SauraCorps, page 13
“Kamren.” Though Viv had been stressed beyond belief, her tone filled with softness. “Are you saying—”
“This isn’t the way I wanted to do this, believe me,” Kam closed his eyes as he hung his head. “And the ring I wanted to give you is currently inside a freaking dodo bird.”
“Phrodo…ate a ring?”
“I chased him, made a Lord of the Rings reference you would’ve been proud of.”
Felipe piped up while leaning against the wall. “Ten seconds.”
After making a frustrated growl, Kam placed his hands on Viv’s cheeks. “Vivienne Lorraine Lancaster, would you do me the honor of being my—”
SKREEEEAAAAOOOOW!
Startled, Felipe lurched away from the wall and readied his weapon.
“The heck was that?” Viv looked away from Kam as soon as the noise occurred.
Kam raised an eyebrow. “We unleashed a lot of dinos, could be any—”
SKREAOW-SKREAOW-SKREAOW!
Four feathered velociraptors turned the corner less than twenty feet away from the humans. They flexed their clawed hands and bobbed their heads to-and-fro while vocalizing.
“Ah, the anatomically-correct velociraptors,” Kam noted, placing an arm across Viv to keep them as close to the wall as possible. “Pretty sure Dawn let them—”
BLAM!
SKREEEE-HISSSS!
“Stupid dinosaurs.” Felipe swung his gun side to side, constantly having to switch targets as the raptors scurried around.
A limping raptor craned its head to examine its injured leg. Baring its teeth at the Brazilian man, it screeched at its brethren before hissing at the new threat.
“Viv, fetal position!” Kam yanked her to the floor as they tucked into their bodies.
KAOW-KAOW-KAOW!
One of the raptors darted forward, dodged a bullet which lodged into the floor, then launched itself off of the curled-up Kam and onto the armed man. The force of its impact made him stagger back a couple of steps.
With a free hand, Felipe achieved a stranglehold on the pesky velociraptor’s feathered neck. “Get off me you little son of a—”
Crunch!
“Aaaaaaaugh!”
Razor-like teeth sunk into his left calf.
As the one raptor gnawed on his leg, another skirted around and leapt onto Felipe’s side, knocking the gun away. All three of them weighed him down as they pecked, bit and dug into his flesh with their curved foot talons.
The wounded velociraptor—though slower than the others—passed the teenagers to close in on the adult human.
Keeping tabs on the creatures, Kam slightly lifted his head. “Normally I’d be miffed by another interruption…” He slowly stood and pulled Viv along to leave the area. “…but this one gives us a getaway.”
Before Viv turned the corner, she caught a gruesome glimpse of the attack. “Even with Dawn dead, she managed to save us somehow.”
Felipe wrenched an arm back, his fingers mere inches away from the base of his gun. “Help! Someone…help!”
With a final hobbling step, the injured raptor brought its incensed eye right next to the human’s.
“Santo Deus…”
Rearing its seething head back, the raptor snarled.
“Por favor—”
Chomp!
Four Years Ago
CRUISING AT an altitude of thirty-three thousand feet, Blake typed an e-mail up on his laptop. His previous deal in Sierra Leone had been successful. He took a moment to lift the lid to one of his forms of payment.
A blood diamond just over five-hundred carat glistened back up at him.
Not too shabby of a tip.
Closing the lid, he returned to the request form for a kronosaurus. He typed in a counter offer to include a couple of saber-tooth tiger kittens at half price.
A facetime call came through on his cellphone, which made him immediately abandon his laptop to pick it up. “Claire, darling, you’re out of the appointment already?”
“It doesn’t take that long for an ultrasound.” His fiancée spoke with an audible smile as she slid into their personal limousine. “And don’t even think about trying to weasel the answer out of me.”
Blake grinned at her playful nature. “Really? You’re going to make me wait until I get home to know what we’re having?”
“It’s human, I can tell you that much,” Claire remarked with a smirk. “When do you think you’ll be arriving?”
He noted the time indicated at the top of his phone. “Should be setting down shortly, then I have to take care of something at the SauraCorps UK branch before driving home.”
“Will it take you long?”
Blake leaned his head to the side. “It’s the first-ever shipment of dire wolves, and if I don’t claim some, I’ll lose out.”
Claire didn’t hold back her disappointment. “So you’re putting prehistoric dogs as a higher priority than your pregnant fiancée?”
A grimace showed on his face for a moment. “Once those are in my catalog and sold, my love, our child will never have to worry about a thing as they grow up.”
“We already have enough, Blake.” She replaced her upset glare with a pleading stare. “Just come home to my…uncomfortably bulbous body and loving arms.”
He chuckled through his nose. “I’ll be as quick as possible about it all. But as soon as I step through the door, you better have the ultrasound picture in hand.”
“Fair enough, Blakey-Wakey.” She brought her phone closer to her face and kissed the air. “Love you bunches.”
“And I lo—”
Buzzzz. Buzzzz.
Another phone call request came in and partially blocked his view of Claire.
“Oh, this is…. I have to take this call.” Blake hovered his finger over the ‘end call’ button. “Sorry, dear.”
Perturbed by the interruption, Claire sighed. “Goodbye, Bla—oh my God!”
KEEEERRRRRR-SMASHHHH!
* * *
Present Day
Blake stared at the most recent picture of Claire on his phone. Being so close to the island and his satellite, he couldn’t contain his eagerness.
Sebastian had been right.
Every night in his sleep, Blake’s dreams terrorized him. Over and over, he’d relive the moment he’d lost the woman he loved and their baby on the way.
I never got to say ‘I love you’ one last time.
It didn’t take much for him to spiral and blame himself for putting business first. The tipping point had come when Sebastian had denied him the use of Project Pinpoint.
Giving the picture one last look, he slid the phone back in his inner suit pocket. Standing front and center of the boat’s cockpit, he cleared grief from his throat before addressing his navigator. “Thank you for another successful voyage, Heather.”
She nodded. “Yes, sir.” Keeping one hand on the computer controls, she reached for her own phone.
“Oh, and before you go contacting your friends at Interpol….” Blake turned around and pointed a gun at her. “Bring us in nice and easy now.”
“GET THE hatch open!”
An inhale drew salty ocean air into Sebastian’s lungs. Coughing it back out, he woke into a groggy state and found himself on the ship’s top deck.
Two of Arrowsmith’s lackeys held onto him by his arms.
He’d been hauled up to the roof of one of the high-cube container bins.
Grunts came from behind him.
“Throw him in!”
Before Sebastian could even begin to fight back, the men released their grips.
Weightlessness overtook him, sending him downward into darkness.
Thump!
Sebastian landed sideways, his hip making contact with the plywood floor. Though the ten-foot drop didn’t cause him to break anything, he winced at the decent amount of throbbing pain. He sputtered, making a plume of dust flow away from his face.
“Grab the chum,” someone yelled from above.
As Sebastian’s eyes struggled to adjust, he followed the beam of light up to the hatch.
One of Blake’s men brought a bucket over to the opening.
“The heck?” Sebastian lurched and rolled away from the falling fish slop. He made it to the metallic wall and huddled up against it. The viscous meat’s putrid smell assaulted his nostrils, making him nearly gag.
Then his eyes focused on the mushy pile of fish bits.
Meat.
By now, his eyes had fully adjusted. Something in here eats…meat?
The container they’d thrown him into seemed as long and a bit wider than two city buses.
He caught glints of predatorial eyes from the far end.
Hissssssssss!
“Freaking great.” He shuffled over into the nearest corner and made himself as small as possible. He hoped whatever it was would focus on the chum instead of making him into a chump. All those years of searching for carnivores, and one’s about to eat me.
Keeping his gaze just over his knees, he slowed down his breathing.
The creature’s head came forward.
It’s girthy, cylindrical body slithered along the bin’s floor.
As the animal kept closing in foot by unnerving foot, Sebastian couldn’t help but reflect on his life. He’d made a mess of his family by focusing on his work at the old SauraCorps. Greed had corrupted his moral compass to the point of throwing people through time rifts to dispose of them. The moment the company had abandoned him to the prehistoric past had changed everything.
Any moment now, he would become a victim of his own criminal past.
A forked tongue flickered out of the creature’s mouth, picking up the fishy scent. Turning its head to inspect the slop, it noticed the lack of movement.
Sebastian stiffened every muscle in his body. He couldn’t quite identify what kind of prehistoric creature he’d been offered to. Opening his eyelids to slits, he also took a slow, shaky breath.
The tongue flickered out.
Its football-sized eyes scanned around the chum.
Through his eyelashes, Sebastian made out a giant serpent’s head. Back in the old SauraCorps days, he’d never come across a full-grown specimen of what he suspected it to be. Titanoboa. The largest snake ever found, and it’s about to find me.
More oscillating tongue-flicks helped the titanoboa to sample the air molecules.
Letting his chest rise slowly, Sebastian took a silent, deep breath.
The dusty air inside of the large bin hit the back of his throat.
Pulling his Adam’s apple inward, he fought to stop his lungs from clearing the irritating blockage.
Catching on to a scent, the snake brought its head closer to the corner.
Sebastian’s face reddened due to the lack of oxygen.
Thp-thp-thp-thp-thp-thp.
The oversized serpent flicked its tongue, making contact with the sleeve of Sebastian’s suit jacket.
Unable to hold onto his breath, Sebastian only had one thought at the forefront of his mind. Felicia will never know how much I truly loved her.
Erupting into a coughing fit, he spread out his legs as he let go completely.
Jaws open, the startled titanoboa reared its head back.
Keeping his eyes shut, Sebastian welcomed the oxygen and accepted his fate.
The enormous snake coiled up most of its body and arched some of its front half, positioning its head directly over Sebastian’s.
He whimpered and didn’t look up.
Thp-thp-thp-thp-thp-thp.
The forked tongue swept against his hair.
Excruciating seconds ticked by.
“Kill me already,” Sebastian pleaded, already overcome with numbness. “Make it quick.”
Thp-thp-thp-thp-thp-thp.
Again, the top of his head had been tousled by the titanoboa’s tongue. None of its fangs pierced into him.
Finally angling his head up to look it in the face, he cried out, “What’s the hold up, you big, stupid….”
Mouth closed, the snake’s snout drew closer. It brushed against the side of his head before giving him a lick.
Sebastian noticed a golden hue around its eyes. “B-Bertha?” Regaining composure, he reached out with a steady hand and ran his fingers along the reptile’s chin. “Is that you…girl?”
Bertha turned her head side to side, studying him as if trying to confirm who it had reunited with.
Strength returned to Sebastian’s legs as he placed a hand on the wall to stabilize himself as he rose up. “Blake still keeps you as a prisoner rather than a pet, huh?” Avoiding the fish scraps, he raised both hands and gave the underside of Bertha’s head more scratches. “You’ve definitely grown since the last time I saw you. Too bad he still relies on others to actually feed and care for you.”
Bertha nudged the crook of his neck, which sent its human friend back a step. Ever since Blake had taken her as a spoil from beyond the time rift, she’d received more love and care from Sebastian whenever he’d visited Blake’s home.
“Hey, you’re a bit big to rest your head there now.” Sebastian spoke with a quiet chuckle, figuring he should keep his voice low. He had no idea whether Arrowsmith’s men were outside of the heavy-duty metallic container or not.
Enjoying the scratches, Bertha flicked her tongue against the side of his face.
“Snake breath, yum.” Sebastian took in the entirety of the makeshift cage. Stopping Blake thrust itself back to centerstage among his thoughts. “Well, if you’re not going to eat me, maybe you can help me.”
RACING DOWN a hallway and nearing their room, Kamren slowed down a tad and grabbed at the back of Vivienne’s shirt. “So um, now that we haven’t come across any twirps, maybe we should talk about what I was about to—”
“Kamren, as much as I’d love to talk about that…” Viv turned her back to their door. “…we need to move it and stop Arrowsmith.”
Blindsided by her motivation, Kam pulled his head back. “Uh, you actually think we can stop him?”
About to head inside, Viv let go of the doorhandle. “Dawn is dead, Kam.”
Mention of Beaumont—who’d been helping them all along—made him tuck in his bottom lip.
“And we have no idea of what they’re going to do to Sebastian,” she added, trying to keep herself from becoming frantic. “For all we know, we’re the only ones left.” After delivering her solemn statement, she entered their room and found Phrodo asleep on the inflatable mattress. “And then there’s that to deal with.”
“Yeah.” He smirked as he walked in. “Should keep the little guy close in case a ring-poop pops out.”
“Ew.” Viv unzipped a flap to her luggage and pulled out a small hair elastic to form her hair into a ponytail. “Keeping Phrodo in a sweater won’t be helpful while trying to save the world, though.”
The gravity of the situation agitated Kam’s gut. Though he’d been determined to improve on his bravery, his legs betrayed him by locking up. “Honestly, Viv, what do you think the two of us can even do?”
“I don’t….” Sighing, she flexed her fingers before rubbing her face. “I don’t know, but we need to do something.”
Running through the possible variables, Kam shrugged as he raised his arms. “He’ll probably have a vehicle and even more guards on the island.” Giving it more thought, his face intensified with enthusiasm. “If we use the right motivation, we could possibly use one of the dinos for transportation.”
She snorted in retort. “Sorry, you want to try to ride something?”
“If Theo could do it with Quinley….”
Vibrations shuddered throughout the entire boat.
A subtle sway in their room gave their legs a balancing test. Creaks and metallic moans indicated the ship’s slower and precise movement.
A slight jostle woke the napping Phrodo.
Kam placed a hand to his stomach. “Uh, are we docking?”
“Which means we’re running out of time.” Viv flung open the flap to her luggage, making sure she’d have everything she needed. Taking the dodo bird into account, she pulled out her compact mirror. “Grab Phrodo.”
He squinted at her choice of item. “Gonna check your makeup while we take him down?”
“Birds like mirrors.” Clipping it closed, she slipped it into one of her front pant pockets. “If we need Phrodo to move with us, it might come in handy.”
“Guess we’re doing this then.” Kam stretched his arms to make himself more limber. “But if we come across a table with stuff all over it, I’m swiping everything off to pull out a map and go over the plan.”
* * *
Up on the top deck, a few of Arrowsmith’s men stood around Bertha’s durable containment box. A couple minutes had passed by since they’d thrown Sebastian inside. While some of them stayed alert to the happenings within the metallic cage, others were relieved by the comfort of land being close by.
Clang! Clang!
Rifle at his side, one of the men turned his attention to the c-bin.
Sebastian yelled through the thick metal door. “Anyone out there?”
The group of guards exchanged suspicious glances.
A guard named Bennett scratched at his scruff and huffed in disbelief. “Give her a couple more minutes. She can’t resist the garnish of chum.”
“Uh, yeah, about that….” Sebastian paused for dramatic effect. “Either something is really wrong with your snake, or it’s dead.”
“Impossible.” Another guard called back. “She was perfectly fine before getting teleported here.”
“And yet I’m still talking to you guys.”
Closest to the container, Bennett snapped his fingers at one of his co-workers, then pointed to the top. “Porter, birds eye view.” His next orders went to a pair of men standing behind him. “Henderson, Schaefer, unlock the door. Everyone else, weapons ready.”
Porter climbed the built-in ladder and made it to the flat top. Once he’d unlocked the hatch, he opened it with one hand while holding his rifle with the other.
