by Tom Johnson
"No way!" Roger Manning reiterated.
"What's all the yelling in here about?" Doctor Terrill asked from the doorway.
"The colonel was just discussing Major Cooper's muscles, I think," Sheri giggled.
"No I wasn't," Colonel Peterson denied, "I was only suggesting that maybe he should put on a shirt to cover his nakedness."
"His nakedness doesn't bother me," Sheri giggled. "Does it bother you, Barbara?"
"I should say not!" Doctor Terrill growled.
"Just leave me alone!" snapped the colonel. "I don't care if he has a shirt on, or not!"
"My nakedness doesn't bother you now, Evelyn?" Major Cooper laughed.
"No—yes—oh, shut up, just do as you wish.
"Doctor Terrill, can I see you privately for a few minutes?" she asked.
"Of course, my dear, let's go to my office," Doctor Terrill suggested.
As they left the room, Sheri whispered to Major Cooper, "The colonel needs a shrink, me thinks!"
"Maybe we did rub it in a little too much," he said. "We'd better let her calm down before she goes over the edge. I don't think it would take much for any of us to lose it."
"I'm doing okay," Roger Manning said.
Sheri and Adam Cooper both cracked up laughing.
"That figures!" Sheri threw up her arms in surrender. "I think I'll study that Bible of his tonight, maybe it'll keep me sane too!"
The next day, Roger Manning started working on the special guns, while Major Cooper, Colonel Peterson, and Sheri prepared for another trip into the swamps. This time, since only three of them were going, it was decided to take only one of the all terrain vehicles. With Colonel Peterson at the wheel, Major Cooper sat in the front seat with a special spear he'd made from one of the poles he'd found in a storage compartment. Sheri sat in the back seat, out of reach of the still angry colonel.
"I wonder if maybe we shouldn't check the swamps to the east today?" Colonel Peterson asked.
"No need, I don't think," Major Cooper shrugged. "We're at least familiar with the swamps to the north. I doubt there is any difference in them to the east. What do you think, Sheri?"
"We'll have to eventually," Sheri said. "But today it doesn't matter. Maybe tomorrow."
"Okay," Colonel Peterson said, "north it is!"The swamps were the same today as previously, except for numerous reptilian mammals that appeared to be plant eaters as large as cows grazing on the grasses near the mud. As they had noticed on a prior occasion, the herbivores didn't appear to fear the presence of the nearby carnivores. The larger Gorgons roamed near the plant eaters, and the fin tailed Dimetrodon waded next to the frogs and smaller creatures.
"The process never changes," Sheri said, "and hasn't for hundreds of millions of years. The herbivores stuff themselves on the plants, always eating and growing fatter. The more vicious carnivores only eat when they are hungry, never killing for the sake of killing. Seldom does the animal kingdom throw a rock into the pond."
"The rock—or one exception being homo-sapiens," acknowledged the major.
"Yes," Colonel Peterson agreed, "we are the only animal that kills for sport—or fun, if you prefer."
"But that doesn't make the beasts any less dangerous," Major Cooper warned. "I have an idea that any one of those creatures out there would defend their space if we got in their way!"
"Then let's remember not to get in their way," Colonel Peterson agreed.
"I would like to gather some of the frogs and smaller reptiles for study," Sheri pleaded. "To do so, I'm afraid we will have to get into their space."
"I was afraid you were going to say that," Major Cooper laughed. "I kind of hate to leave the safety of the ATV."
"Our big, strong, brave hero afraid?" Colonel Peterson asked, shocked.
"Not for myself, you understand," he grinned. "I was thinking of you girls."
"That'll be the day, Mister!" Colonel Peterson snapped. "When we girls can't take care of ourselves, some shirtless, muscle-bound, brainless ..."
"Now, Evelyn," Sheri laughed, "remember your blood pressure!"
"Is she mad because I'm wearing my shirt today?" Major Cooper laughed.
"Ohhhh, I could strangle him," the colonel said.
"No, not yet, Evelyn," Sheri said, "I think I see some great specimens for my lab right over there!"
"Well, we'd better leave the ATV parked here, and walk out there," Colonel Peterson suggested.
"I wouldn't want to get our vehicle stuck in that muck between here and there."
"The ground looks solid enough for us to walk on, though," Sheri promised.
"Come on, girls," Major Cooper said, as he stepped out of the ATV. "Bring your specimen bag, Sheri. Just be careful handling those damn things!"
"Don't get off this narrow path," Colonel Peterson told them. "That mud looks like it could suck you under pretty quick."
"The reptiles don't seem to be having any problem in it," Major Cooper said. "They look right at home!"
"Strangely, so do you, Major," the colonel grinned.
"Okay, I opened myself up for that one, Evelyn," he grinned. "I'll remember that when one of those Gorgons come after you!"
"You wouldn't really let one of those things carry the colonel off, would you, Major?" Sheri giggled.
"Well, she'd sure owe me, if I had to save her from one of those ugly beasts!" he laughed.
"Owe you what?" the colonel snarled.
"Uh oh, you've done it now!" Sheri giggled.
"I'll think of some—"
The colonel's scream cut him off in mid sentence. A second later, it was joined by a piercing scream from the biologist. Turning, he saw a scene that sent chills up and down the back of his neck. The creatures Sheri had classified as Darwis had come up behind them, and there were more than a dozen of the lizard-like man-things. The one in the lead had wrapped scaly arms around the colonel, and the others were coming up fast, seeming to float over the soft mud.
With all of his strength, he threw the metal spear at the monster holding the commander. The tip of the weapon penetrated the monster's thick hide, slicing through its savage heart, and sticking out of its back fully a foot in length. No sooner had the spear left his hand, than he was reaching for the pistol at his side. Bringing the gun up, he took quick aim and pulled the trigger. Five quick blasts in less than a heartbeat, and five scaly creatures staggered into the mud of the swamp, falling heavily, and quickly sinking out of sight.
Colonel Peterson, who had fallen into that same mud, was pulling herself to solid ground with the help of the biologist. As Sheri was helping her back on land, she stepped backward almost tripping over a three-foot long lizard. Her left leg scraped a spur on the reptile's leg, and she jumped back in pain, blood spurting from a two-inch gash in the lower calf.
Once Colonel Peterson was back on her feet on solid ground, she was taking aim with her own pistol, and with equal ease was dropping the lizard-like Darwis before they could reach her.
To their amazement, the remaining creatures left uninjured turned in fright and raced back into the protection of the forest. Again came that weird cry they had heard once before, and knew that it had come from the throats of the Darwis as they retreated to safety.
"Did you see that?" Sheri asked, as she rubbed her bleeding leg.
Pulling his spear from the body of the creature he had slain, Major Cooper gave her a funny look. "Sheri, we were here all the time. What don't you think we saw?"
"Their attack," she groaned. "It was a pack effort! They attacked us en masse, Major, and that isn't normal for the animals of this period!"
"Yeah," Colonel Peterson groaned, "it was either communication between individuals, planned, or pack mentality. Surely, of the three possibilities, we have to be looking at pack mentality, Sheri! The other two possibilities are out of the question."
"They also demonstrated fear," Major Cooper said. "Very odd behavior for any animal species we've seen so far from this period."
"What happe
ned to your leg, Sheri?" Colonel Peterson asked, noticing the injury for the first time.
"I'm afraid I collided with an unknown species of reptile, and a spike—or spur on its leg jabbed me. It hurts like hell, too. It may have been a poison gland!"
"Damn!" Major Cooper cursed, picking the biologist up in his arms and racing for the ATV. "Come on, Evelyn, we've got to get her to Doctor Terrill!"
"I'm okay, Major," she complained. "Really, I am. It just hurts. I don't feel feint, or anything associated with venom injection.''
"Be quiet, Sheri!" Colonel Peterson ordered. "Sat with her in the back seat, Major, I'll get us back to the Galileo Two just as quick as possible!"
Chapter Ten
Danger From The Sky
"You're lucky, Sheri," Doctor Terrill told the biologist as she cleaned the wound in the girl's leg while Roger Manning looked on. "You weren't envenomed, it appears. Thankfully, if there was any venom, the wound bled fast enough to wash any poison out of the puncture."
"I'm not even sure it had a poison gland, Barbara," Sheri told the doctor, "but the cut hurt like crazy!"
"You know as well as I that it doesn't need poison glands," Doctor Terrill snapped. "Just look at the Komodo Dragons—I mean, before the nukes wiped them out. They didn't have poison glands, but there were enough bacterium in their mouths to kill anything they bit. There are probably enough deadly bacteria in that mud to kill one of us, too.
"Hell, I warned you not to get that close to one of those damn creatures," she argued. "What were you doing in that mud to begin with?"
"She was pulling my butt out of the muck, Barbara," Colonel Peterson said from the doorway. Looking towards the door, they saw the commander and Major Cooper coming in together.
"Well, now, where have you two been?" Sheri giggled.
"I was taking a shower in the bio-dome," Colonel Peterson snapped. "I had to wash that damn mud off my legs!"
"And did Major Cooper have to dry you off?" Sheri laughed.
"I told her she would owe me," Major Cooper laughed.
"He did not!" Colonel Peterson growled. "The major was kind enough to guard the bio-dome while I was in the shower."
"Guard—?" Doctor Terrill started.
"From what?" Sheri completed.
"There was a lot of mud!" the commander snarled.
"Doesn't she have pretty legs?" Major Cooper continued.
"Oh, shut up, all of you," the commander ordered. "I was alone in the shower!
"How's the wound, Sheri?" she asked.
"I'll be fine," the biologist argued. "It was merely a scratch, and the blood washed all the germs out."
"I gave her a shot, and cleaned the wound. We can watch it for any signs of infection, but I think she'll be okay," Doctor Terrill told them.
"I was telling the doctor about the Darwis attacking us," Sheri said. "She thinks I'm delirious."
"It's true, Barbara," Colonel Peterson nodded, "they attacked in a pack, like a bunch of coyotes.
"Flash Gordon was quick on the draw, thank goodness, or I wouldn't be here to tell the story. However, I did fall into the swamp, that's how I got so muddy. Sheri pulled me out while the major drove the creatures off."
"I think the Darwis have learned to gather in packs for protection against the larger predators," Major Cooper agreed. "It's probably nothing more than a learned trait."
"Even at that, it's odd, though," Sheri said. "We haven't seen that trait in any of the other species yet."
"And we may not," Roger Manning said. "This species may merely be the forerunner of the apes, and their brains may have evolved beyond that of the other animals. After all, you said yourselves that the reptiles were evolving into mammals all ready."
"Would you listen to who's talking about evolution?" Doctor Terrill asked. "I thought you believed only in creationism, Manning?"
"I do, Doctor," he grinned. "God had to create before evolution could take place. But God started the ball rolling!"
"Well, I've heard everything now!" Doctor Terrill snarled.
"No you haven't, Barbara," Sheri laughed. "Spend the day with Roger, and then you can say that!"
"How are the laser guns progressing, Roger?" Major Cooper asked the engineer.
"God didn't create the world in one day, Major," he argued, "and I won't build the lasers in a day, either!"
"Well, keep working on them, Roger," grinned the major. "We'll want more powerful weapons as soon as we can get them."
"I don't know, I thought you did okay with the spear, Alley Oop," Colonel Peterson smiled.
"Listen at them nip at each other, Barbara," Sheri giggled. "Don't you just love their little arguments?"
The next day they decided to visit the swamps to the east of the camp. Doctor Terrill had wrapped a protective bandage around Sheri's wound, mainly to keep any possible germs from entering the cut. Other than that, the biologist was in a good mood, and anxious to see what was waiting for them.
Colonel Peterson was again at the wheel, and Major Cooper was riding shotgun, his spear resting within easy reach. The lack of a trail didn't slow the ATV in the least, although the ground was a little rough in places bouncing, the riders around.
"Women drivers!" Major Cooper said under his breath.
"What was that, Major?" the commander asked, aiming for another pothole on purpose.
"Nothing, Colonel," he grinned, "I was just clearing my throat."
"That's what I thought," Colonel Peterson grinned. Sheri giggled, as she held on for dear life.The eastern swamps were more distant from the Galileo Two than were the swamps to the north. When they entered the forest, they found the thick brush and shallow lakes harder to navigate, but were eventually able to maneuver through the dense growth. The river was also further inland, and they observed more land mammals feeding on the plants. Once they came to the wide river, they found it flowed swiftly, carrying debris from upstream to the ocean to the south.
"Oh, it's marvelous!" Sheri gasped. "Just look at the tails!"
"What about the tails?" Colonel Peterson asked.
"Everything but the lowest order of animal life has a tail. Haven't you noticed?" Sheri asked.
"Well, yeah, but I didn't think it was so marvelous," Evelyn commented.
"Oh, Evelyn, think about it," Sheri said. "From the lowly tadpole, to the giant Gorgons, the reptiles and amphibians had tails. If we look at the mammalian reptiles today, they still have their tails. Now, think about our own time. What doesn't have a tail? Don't you see it? Everything appears to have evolved from reptiles. Dogs have tails, cats have tails; the big cats have tails. Monkeys have tails. Even man has a tailbone!
"People think that man evolved from the apes, but we're not going back far enough. Even the apes evolved from the reptiles. We belong to a planet of reptiles, not apes!"
"The planet of the Gorgons!" Major Cooper laughed.
"Yes, in a sense," Sheri said. "At least one family of reptiles gave rise to the mammals, which in turn gave rise to mankind."
"Some scientists might disagree with you, Sheri," Colonel Peterson suggested. "I'm sure that some groups of scientists believe that mammals were a separate order of animal life than the reptiles. Rats and mice, for instance."
"Where'd they get their tails?" Sheri asked.
"You can't argue with that, Colonel," Major Cooper laughed.
"Why not the fish?" Colonel Peterson asked.
"Huh?" Sheri grunted.
"The fish! Sea creatures," Colonel Peterson suggested. "Well, more advanced than the sponges and jellies, of course. But didn't the fish arrive in the oceans first? Before the reptiles crawled onto the land? Wouldn't that make us a planet of fish, not reptiles? After all, the fishes had tails first!"
"You can't argue with that, Sheri," Major Cooper laughed.
"Why don't you offer something to this conversation, Major, instead of just agreeing with everything!" Colonel Peterson snapped.
Major Cooper couldn't control his laughter a second la
ter, and both girls stared at him curiously.
"I was just wondering how you girls would look with tails," he told them.
"You are incorrigible, Major!" the commander shrugged.
Suddenly, there was an explosion of sparks several hundred yards from their ATV, then another one closer, and yet a third farther off to the north, and they could smell smoke filling the air where the first explosion occurred.
"Meteorites!" Major Cooper yelled.
"Hold on!" Colonel Peterson ordered, as she started the ATV again, and then turned the vehicle back towards the Galileo Two
Unfortunately, the shower of meteorites was peppering the landscape with tiny fragments of red-hot space rocks, and fires were breaking out all around them. It was dangerous to be caught out in the open with so many deadly missiles striking the earth with tremendous force. Colonel Peterson pulled the vehicle underneath a heavy concentration of trees with thick limbs overhead, and they held their breath as rocks struck the ground with frightening impact for several minutes. Finally, when it appeared the meteorite storm had passed, another danger appeared to be imminent.
"The forest is on fire!" Colonel Peterson warned. "We've got to get out of here!"
"Head back to the Galileo Two, Colonel," Major Cooper suggested.
"Oh, I hope they are okay," Sheri pleaded.
It was necessary to detour around a large area of burning forest, but the Colonel maneuvered the vehicle around fallen trees and burning brush as easily as a racecar driver negotiating fast curves around a track. This time, Major Cooper didn't make any comments about her driving, but Sheri was still holding on for dear life.
"I think we're almost out of the forest," Colonel Peterson said just as they broke through to the outside. "Yeah, we're safe now!"
Just then she hit a deep hole caused by a meteorite impact, and the vehicle bounced suddenly, almost throwing the major from the front seat.
"Ouch!" he said. "That hurt, Evelyn!"
"Serves you right!" she growled, but a grin spread across her face. "I'll see if I can find another one."
"It looks like just as many meteorites struck out here just as they did in the forest," Sheri said. "There are impact craters dotting the whole desert!"
