Second Chances (68 page)

Mitch watched the herds with Sandra, Cassie and Vance nearby. “Always a big event. Such a simple thing, watching them. But so awesome,” Sandra murmured, holding his hand.

“Yeah, it is. It's great that we still see wonder in the little things like going out for a stroll,” he said.

“I was thinking more of an appreciation of nature she murmured.

“I still don't see what the big deal is,” Bob grumbled loudly. She turned to see him scowling, arms crossed. A few other people turned to look at him, then back to the herds. Eventually he was ignored.

They thought the Brachiosaurus was impressive but seeing the herd of six-legged hammerheads and then also the 160-foot sauropod had everyone awed. “That's got to be Argentinosaurus or that new one they found. I don't remember the name,” Vance murmured. Fortunately none of the animals tested the new fence and moat. They ambled up close enough to pick it up in their tiny eyes and then turned, majestically changing course to move around the obstacle.

“Well! That's a relief,” Janet murmured. “For a moment there I thought the big ones were just going to step on over,” she said.

“I'm glad they didn't,” Mitch said.

“You and me both,” Sandra murmured beside him. He looked at her as she clutched at his hand. He squeezed back gently. Mentally he looked around for places to go. That made him stop himself and search his feelings. Was he doing that out of prudence, fear or something else? He closed his eyes and tried to feel or touch his psychic thing but nothing came to him. After a moment he opened his eyes and continued to watch.

Mitch shook his head. He watched the various Hadrosaurs, all with clustered by crest shape dance or hop by. There were armored things and the ceratops herds. They looked less like a dinosaur cow than the Hadrosaurs did. The theropods definitely had the distinctive bird walk he thought, and they were the most colorful. Some of the herds were small. They were made up of odd animals; one looked like a dragon as it walked by. On the outer perimeter or bringing up the rear were the predators.

“Now would be a nice time to pick them off,” Vance said darkly. “At least the raptors,” he growled, eyes flashing.

“Don't even think about it,” Mitch said softly, watching the animals inspect the fence and then move on.

They also spotted some new alien species. “Just when you think you've seen it all, that it's getting normal, this happens,” Cassie murmured, pointing a few out. They were alien, a cross between brightly colored insect and large animal.

“I know. It's cool,” Tina murmured, watching a four-legged alien thing trot by. It walked with a step, a sort of trot like a Tennessee walker. It had a skin of greens and yellows and a butt ugly face on a long swan like neck. It had a sail on its back with a big black eye surrounded by yellow. Despite it's odd gait it moved with grace and agility. Tina squirmed uncomfortably when she saw it stick out a long tentacle-like tongue to wrap around plants and insects, then slurp them up.

“Flea legger,” the chief said.

“What, not in your wildest...” he stopped her by pointing to a two-legged thing. “Oh.”

That one was a biped walking on two long legs. It was brightly colored in patterns of yellows and black stripes like a bee but had chitin armor. It lacked another set of limbs so Tina was baffled to understand how it could eat. It had antenna and spines though, and the other animals avoided it.

“Probably poisonous,” someone murmured thoughtfully.

“I wonder if that's how some of the predators take down the really large animals?” Phyllis murmured. “We've only seen the one time.”

“Or they rip their throat out,” the chief said absently. Phyllis winced.

“Thanks for the very vivid imagery,” Anne snarled. “Next time keep it to yourself,” she warned, pointing down.

“Oops,” the chief said, looking at the kids around Anne. They looked at the adults then back to the parade.

------*------

Once they were certain the main herds had passed, Paul ran a convoy to Copper Town. Unfortunately not all the herds had passed. They had come in a broken string of them, some stopping to drink at the river or forage longer than others.

The late herds returned along the roads, the human convoy got out of the way of their return. He radioed it in. “Tell Sam it wasn't me,” he said.

“Tell Sam what?” Sam radioed back.

Paul cleared his throat in embarrassment. “We've got some heavy loads traveling on the roads. Apparently they didn't see your weight signs or didn't care,” Paul said.

“What signs?” Sam asked, clearly puzzled.

Paul watched as a couple herds split off for the pass. Others went north. “Oh, the walking kind. Or running or slithering, whatever they do,” he said shaking his head. “We've got some big mothers here, they are making all sorts of fresh potholes for you to fill in,” he said, sounding amused.

“Shit,” Sam said over the radio. “Damn it! I just got that road straightened out!” he grumbled.

“Well, no one's said you didn't have steady work,” Paul laughed, feeling the other guy's misery.

Angie spotted the fresh herds from the air and had to dodge a Quetzalcoatl and other pteradons in the air. “I thought these things stay near the ocean?” she demanded.

“Fresh water? Lakes and streams?” Jacklynn asked. Angie grunted in irritation but shut up.

“Again? Don't we have stuff to do?” Bob demanded as people streamed out to see the fresh herds.

“You want to complain about taking time off? If you want to man the base while the rest of us go watch...,” Mitch suggested. Bob shook his head, scowling blackly. He followed the rest out silently.

Mitch made certain everyone who had been on shift minding the base while the first parade had passed was given the opportunity to watch the new one. A few took up the offer, but others took a pass.

The chief reported a few minor incidents, Walt reported a couple riders got their feet stepped on or nipped by their mounts. Sandra and Tina had to come back to deal with the injuries.

Ivan and Maggie reported new species out in the mix. They recorded it. Since Mitch was covering the base while everyone else watched he checked the feed. He saw some more new alien species in the mix including four-legged stilties, but the image quality wasn't all that great on his tablet.

“Has the computer identified any of the species?” Mitch asked.

“It's still crunching the numbers on the last batch,” Maggie replied, sounding distracted.

“Okay. We'll log this batch and let it rip later,” Mitch replied, making a note.

The population of the base slowly streamed back in a few hours later.

Chapter 35

Once Sam had an initial road started and Paul had dropped off supplies in Copper Town, the chief and gunny took a small handpicked group of outdoors-men Copper Town with plans to move on to the gold mountain to scout it out.

The plan was for Paul or the pilots to move people and goods to Copper Town and use it as a staging area to move people on to the mountain. The first convoy headed out to Copper a day behind the explorer group. The group has dune buggy vehicles and salvaged vehicles. They were a bit put out that Mitch wouldn't hand over his trucks or hummers for the expedition. He had put his foot down firmly.

The chief grudgingly understood it. The trucks were needed where they were, either running patrols on the base or protecting the convoys. Besides, the buggies were great vehicles even if they weren't as armored and were pretty light. They'd never stand up to a dino or alien, but that just meant they had to be fast and smart. Also, the buggies could easily be made or rebuilt if needed.

Mitch hadn't stinted on the weapons or ammunition, however. He'd even provided them with a laser mount that went on one of the vehicles. He had considered outfitting it on one of the bots or one of the hummers but had eventually discarded it. The thing only had a couple shots in it before the battery was drained, but that was okay with the chief. If they set it to dazzle, it would use a lot less power and drive animals away without killing them. It was the killing shots that sucked the thing dry.

Mitch had also sent along some sentry guns, some sonic weapons to keep animals at bay and a lot of portable solar panels. The gunny could appreciate that. He also appreciated the survival gear, water filters and MREs. They were better outfitted than when they had first landed.

Sam and the chief also tested out Jim's weather balloons along the way. Not only did they carry weather and surveillance gear aloft, but also a hair-thin antenna wire that was attached to the cable connecting the balloons to the ground. The antenna helped extend their radio range.

Jim had briefly toyed with the idea of pitching to Mitch a plan to make balloons or even dirigibles for trade. He'd nixed the idea when he realized the work involved...and when Angie reminded him about shriekers and other aerial threats. He was quite pleased with the reports that the balloons were working out well. They lost one due to high winds, but that was okay.

The gunny used the balloon's camera to get the lay of the land. With the high vantage point he found a cut from an old land slide that went up the mountain at a reasonable slope. The landslide was old, maybe by a couple years, and it had wiped away a track of timber over a hundred meters wide straight down the mountain. Only half-buried splintered trunks remained.

They had to leave the vehicles at the base of the mountain but climbing the slide zone was easier than he'd initially thought. They stayed in the center away from the tree line and potential predators. They occasionally saw movement around the area, but most animals avoided the intruders.

When they got about two kilometers up they followed a trail along the mountain to a flat bolder strewn plateau. Off in the distance, steam was rising in the afternoon air. Gunny checked it out and found animals near a hot spring that fed pools and a creek that flowed down the mountain in a series of rather striking waterfalls. “Okay, found my hot tub or the natural equivalent,” he said with a nod. “Hunting, fishing...yeah, this'll work.”

“Maybe,” the chief said, still unsure.

Senji Oshiwa the geologist from Copper Town had tagged along with them. Not only did he find sulfur deposits nearby the hot springs but also large traces of copper and other minerals. “I'm pretty sure this mountain is a volcano. Since it's got hot springs, there is probably some magma deep in the core. I'm not sure how deep.”

“So we could be sitting on what, a potential Mount Fuji?” the gunny asked. “I'm not thrilled about being on ground zero you know.”

“People have been living on volcanoes or in their shadow for thousands of years,” Doctor Oshiwa said flatly. “My people have. We can set up observation methods, possibly sensors. If we sense a problem then we will of course evacuate.”

“Definitely,” the gunny vowed.

“Not just you but also the surrounding area. Copper Town, Capital Base, all areas in the area would be endangered. But since we have been here for three and a half years and have yet to have noticed an earthquake...” the Japanese scientist shrugged.

“Doc, just because the area hasn't shaken noticeably doesn't mean it hasn't. It doesn't take a seismologist to figure that out,” the gunny said. He frowned thoughtfully. “We'll see if Mitch can come up with some siesmo stuff.”

“Seismographs,” Doctor Oshiwa supplied patiently.

“Yeah, those.”

“But this works?” the chief asked. “Inquiring minds want to know. Time to get off the stick,” he said.

“Me?” the gunny demanded, turning on him. “What about you?”

The chief sighed. “It's complicated. But Tina wants to be here,” he said.

The gunny sized him up and then nodded. “Well then, welcome aboard,” he said, clapping the chief on the shoulder.

------*------

Janet went into labor in the middle of the night. She insisted it was heartburn for a while until the contractions really hit in and she pissed herself. Anne called a sleepy Ester in. She in turn called Jolie who had been awake. She went to cover for Anne so she could be there with Janet. Anne was grateful and was with her friend the whole time. She constantly teased Janet about the pain and endurance to distract her.

Sandra reluctantly handed off most of the delivery duties to Tina at least initially. However, when the fetus crowned facing the wrong way she was forced to step in. “That's right, step up to the plate, Doc,” Tina said getting out of the pregnant ladies way.

“Don't be such a sour puss. You'll get your chance when I go into labor missy,” Sandra said, shooting her companion a look. Tina snorted.

“That's right; I will,” she said wickedly.

“And if you know what's good for you, you won't stint on the drugs. I'm a screamer,” Sandra joked, using her hands to turn the child gently until the shoulders popped out. Then the rest came out easily. She cradled the child who wailed and shivered in the cool evening air. “Wow, he's got his mother's lungs,” she teased. “She,” she said, correcting herself.

“I heard that,” Janet said tiredly.

Tina snorted again. “Are you kidding me? Just about everyone in the base did. And does every time you yell at the kids,” she said, taking the baby from Doc to clear her airway and clean her up. Sandra tied off the umbilical and offered it to Janet who shook her head. She offered it to Anne but Anne put her hand up and shook her head silently no.