, and was about to answer, when one of his men cut him off.
"Hey, Larson! We've got a breather here!" The man shouted.
Larson turned to where a man was waving at him, then he followed the man. Leah hesitated at first, then she too followed.
The man led them to a large rock. On the other side of the rock, Leah could see a gray tail slowly moving across the dirt. She followed Larson around to the other side. Rounding the rock, Leah caught a glimpse of a dead gallimimus laying on its side. The gallimimus had not decomposed as much as the rest of the dinosaurs, but it was torn up pretty badly. Crusty patches of dry blood were all over its neck and spine.
Leah looked away from the dead herbivore. Now that she was standing on the other side of the rock, she could make out the living dinosaur's features. It was laying on its side, barely breathing, and letting out a soft quiet growl with every exhale of breath it made. The glazed over eyes shone brightly against the bright red skin of its head. It also had a very unique horn at the end of its nose, and then two smaller ones over its eyes. Leah saw the big teeth in its gaping mouth and sharp claws on its feet. She backed away a step.
"What is it?" one of the men asked.
"Ceratosaurus," Larson instantly replied.
The predator stared upwards at them, and made a futile attempt to raise up its head off the ground.
Larson knelt down next to the animal, taking a closer look at its head, and listening more intently to its breathing.
Closer up, he could see a small trickle of blood making its way out of the golf ball-sized nostrils of the ceratosaurus. Larson sighed as he stood back up.
"What's wrong with it?" Leah asked.
Larson didn't even act like he heard her. Instead, he turned and walked past her, over to the dead gallimimus. Looking down at the bloody carcass, Larson noticed the same bloody nostrils that the ceratosaurus had.
Griffin walked over to the gathering of people around the dying ceratosaur. He looked down at the animal, and sneered. Then he looked to Larson, who still had his back to them. "What do we do with it?"
Larson spun on his heel, and strode away from the gallimimus and the people looking down at the ceratosaur. "Kill it quietly," he said.
He didn't even have the words all the way out, when an ear-piercing scream flooded his ears. Quickly looking toward the source of the screaming, Larson's eyes grew wide as he saw one of the men staggering around with only one arm. He continued to scream and scream, until he finally fell to the ground, unmoving. The ceratosaurus thrashed its head from side to side as it tried to swallow the man's lost appendage.
"Check him!" Larson screamed.
Another man knelt down to check him, being more cautious to keep his distance from the dinosaur. After trying for a pulse in the man's neck, he nodded enthusiastically. Larson directed his attention toward the thought-to-be safe carnivore and shook his head, wondering why he had let the men get so close. He knew better. The other men had put considerable distance between themselves and the beast now, and it was still sort of breathing.
He looked at Griffin, "Kill it."
Leah watched Larson walk away, then she looked up at Griffin, who was now standing next to her. Griffin smiled slyly at her, then drew a pistol from his waist. The pistol had a silencer at the end. He cocked the gun and aimed it at the skull of the ceratosaurus.
Leah watched as the dying predator let out one final breath. Then Griffin pulled the trigger. She jumped slightly when the eye of the dinosaur suddenly disappeared in a splash of blood. Griffin pulled the trigger again, hitting it in the middle of the snout.
Blood began to gather on the dirt underneath the animal's skull. Leah turned to Griffin. She nearly gasped when she saw that he was pointing the gun at her now.
"Don't please," she whispered.
Griffin tilted his head to the side, then he slowly nodded, and put the gun back in its holster. He began to walk past Leah, when he paused, leaned over, and whispered into her ear, "I'll make you wait for it." He smiled, but the smile faltered and quickly turned to a frown. Griffin then slowly walked away from her, his eyes looking down at the dirt.
Leah stood staring straight ahead, breathing hard.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At the other side of the graveyard of bones, Larson was leaning against a tree, drinking water from a canteen. McCarney slowly walked over to him, holding the GPS locator in his hands.
"What was wrong with that dinosaur, Brock?" McCarney asked quietly.
Larson took another long swig from the canteen, then he wiped his mouth off and sighed. "Which way now?"
McCarney paused for a moment, before saying, "What was wrong with that dinosaur?"
"Nothing. It was dying. We just sped the process along," Larson nodded.
"I know there's something you're not telling me. I saw the thing. It was sick, or something."
"Then it was sick. It died because it was sick, and we just helped it die faster. We did the thing a favor."
"You don't know why it was sick?"
"No," Larson sternly stated.
McCarney nodded slowly, then he nodded faster.
"Which way now?" Larson asked, for the second time.
McCarney looked down at the piece of electronics equipment in his hands. "Now, we go North. It'll still be a few more days walk."
"We'll find Grant within those few days, mark my words."
"I'm not concerned with finding Grant. You are. I'm here for the cash, and to keep these men behind me happy and help them achieve their goal. Grant is your business."
Larson glared at McCarney, and the smaller man held his gaze for but a moment before looking away, and walking toward the others to check on the fallen man.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Griffin pushed his way through the small crowd, noticing a very frightened Leah cowering near Madison now. He smiled coldly as he drew his weapon. He quickly made his way to the side of the fallen man, and got down to his knees. The wounded man’s sweaty head was resting in the arm of a different man.
"He's not going to last much longer," the man said to Griffin.
Griffin nodded, then leaned in closer to the wounded man, and whispered into his ear, "Can you hear me?"
The man's shaky head nodded slowly. He had stopped his incessant screaming and was whimpering now.
"How do you feel?" Griffin asked.
There was a pause, and the man stopped shaking and whimpering. Griffin thought that maybe he had passed away, but then he responded, "I think I can make it."
Griffin frowned at that comment. He looked up from the man to see Larson standing over him. Griffin shrugged.
Larson nodded grimly.
Griffin focused back on the injured man and whispered, "Hang on, you’re going to feel better soon." He placed his pistol on the man's temple. Everyone else gasped and backed away swiftly. Griffin frowned and pulled the trigger.
A red mist shot up onto his face, and then the man whimpered no more.
Griffin got to his feet, and put the gun back in its holster.
One of the men walked up to him, he was obviously displeased. "Was that really necessary?"
"Do you want to be dragging that man around when a tyrannosaur is charging at you?" Griffin asked. "Do you want to be the one holding the guy bleeding all over the place, attracting that tyrannosaur?"
The man looked down at his feet, and shook his head slightly.
"Yeah, well I don't want to be either. The man made a stupid mistake and he paid for it. The fact is, he would have bled to death anyway, so I put him out of his misery, much like that dinosaur over there," he said, pointing toward the dead ceratosaurus.
Griffin turned away from the man, and walked directly into Larson. The two men stared at each other for a short moment.
"Larson I--"
"Go wipe yourself off," Larson interrupted.
Griffin almost smiled as he walked away from Larson, wiping the splatter of blood from his face.
* * *
The camp was very quiet, as most of the people . . . captives and captors . . . were fast asleep. Grant wasn't sleeping, though. He had been watching the three guards walking back and forth, for the last twenty minutes, trying to memorize their patrolling patterns. Malcolm was leaning against a tree, looking as though he was sleeping. Grant knew better, since he had witnessed the soldiers beating him and throwing him against the tree an hour ago. Ellie wasn't in the immediate camp area. Aldez had insisted on splitting them up and taking her somewhere else for some reason. Judging by the direction the guards were walking from, he made an educated guess as to where she might be. He was almost ready to try to escape from these brutes. Sitting up slightly, he slowly looked around.
"What are you doing?"
The sudden voice alarmed him for a second, but then Grant realized it was Kaje.
"I'm getting out of here," he whispered.
"Do you have a plan, or were you just thinking of getting up and tip toeing through the tulips?"
Grant stared at him, wanting very much to punch him directly in that smug face that was gleaming back at him. Pushing the thought away, he whispered, "Obviously not. We need a quick diversion, so that I can help Malcolm, and then find out where this idiot is keeping Ellie."
One of the soldiers stirred in his sleep, causing Grant and Kaje to quickly lay back down, keeping as still as possible. The man lightly yawned and then fell back into a deep sleep, indicated by the loud snoring that had returned.
Kaje sat up again, "What sort of diversion?"
"You really want to help?"
"These people are crazy," Kaje said, almost too loudly. Grant gave him a warning look, so he settled down some, "I'd rather try my luck out there," he said, pointing in the general direction of the jungle, "than hanging out with these clowns."
"I feel so appreciated."
Kaje smiled, "Don't flatter yourself. You're nothing more th---"
"Shut up. Just for a second, okay?" Grant said, in an angry whisper, "Forget about hating me and everything I stand for, and listen."
Kaje nodded.
"I need you to get Malcolm and create some sort of diversion. I'm going to find Ellie."
"Why do you get to go and find the pretty lady?"
"Because I'm the leader of this little escape."
"So . . . as I asked once before already . . . what sort of diversion?"
"I don't know. Make something up. You're good at being annoying, so just do something that would come naturally for you."
Kaje smiled, "If we get out of this alive, I may just have to cause you mental and physical anguish later."
Grant ignored that last statement. "Okay, so go divert something, so we can get the hell out of here."
Shaking his head, Kaje quietly began to get to his feet. Grant joined him, looking at his watch.
"Now, look. Guard number one will be back here in three minutes. Guard numbers two and three are gone for about another six minutes. They are covering a wide area, and they're not really all that much in synch with one another, which helps. So, you have about two and half minutes to come up with something."
Grant didn't wait for his reaction. He quietly made his way through the sleeping soldiers and walked in the direction where he hoped to find Ellie.
Kaje stood there, trying to think of something to do, and then it hit him. Briefly glancing at Malcolm, he ran off into the jungle.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Grant made his way through the camp, walking quite a distance away from Kaje. He spotted some sort of canopy looming before him. Walking a little further, he found General Aldez sleeping soundly, under a tent that was set up in the area. Martinez and two others were also there, sleeping safe and sound under the tent. He saw Ellie instantly, and he was half surprised to see her looking right back at him, fully awake. She smiled, very relieved to see him standing freely, but he could see that she had been crying. Looking closer, he also noticed that her hands were tied in front of her, which upset him even more. He placed a finger to his lips, indicating to her to be quiet. Then he took a few careful steps toward her, all the while glancing at the sleeping madmen around them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Waiting patiently for the guard to get just in the precise place, Kaje stood behind a large tree, breathing heavily in both fear and anticipation. He was thinking of leaving Grant in a lurch, and escaping on his own, but then he decided to help. He might as well try to stay in a group, since going it alone wasn't exactly smart.
As the guard finally walked past him, Kaje snuck behind the man, laced his hands together, and attempted to knock him out from behind. He hit the man with a lot of force, but the effort was insignificant. The larger man simply turned around and punched Kaje hard in the jaw, knocking him down. To the fallen man's great disappointment, the guard alarmed everyone by shouting.
"Prisoner trying to escape!"
The other men woke up quickly, including Malcolm.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Grant had helped Ellie get to her feet, when he heard the shouting from the other part of camp. Aldez was right next to them. The shouting woke him up instantly. It only took him a second or so to realize what was going on. He reached for his gun.
Grant wasn't about to give up on his plan quite yet. He didn't want to think about what would happen to him, if he were forced to stay here. Instinctively, he kicked at Aldez's arm, tossing the gun from his grasp, and sending it flying somewhere unknown. The other men were awake now, too, and saw their General fighting with Grant. Martinez stood by, watching the drama unfold.
The other two soldiers ran toward Grant, guns drawn. Ellie saw them coming and raised her hands in the air. They ran past her and toward Grant, who was still keeping Aldez on the ground. As they ran past Ellie, she pushed the man closest to her, causing him to lose his balance and fall. Everything was happening so fast, though, that Ellie barely got out an audible warning.
"Alan!"
The other man tackled Grant, before he could even turn around. The two men fell to the ground hard, with Grant getting the worst of it. The man was about his size, though, so he was able to wrestle himself away, and stand back up quickly. By this time, the man Ellie had tripped was back on his feet, so Ellie wrapped her arms around his neck from behind and began to dig her nails into his neck, kicking him at the same time.
Grant wasn't doing as well. Aldez had gotten up, and the soldier that Ellie was attacking managed to throw his gun to his General. Aldez caught the gun, pushed Grant back a little bit, and aimed it at his head.
"Dr. Grant, you will stop this nonsense now, sir . . . or suffer the consequences."
Grant lifted his hands in the air and glanced toward Ellie, who was still struggling with the other soldier. She saw what was happening and decided to try and do something. She let go of the man and pushed him toward Aldez, causing the General to look away from Grant just long enough.
Grant took a quick step forward and grabbed the gun.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the commotion, Malcolm forced himself to stand up, leaning against the tree for support. No one was bothering him, since he didn't seem like any type of threat. He had been beaten badly, and really didn't have a clue how long he was unconscious. He was able to stand, though, so that was positive. Watching the young and stupid scientist wrestling with one of the bigger guards, caused Malcolm to roll his eyes, as he pushed away from the tree.
As Malcolm was scanning the area, looking for Grant and Ellie, something else caught his eye. One of the thick tree trunks in the distance seemed to be moving. Soon, more of the tree trunks were moving and Malcolm was seriously thinking that he must have gotten hit in the head one too many times. And then it hit him, and to help with his assessment, there was suddenly a low rumbling vibration emitting through the ground all around him. His eyes followed the "tree trunks" all the way up.
"Brachiosaurs," he whispered.
The gentle giants trampled through the camp, causing men to spread out in every direction, yelling in Spanish. There were three and the dinosaurs never even looked down, as they crushed campfires, smaller trees, and a few people.
Kaje wasn't fairing well at all. The guard continued to pummel the young man, absorbing all the strength from Kaje's body. He was about to give up on this obviously stupid plan, when he saw the man simply fall down next to him in the dirt.
"What the . . . "
Malcolm stood before him with a rather large tree branch in his hands. "Let's get out of here, shall we?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ellie grabbed Grant's hand, as he pointed the gun toward Aldez and his men. Both scientists were frightened by what was happening, but neither showed that to the enemy standing before them. Grant had no idea of what to do next. Clearly, they were bad men . . . forcing them to come here against their will . . . but it wasn't up to him to decide their fate. The law would do that, if and when they got away from this deathtrap of an island.
After a small and silent standoff, Grant finally spoke, "I want everybody to throw their guns over here."
The men looked toward their General, as if to show that Grant really wasn't the one making the decisions. Aldez nodded, so the three men tossed their weapons toward Grant. Aldez was a man of control and also, a man who thought ahead. He had another gun tucked in a holster on his leg and he would just wait and use it when he had the chance.
"Mr. Aldez, my friends and I would like to be taken off this island. We're not far from the helicopter, so I would like for all of us to start walking back in that direction."
Before the General could answer, screaming was heard, coming from the other half of the camp. Grant and Ellie were already looking in the right direction, and the Ricans turned around, joining them.
Soldiers were running toward them, yelling in Spanish and urgently pointing behind them. Grant and the others instantly knew it was some sort of prehistoric threat. That idea was cemented when the vibrations came. Soon after, six pairs of very large legs were coming their way in a fast rate of speed. At first, Grant stood in awe, watching how fast the brachiosaurs were moving, but then he snapped back to reality, as Ellie pulled him out of harm's way.
The tent was destroyed in the blink of an eye, as a giant foot landed right on top of it, collapsing it and crushing one of the unlucky soldiers. Aldez, Martinez and the remaining soldier made a break for it, as the dinosaurs quickly raged through the camp.
As Ellie was dragging Grant toward the cover of some larger trees, he spotted Kaje and Malcolm coming toward them. He stopped, causing Ellie to almost fall. He steadied her and then smiled, as he gestured toward the two men. She smiled, too, and let go of him so that he could help. Grant made his way to them, and addressed Kaje.
"Glad to see my plan worked," he joked.
"Like a charm," Kaje commented, out of breath.
"Your plan was to summon three giant-sized moving tree trunks to squash the competition? Very impressive," Malcolm joked.
Grant shook his head and quickly made it to one side of Malcolm, helping Kaje. They assisted Malcolm, while Ellie led the way.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The camp was all but gone now, as the animals made their exit. Aldez began to yell in Spanish, causing any soldier that wasn't wounded or dead, to come running. Martinez was standing next to the General, as he began to bark orders to the men, while straightening out his uniform.
"Who is responsible for this?" He shouted.
No one answered, as all of the soldiers quickly looked down toward the ground.
"Answer me!" He shouted, once again.
Martinez had never seen Aldez get quite so out of control with his anger. He was beyond furious. How could he think that one of the soldiers would step up and take blame with him shouting like a lunatic.
The soldiers were in a straight line, all with perfect posture. Aldez walked from one to another, taking an extra long time glaring at each and every one of them.
"Who is responsible for that dinosaur attack?" He said, somewhat more civil, "Who assured me that this was a safe place to camp for the night?" Aldez could usually remember such things, but at this moment, his mind was completely blank, all consumed with anger. He was about to shout yet again, when one man stepped forward.
"Sir, it was me. I was sure that this was a safe place. But . . . " The soldier cleared his throat. Martinez could see the utter fear in the man, both in his demeanor and voice. "But it looks as though the brachiosaurs have decided on an alternate route, about . . . about a half kilometer away from their previous route, sir."
Aldez stood there, glaring at the man. He already knew what he was going to do to the man, but he knew better than to do anything savage in front of his men, so he ordered them to move out, separate, and find the four scientists. As they began to scatter, he shouted at them, "There will be a large reward to the man who brings one, or all of them, to me alive."
All the men began to disperse, with Martinez taking command over them, as Aldez opted to stay behind with the unfortunate, yet brave, soldier. He pretended not to watch, which was absolutely not something he wanted to do. But he knew if he questioned the man in authority, he could very well be in that exact same spot. He watched Aldez, the man he had entrusted these last few years, walk up to the soldier and order him to get on his knees. Martinez could almost see the man shaking from where he was hiding, but the man did as he was told. Aldez walked to the other side of the man, pointed the gun at his temple and fired one shot into the soldier's head. The man's body went limp, as blood splattered from the opposite side of his head, falling to the ground like a rag doll. Martinez looked on in both shock and horror, and then saw that the General was looking around to see if anyone was watching. He quickly turned around and pretended to be barking orders at one of the men a few yards away. There was nothing he could do about it, as he continued to organize the search for the Americans.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Ellie!" Grant yelled as quietly as he could manage.
She had gotten a little ahead of them and was nowhere to be seen at the moment. Suddenly, she reappeared, smiling.
"I found somewhere to hide. Come on!" She said excitedly, moving her arms in a forward motion.
The three men followed her. About thirty steps later, there was a cave entrance, almost hidden from view with jungle undergrowth. Grant and Kaje looked at each other.
"I'd feel safer climbing a tree or something, rather than hide out in a cave," Kaje said.
"Why is that?" Malcolm asked.
"Things live in the caves."
"Things live in the trees," Grant countered.
"Well, a tree would be safer, but since the great debate doctor here, wouldn't shut the hell up, I guess a tree is out of the question. He can't even walk, much less climb," Kaje snapped.
"Why don't you go ahead and climb a tree, then," Grant said, wishing the kid wasn't even with them.
Kaje frowned and then looked away.
Grant gave up on talking to Kaje. He helped Malcolm into the cave, walking far enough to where the light was drastically dimming by the second.
Kaje scanned the area for a suitable tree, but couldn't find one without going quite a distance away from the cave entrance. Shrugging, he reluctantly made his way into the cave.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Martinez had the soldiers searching the immediate area, communicating with them by radio. So far, the search turned up nothing, which was exactly what he was hoping for. He was hoping the Americans would get away. He no longer felt like this was a reputable mission and he felt as though their leader was not stable in the least. As he was having these random thoughts, he heard voices. He stopped, listening intently. He could hear the Americans talking. He was sure it was them. He followed the voices and discovered a cave hidden away in the jungle. Looking around, to see if anyone else was near him, he slowly approached the cave entrance, gun drawn.
Kaje was the one talking, much to everyone else's chagrin. Grant finally grew tired of him.
"Shut up already. No one forced you to come here. You are just a money-hungry back-stabbing asshole."
"How do you know that no one forced me here?" Kaje yelled back.
"Gentlemen, do you think this is the wisest of times to argue like school children?" Malcolm said.
"Who forced you here?" Grant asked, ignoring Malcolm.
Kaje ignored Malcolm, as well. "Maybe I was asked to come here in the strictest way possible. I don't believe it was in my best interest to say no."
"I love how you don't actually answer the question. Always talking your way out of things. Answer the damn question!" Grant yelled.
"Alan," Ellie said, "Keep it down, please."
Grant looked at her. It was obvious that he hadn't been thinking about the circumstances at all. He was just hell bent on getting the truth from the weasel.
"Sorry. I'll keep it down," he said, looking away from Kaje and toward the front of the cave.
Shocked at what he saw, Grant raised up his hands, "We've got company," he simply stated.
The rest of them turned to see Martinez, standing before them. He was aiming a gun at Grant.
"You Americans are very loud," he said.
"That's what I was trying to tell them," Malcolm complained.
Martinez smiled at Malcolm, "I like you Dr. Malcolm. After all that's happened here, you can still retain your sense of humor."
"It's the only thing I have left at this point," Malcolm said, sighing.
"I apologize for your treatment . . . for the treatment of all of you. There are a great many things wrong with this expedition," Martinez said quietly, mostly to himself.
A voice was suddenly heard echoing through the cave, "Sir, did you find anything?"
Martinez looked directly at Malcolm, and then to Grant, "No. There's no one here." Then he looked back toward the cave entrance, where the soldier was waiting, "We're wasting time. They're probably far away from here by now. Let's expand the search."
Martinez began to back away, watching the scientists carefully, "I wish you luck getting out of here. I'm afraid I can't do much more than this, though. Peace be with you."
The officer yelled to the soldier outside the cave, "Gomez. My radio stopped working. Give me yours."
Malcolm smiled, as Martinez threw his radio on the ground in an act of disgust and taking the soldier's radio.
"Thank you, Gomez. Now let's get searching. Get everyone back together. We need to regroup."
In under a minute, Martinez and the soldier were gone, leaving the cave very quiet. Ellie sighed with relief, hugging both Malcolm and Grant. Kaje stood by awkwardly, watching the three friends celebrate their small victory. He finally walked over to the radio and picked it up. Of course, it was working properly. They now had a means of eavesdropping on the General.
Comments are appreciated!
--JPJunkee and Yvonne
7/24/2003 4:51:50 PM
(Updated: 9/15/2003 3:29:00 PM)
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