Dinosaur World 8

by Jacobs, Logan

  The relief that consumed me was overwhelming. Both of my parents were safe. Everything was okay.

  And they seriously looked like there wasn’t a fucking apocalypse raging around the world right now.

  “Hey there, kid,” my dad chuckled as he clutched onto me, and I heard him sniffing back his tears. “I didn’t know if I would ever see you again. This shit has been…”

  “Fucking crazy,” I finished for him.

  “Crazier than hell,” he laughed.

  “Aww,” Hae-won said behind me. “It really is so nice to meet you both.”

  “Your son is amazing,” Kat added as I pulled back from my dad.

  “I love your hat,” Becka cut in. “Baseball, right? That’s baseball?”

  “Hockey…” My dad’s lips twitched into a grin. “How did you all get here?”

  “Through that.” My mom pointed a shaky finger at the black booth.

  “Grace, are you okay, honey?” My dad hurried over to my mom. “You’re shaking.”

  “I am so happy,” she sniffed and dabbed her eyes. “But our son had better explain what the hell is going on, and why that pretty young lady is purple.”

  “Purple?” My dad straightened up and looked around, and his eyebrows shot up as he noticed Adhara.

  “Oh, yeah,” I grinned. “This is Adhara, and I do have some explaining to do. I don’t want to bore you with the details, but basically… aliens sent dinosaurs down to Earth because they thought we were a different race who they were at war with.”

  “Adhara came down to scout out the damage,” Kat said. “But we showed her that humans had never been in contact with aliens, never mind been at war with them.”

  “So, we went from Cambridge to Ravenscar to South Korea,” Becka added and twirled a strand of her hair. “And then we went to Switzerland before we jumped into space to stop a war that would wipe out humanity for good.”

  “And Jason saved the planet,” Hae-won said with a nod. “The alien fleets have been stopped, and Adhara’s people are going to come and live with us on Earth after they wipe out most of the meaner dinos for us.”

  “Oh, and your super fantastic son is married to me and Hae-won,” Becka mentioned with a casual shrug. “He’s about to marry Kat and Adhara, too, and that’s why we’re here! To invite you to the wedding!”

  The porch was silent for several minutes, and my parents both had their mouths hanging open as they slowly turned to face me. I straightened my posture and tried to look as respectable as possible so they wouldn’t linger too long on the multiple wives thing, but I couldn’t really tell what they were thinking for a while.

  They just stared at me, and my girls stared at them.

  “Jason,” my dad finally muttered, and he shifted his weight as he hooked his thumbs in his belt loops. “Is all of that true?”

  “Yes, sir.” I nodded. “I know it’s a lot to take in, but maybe I can prove it easier when we’re back on board the spaceship.”

  “You guys look like you’ve done well,” Kat observed as she looked up at the house. “Not many dinos out here?”

  “There aren’t many anywhere,” my mom replied as she dragged her eyes away from me. “We managed to get the problem pretty much under control, other than the internet going out and whatnot.”

  “Under control?” My eyebrows bunched together. “What do you mean?”

  “The military’s been good about addressing the whole thing,” my dad said with a shrug. “Not to get too patriotic, but they mowed those scaly bastards down like there was no tomorrow. They still have stations set up everywhere for when those sky holes open, and the dinosaurs get blasted down dead the second they try to come through.”

  “Wait,” I said in disbelief. “The dino problem isn’t even that bad here?”

  “My boss wanted us to keep coming to work,” my dad snorted. “I told him to give me a raise or kiss my ass. He went with the raise, so… business is good.”

  “God, it sounds so American when you say it like that,” Becka gushed, and my dad cocked an eyebrow at her.

  “Anyway, other than not being able to communicate with the rest of the world, things haven’t been too bad,” my dad finished.

  “Holy shit,” Kat laughed. “In England, it was literally like the apocalypse. I’ve lost track of how many dinos we’ve killed.”

  “You killed them?” my mom asked, and she got up from her chair.

  “Listen.” I smiled. “I am so happy to see you guys, but we still have to pick up the girls’ parents, too. Let’s talk more on the ship.”

  “What do I need to take?” my mom asked. “Shit, you’re getting married, Jason, I need to find my good hat! They wear hats in England for things like this, right?”

  “Yes,” Becka and Kat said together.

  “So grab a good hat,” I chuckled. “Wear whatever you want, the wedding is in space. Why don’t you both go grab a bag, and we’ll wait here?”

  My dad chuckled as my mom hurried into the house in her pink slippers, and he adjusted his Blackhawks hat while he waited for her to be out of earshot. Then he gestured for me to step a bit closer, and I quickly did as he wished.

  “Am I counting wrong, or did those girls just say you’re fixing to have four wives?” my dad muttered under his breath.

  “Yeah, just four.” I cleared my throat. “Maybe we can go over all this later?”

  My dad sent me a nod and headed inside without another word.

  “I can’t believe they’re safe,” I sighed heavily. “Holy shit, this is insane.”

  “This house is so cuuuute,” Becka groaned. “And your parents? The baseball hat and the slippers? Fuck, it’s so adorable.”

  “Did you see him loop his thumbs in the…” Hae-won mimicked my dad’s stance as best she could, and my other girls nodded vigorously.

  “So American,” Kat decided. “I love it.”

  “What are you…?” I chuckled and shook my head. “He was just standing there.”

  “Like an American,” Becka assured me. “Oh, my god, are there baby photos of you inside?”

  “Let’s just stay out here,” I said quickly. “Protect the house from dinos, you know.”

  “Suuure.” Kat smirked. “Not because you don’t want us to see you with a little rubber ducky in a bubble bath.”

  “I had the little green army guys in my baths,” I corrected, and my girls burst out laughing while Adhara just scowled in confusion.

  The street my parents lived on was just as quiet as it had always been. It was a nice little place that had some fields spread around the houses, and I was shocked to see sheep lazily grazing around.

  It really did seem like it was all untouched by dinos.

  “We’re ready!” my mom called as she hurried back onto the porch. “I didn’t know what to pack, so I’ve got a few outfits. Oh, we can’t go empty handed, honey, so I’ve taken a bottle of wine, too.”

  “Mom,” I laughed. “You don’t need to do that.”

  “She insisted.” My dad smirked. “She wants to make a good impression.”

  “So, we can all bring our families?” Becka asked, and Adhara nodded.

  “Amazing!” Hae-won clapped. “My brothers will be so excited to see the spaceship.”

  “How does this work exactly?” my mom asked nervously as we headed back down to the booth. “Does it hurt? What if it goes to the wrong place? Can we breathe on the ship?”

  “You step inside.” Adhara smiled. “It will take you back to mothership. I have programmed coordinates already.”

  “Okay…” my mom muttered. “Jason, honey, why don’t you go first?”

  “Sure, mom.” I smiled, and I stepped back into the small booth.

  My dad crossed his arms as he watched me closely, and I sent him a brief wave. I didn’t even need to hit the screen the second time around, so as soon as the door closed, there was a glow of light, and a small rumble before the booth was still.

  I opened the door and found myself
back on board the ship.

  “Fucking incredible,” I muttered as I stepped out, and I waited for the rest of my family.

  My mom and dad arrived together, and they squeezed out of the booth with their eyes wide.

  “Not bad,” my dad mused as he looked all around.

  “Jason,” my mom gasped. “Are we really on a spaceship?”

  “You are,” I laughed. “Wait until you see the view.”

  The girls arrived one by one, and Adhara smiled at my parents as her fingers wiggled a little nervously by her side.

  “This is ship,” the alien said in a formal tone. “I hope you like it. You can go anywhere, my parents are in charge. I will show you around maybe?”

  “Can we go and get our parents now?” Becka asked. “My mum’s going to lose her shit when she sees this place.”

  “Yes, bring Debbie.” Adhara nodded. “You know how to work it. If you do not know coordinates, you can type in town, and a map will appear on screen. Press the part of map you want to go, and it will work.”

  “I don’t have anything to wear,” I realized. “Should I get my suit from Jeju Island? It might still be kind of bloodstained, but--”

  “You can make clothes here,” Adhara said with a wave of her hand.

  “Make clothes?” I asked. “I’m not much of a sewer.”

  “We have a machine,” the beautiful alien replied. “You press what you like to wear, and it will create.”

  “What?” Hae-won asked. “We can just get any outfit we want?”

  “Yes.” Adhara shrugged. “Whatever you like. Humans should have this also. No need for big shop.”

  “That sounds amazing!” Becka squealed. “Do we get to design your wedding dresses?”

  “Go get your families.” I grinned. “Handle all that, and then we’ll worry about wedding dresses. In the meantime, why don’t we show my parents around?”

  “Yes, let us do that.” Adhara nodded and smiled at me. “You can meet my parents also. They will be pleased to meet the leader of Earth’s family.”

  “Come again?” my dad asked.

  “Yes, anytime you want to visit, we will have you here,” the beautiful alien assured him, and she gestured for us to follow her.

  My dad and mom both stayed put and looked at me with their most “parenty” expressions, but I was too focused on my girls to explain everything at the moment.

  “Give me a second,” I said hastily, and I caught Kat’s hand before she entered the booth. “Hey, do you want me to go with you for this?”

  “No, I’ll be okay.” The soldier smiled a little weakly.

  “No, you won’t,” I decided. “I’ll go with you.”

  “Jason, stay here and show your parents around,” Kat insisted.

  “Yeah, we’ve got her,” Becka assured me, and she looped her arm with Kat’s. “Anyone who birthed this badass soldier has to be doing just fine.”

  I didn’t respond while I studied Kat’s face, and the beautiful soldier sent me a more convincing smile this time. Then she tilted her chin up to kiss me softly, and Becka and Hae-won came over to get their own goodbye kisses, too.

  “Be safe,” I told my women. “Keep those guns ready, and if anything fucked up comes along, get back here and find me. I’ll come with and--”

  “We’ll be fine,” Becka laughed. “We’ve learned a thing or two in the last few weeks, you know.”

  “Yeah, go get ready for our wedding,” Kat ordered, and her commanding tone instantly brought a grin to my face.

  “Yes, ma’am,” I chuckled. “Tell Kwan to bring his dancing shoes.”

  “Absolutely.” Hae-won nodded stoically. “That is all a man needs in space.”

  I finally stepped back to let my ladies pile into the booth, and as soon as they finished blowing me kisses, the door closed, and I turned away.

  My parents were watching me with intent expressions that reminded me we still had a lot to discuss, but for now, Adhara opened the door back onto the main floor.

  I was startled to see the entire room was covered with purple lighting. There were no screens or sofas, and the place had been completely converted into what I assumed was a traditional alien wedding venue.

  There were rows of floating white seats that were all facing a circle stage in the middle of the room. In the stage there was a small pool of water, and there were glowing, floating orbs everywhere just like the one Leo had used in CERN.

  The orbs flashed gently with different shades of purple, and there was dreamy music playing that made my chest vibrate in the strangest way. There were electric-blue flowers along the walls, too, and twirling ivy-like plants hung from the ceiling.

  “Woah,” I breathed. “This looks awesome.”

  “Oh, my goodness,” my mom said. “Jason, this is beautiful.”

  “Not bad,” my dad agreed.

  “How did they do this in the span of ten minutes?” I asked.

  “My mother is good at events.” Adhara shrugged.

  “And why is there water?” I checked.

  “To stand in,” the alien replied. “We put our feet in together during the ceremony. Then dry each other’s feet and put on shoes.”

  “That’s sweet,” my mom said and nudged my dad. “What a lovely tradition.”

  I was slightly in shock that my parents kept taking all this crazy shit in stride, but they had never been strictly traditional people anyway. Maybe the whole dinosaur apocalypse had loosened them up even more.

  “Welcome,” Adhara’s father said as he appeared at the bottom of the stairs. I hadn’t even heard him coming, and my parents jumped as he spoke.

  “O-Oh. Hello,” my mom said in an anxious tone. “Nice to meet you, I’m Grace, and this is Edward. We’re Jason’s parents.”

  “We are pleased to have you here.” Adhara’s father bowed his head. “Meeting the leader of Earth’s ancestors is important to us.”

  My dad raised an eyebrow, and all I could do was grin as he shot me another loaded look.

  “Allow me to show you around,” the male alien said. “We can leave the offspring to get ready.”

  “Lovely,” my mom said. “Jason, honey, I’m still in shock, but I’m so proud of you.”

  I stooped low so she could reach my cheek to give me a kiss, and then my parents shuffled off to join the alien leader as he led them up the bronze stairs. My dad smirked over his shoulder just before he was out of sight, and I couldn’t help chuckling.

  It was so fucking nice to see them again.

  “We should go and get our clothing,” Adhara said. “Let me show you how.”

  The gorgeous alien took my hand and led me over to the set of stairs that led down to the next floor. I was on top of the world as my beautiful lover clutched onto me tightly, and she quietly hummed as she led me over to a doorway on the right side of this level.

  “Where is everyone?” I asked as I glanced around at the empty space.

  “Probably helping my parents for the ceremony,” Adhara said. “They will be making food. Maybe planning music.”

  The alien pushed open a black door, and we stepped into a large room with four rectangular structures that looked like wardrobes. They were a glistening white color, with built-in screens that displayed a male alien and a female.

  “This is what we use to make clothes?” I asked, and Adhara nodded.

  “I am happy to do this.” She smiled. “I had never seen wedding dresses before, but after Becka and Hae-won had one, I would like one also.”

  “You’re going to look gorgeous,” I murmured as we stopped in front of the machines, and Adhara glowed dark purple as her eyes glittered at me.

  Then I reached out and touched the image of the male alien on the closet screen, and it lit up with multiple options of clothing. I tapped the pants first, and it displayed a huge list of colors and materials.

  “I’m glad this is done with pictures,” I chuckled. “I haven’t quite mastered your language yet.”

  “I
t is not so simple to learn,” Adhara laughed as she started on her own design.

  I picked out a black suit with an emerald shirt underneath.

  “Now it matches your eyes,” I said as the finished look popped up on screen. “Do you like it?”

  “It is the same as my eyes!” Adhara said excitedly. “Yes, you will look so handsome in this.”

  “Works for me,” I said as I examined the screen. “I guess I tap this green button to finish up? But how does it know my measurements?”

  “Tap the button,” Adhara said simply. “Then step inside.”

  I pressed the green circle on the screen, and the front panel of the machine slid open to reveal a small, mirrored room.

  “Awesome,” I laughed and stepped into the alien fitting room.

  The door gently slid closed behind me, and a red light began to scan me from head to toe. It beeped steadily as it ran down my body, and then an automated voice said something in the alien language.

  There was a gentle whirring above me, and the suit I’d just designed slowly lowered from the ceiling on a black hanger. It stopped right in front of me, and I pulled off my clothes to get dressed. The material was incredibly soft, and everything fit as perfectly as if a tailor had spent hours adjusting the suit.

  When I looked in the mirror, I couldn’t stop smiling. It had been so long since I didn’t have any life or death responsibilities, but my mind was completely at ease right now. The suit looked great, too, and I had to admit, I felt pretty confident my women would love it.

  I slid the door of the room open again and stepped back out to show Adhara.

  “Jason!” she gasped. “You look so nice! I want to mate with you just from looking at you!”

  “Yeah, damn,” Becka said as she entered the room. “Our husband is looking fiiiine.”

  Kat and Hae-won appeared behind her, and they both grinned as they looked me up and down.

  “Hell yeah,” Kat laughed. “That suit is amazing. This bride approves.”

  “Thanks.” I grinned as I spun around, and Becka whistled.

  “Where are your parents, though?” I asked. “Did everything go okay?”

  “Dad was in his holiday home in Spain, it’s a really small village, so there were basically no dinos around,” Kat said with a wry smirk. “He’s been living on the beach and watching the dino sharks this whole time.”