The Reunion

by Everette Morgan

  Based on Marcus’ calculations, he should be here today or possibly tomorrow at the latest. She hoped it would be soon. She wondered how Marcus was going to handle the beasts. When she called back to warn him of them, he seemed confident that they wouldn’t be a problem. She slowly walked back and forth around the observation deck and looked at the beautifully painted mountains dressed in the brilliant colors of fall. The leaves were just starting to fall.

  Suddenly, she noticed one of the allosaurs stop, lift up its head, and roar. She glanced up to see two thin lines of slight smoke streak toward the two dinosaurs. It happened in an instant. Two small missiles struck the dinosaurs and exploded with a terrifying boom. The twin explosions rocked the complex. Kim ducked down behind the concrete wall and then slowly moved up until she could see over the edge. What was left of the two dinosaurs was unidentifiable. Kim brought her hands to her mouth and looked toward the end of the clearing. A black military type SUV with a motorcycle mounted to the rear slowly made its way into the clearing. Grinning, she understood now why he had been confident. The SUV pulled up to the front entrance of the complex and rolled to a stop. The driver’s side door opened up and a tall good looking young man dressed in full camouflage got out and looked up at her.

  He yelled up at her, “You gonna stand there all day? This area has been officially cleared. Ain’t you going to give your little brother a hug?”

  Kim took off from the observation deck as fast as she could. She ran down the ramp, then through the front door which Virginia had graciously opened for her and into her little brother’s arms. He picked her up and swung her around and around. She was light as a feather. She started crying as soon as they embraced. The relief was overwhelming.

  “Hey, sis; it’s okay. I… I uh-h…. Just need a little air.” He said as he pretended to be gasping for air. They both started laughing then and he let her down.

  Wiping her eyes, she said, “I don’t think ‘little brother’ quite fits you now. Goodness, you were a foot and a half shorter and a lot smaller the last time I saw you.” Kim was tall compared to most women. She was almost about 5’10” and about five inches taller than him when she last saw him.

  “Yeah, well… a lot can happen in five years especially when you are just hitting puberty and the planet dies. I still can’t believe it’s you,” he said as he grabbed her again and squeezed her so hard she was gasping for air.

  He finally set her down and she led him over to the rest of her group.

  “I would like you to meet everyone,” she said motioning them over. “This is Danielle and this is her son, Timmy.” A young lady who looked to be in her upper teens or maybe early twenties and a little boy came over and shook hands with Marcus.

  “This is Lauren and her boys, Johnnie and Ronnie,” she said motioning the next ones over. A lady in her late twenties or slightly older and two identical twin boys about nine or ten stepped over. He shook her hand but had each of the boys to give him ‘five’. This brought a smile out of them.

  Finally, Kim motioned for the last older lady to come over. “And this is Virginia or as some of us has started calling her… Virg,” she said smiling. Virginia stepped forward and shook his hand.

  “Well, Ms. Virginia… are you ready for one more little trip?” asked Marcus as he was shaking her hand.

  “Please call me Virginia or Virg. I’m not as old as I look,” she said smiling. “I’m only 52.”

  “Yes ma’am… I mean Vi.. Vir..Virginia,” said Marcus stuttering. They all laughed a little. Kim could see that Virginia was doing her best even though she was still in a state of shock from losing her husband.

  Chapter Five

  “Is everyone packed and ready to leave?” asked Marcus.

  “Everyone packed up as soon as I told them you were coming. They were all anxious to leave. Let’s get out of here,” Kim said as they all started to grab their gear. It took about thirty minutes to get everything ready and packed in the MAV. While they were packing, Marcus took the motorcycle off the custom mounted rack at the rear of the MAV. This dirt bike was fast and almost silent as it ran. With its Solar Force engine and batteries, it had enough power to run almost two days without any sunlight. Marcus was looking forward to riding it. It had been awhile since he had been on any extended trip with the bike. He put his helmet on and strapped the chinstrap into place. Then he started running the diagnostics on the bike.

  Checking his ear piece, he said, “Jocelyn, do you read me?”

  “Loud and clear, boss,” she shot back.

  Jocelyn was still working on her attitude it seemed. Marcus walked over after everyone was loaded except for Kim.

  “Don’t worry about anything with the driving. Jocelyn will handle all of that. I have a direct com into the MAV so I can hear everything y’all are saying and can communicate with you. Jocelyn also will be scanning the area for any potential threats. If she detects anything, I will be riding close so I can be under the safety of the shield of the MAV. Do you have any questions?” he asked.

  Grinning she said, “Nope. Let’s ride. I’m looking forward to seeing my new home.”

  Kim climbed in the driver’s side door of the MAV, while Marcus hopped onto the dirt bike. As he turned the motorcycle on and closed his face shield, he said, “Jocelyn, send out the drone and have it keep a perimeter of thirty miles. I want to have time to react to whatever we might end up facing.”

  A small drone lifted off from the front of the roof of the MAV where Marcus had placed it. It was quiet as a whisper. It rose and shot out above the trees and was out of sight within a minute.

  Marcus spoke again, “Jocelyn, drone video please.”

  To the left side of the face shield of his helmet, a small video window appeared and Marcus could see the trees the drone was flying over.

  “Full screen, Jocelyn” he said. Immediately the entire face shield was filled with the video and it gave Marcus the sensation of flying. He was flying over the beautiful fall foliage that decorated the mountain and valley. It was absolutely breathtaking.

  Satisfied it was functioning properly, Marcus said, “Video off”. Immediately the screen went back to showing his field of vision. He pulled his motorcycle over to the driver’s side window of the MAV, raised his face shield, and waited until Kim had lowered the window.

  “Kim, I don’t think we will run into any problems that Jocelyn and the MAV can’t handle. As I said before, Jocelyn has the controls and will handle the driving and the shield. As far as firing the Korak or any other offensive maneuver… she will ask your permission to do so. I would only use that as a last option. I will stay close so we should be good,” said Marcus.

  “Sounds great. I’m looking forward to going home and being able to relax for a while,” she said smiling.

  “Okay, let’s roll,” he said as he lowered the face shield and rode the bike around the MAV in a large circle. The MAV moved out and headed toward the road. Marcus fell in line behind the MAV and they were on their way.

  They reached the turnoff at Newfound Gap and turned toward Cherokee. Cherokee was located in the valley just on the edge of the Nantahala National Forest. Marcus figured it would probably take them at least a couple of hours to get off the mountain, through Cherokee, and into the Nantahala National Forest. There were several obstacles that would still take time to go around. It would probably have been a lot quicker to go through Knoxville, but it also gave them a better chance of running into trouble from some of the ‘human’ elements. Marcus had decided that humans were more dangerous than the dinosaurs. You never knew what they were going to do. At least with the dinosaurs, he pretty much knew what was on their mind.

  Chapter Six

  Jocelyn spoke into his ear piece, “Marcus, the drone has picked up a human cry and has visually confirmed the source. A young girl has been attacked by a small pack of allosaurs. She has crashed her motorcycle and is currently hiding at one of the waterfalls in the valley. The allosaurs won’t be able to get to h
er where she is located but they aren’t leaving. She is in great distress.”

  Hearing that, Marcus said, “Video. Full screen. Show me the girl.” Instantly, he was flying above the trees. He was seeing the road and the crashed motorcycle of the girl. He recognized where she was located immediately. He had seen old video footage of his great grandparents traveling to Cades Cove plus he had been there many times himself. She was at one of the many waterfalls located in this area. The falls were called ‘The Sinks’. As the drone hovered above, Marcus could see her hid under the bridge that went above the falls. She had picked a good spot. Most dinosaurs seem to be intimidated by white water. Marcus hoped that the allosaurs didn’t get over that intimidation any time soon.

  As he brought the drone in closer, she looked up and saw it. It was a young girl, maybe thirteen or fourteen years old. She was crying and as she watched the drone, she stretched her hand out pleading. Through the microphone located on the drone, he could hear her saying, “Help me, please help me.” She then lowered her head and he could hear her crying.

  Without hesitation, Marcus said, “Jocelyn, turn on the audio on the drone. Miss, can you hear me?” She nodded. “Just sit tight. I’m about an hour away. I’ll be there as fast as I can. Video off.”

  With that, their little convoy stopped and he pulled up to the window of the MAV again. He looked at Kim for a minute and then lowered his eyes.

  Kim reached out and took his hand. “Don’t worry. I know you have to. Daddy and Mama built that into us. Let’s turn around and go get her.”

  Marcus raised his eyes and said, “I know you want to sis but I can’t, and won’t put you at risk.”

  “Nonsense, if we stay together, there shouldn’t be any problem,” said Kim.

  “Sorry, you have other passengers to take care of and Jocelyn can drive you home. Besides, let me check something. Jocelyn, what is the estimated time of arrival if we all go and take the MAV?” he asked.

  “ETA is approximately three o’clock tomorrow. The drone has scouted the road and the obstacles blocking travel and there are significant challenges. Three o’clock is the earliest you can arrive,” said Jocelyn.

  “What about if I go alone on the solar bike?” he said while looking at Kim.

  “Approximately two hours or a lot quicker knowing your previous adventures,” said Jocelyn smartly.

  Kim’s eyes widened and she started to speak but Marcus stopped her.

  “She won’t make it if I don’t go alone. No… Don’t even think about it. I know you could but I know the bike better and I would have a better chance,” he said.

  Kim finally agreed knowing that to save the girl; Marcus would have the best chance. Marcus leaned in and hugged his sister.

  “Take’em home Jocelyn. I’ll try to catch up but if I don’t, I’ll see them at home,” he said smiling.

  As soon as he leaned back and moved out of the way, the MAV lurched forward and started travelling down the road again.

  Marcus flipped down his face shield and asked Jocelyn about predators that could potentially threaten the MAV. Jocelyn noted that while there were several dinosaurs in the area, none were an immediate threat.

  As he turned and headed off the mountain, he noticed that some clouds had begun to roll into the area. They were black and ominous. He asked Jocelyn about the weather and she said that there was a seventy percent chance of rain this afternoon and seventy-five percent chance overnight. It wasn’t what he wanted to hear. He noticed a few dinosaurs as he went through the twists and turns of the road as he descended the mountain.

  He reached the bottom of the mountain and turned left and headed toward the Cades Cove area. After about five miles, the surrounding forest began to take on a new look. It looked like the valley had suffered some really bad weather, possibly even some tornados. Several times he had to go off road to go around fallen trees.

  Jocelyn had been right. Travelling with the MAV would have been a mistake. Some places were practically impassable for anything but a motorcycle and Marcus had to walk the bike over a couple of trees every now and again. Getting out of here quick was going to be a challenge. He made sure as he was making his way through the underbrush that he plotted a better way out.

  He kept checking with Jocelyn to see how close he was getting to the girl. He had already been riding for over ninety minutes.

  Chapter Seven

  Jocelyn let him know that he was within a mile of the girl. The problem was there was still one of the allosaurs in her vicinity. Marcus stopped and tried to decide on a plan of action. Jocelyn let him know that the road leading up to the ‘The Sinks’ was relatively clear. He had his model 700 rifle located in a boot on the side of the bike and he also had his pistol. He didn’t think he could take the allosaurus down with the rifle but maybe… if he could get a clear shot to the eye of the allosaurus, he could wound it enough to get in and get the girl. Marcus admitted to himself that the chances of that working were minimal but he was running out of options.

  Finally he decided to go ahead with it. Slowly, he rode until he was within three hundred yards of the girl. He stopped just before going around the last turn. He hid the motorcycle off to the side of the road behind a huge rock wall that was traveling the length of the road. It continued around the turn and up to the bridge the girl was hiding under. Getting his rifle, he got off, crouched down low, and eased around the corner.

  The allosaurus was standing on the bridge that the girl had hidden under. Every now and then the dinosaur would lean over the edge and try to get at the girl. She was in a somewhat decent hiding place but that was only because the allosaurus refused to step in the white water flowing over the falls.

  Marcus eased to the ground and went into the prone shooter’s position. He brought the scope to his eye and carefully took aim. This was going to be a tough shot. The allosaurus kept moving. If he missed badly, he might end up just making it madder than it already was. After about ten minutes, Marcus heard a sound from up above. The dinosaur raised his head and looked skyward and roared. In that brief second, Marcus got his chance and fired. He hit right at the edge of its left eye. A good shot but not the shot he was hoping for, but the dinosaur screamed a high pitched scream and stumbled. He was so close to the edge that he completely stepped off the bridge.

  Although the total height of the falls from top to bottom was only about fifteen or twenty feet, there was a large volume of water going over it. When the allosaurus stepped off, it slipped, stepped in a deep hole at the top, went over, and crashed to the bottom of the falls. As this happened, Marcus could hear the huge leg snap as it went down. Marcus knew it was his chance and he was up and running to the girl. The dinosaur was kicking and screaming lying in the pool at the bottom of the falls. It was continuing the same high pitched scream it had made when Marcus shot it.

  Marcus made it to the bridge and holding to the concrete stones, eased down and dropped to the small ledge underneath the bridge where the girl was hiding. He could see the relief wash over her face when she saw him. With the sound of the falls and the screaming dinosaur it was impossible to talk.

  Without saying a word, Marcus helped her up and over onto the bridge. He made his way up and stood beside her. They started walking across the bridge toward the bike. She was walking with a pronounced limp.

  “My name is Marcus” he said as he extended his hand.

  “Hello Marcus, my name is Savannah…” she began but stopped as Marcus raised his hand for her to stop.

  He put his right hand to his ear and said, “Say again Jocelyn. I can barely hear you”.

  Louder this time, Jocelyn said, “Marcus, you need to run. Fourteen different dinosaurs are headed your way. The allosaur’s scream is drawing them. The closest one is five hundred meters and closing fast.”

  Marcus and Savannah were still fifty yards away from the bike. He grabbed her arm and put it around his shoulder and yelled, “Run!”

  “Four hundred meters,” said Jocelyn into
his earpiece.

  Half running and half walking they limped toward the bike.

  “Three hundred meters,” said Jocelyn again.

  Whatever what was coming their way was fast. Marcus and Savannah were only half way to the bike.

  “Two hundred meters,” said Jocelyn.

  They were almost there.

  “One hundred meters,” said Jocelyn. “Fifty meters, twenty-five meters…”

  As they made it to the bike, Marcus looked back in time to see a Spinosaurus come into the clearing. It spotted them immediately and came charging. Marcus rammed his gun into the boot on the bike and helped Savannah get on and wrap her arms around him. The Spinosaurus was almost on them. Marcus leaned forward and violently twisted the throttle to its max. The bike took off like a shot. Both of them could feel the monster breathing down their necks. The Spinosaurus took a swipe at them and just missed. It was so close that some of dinosaur’s saliva touched the back of Savannah. As the bike quickly went through its gears, they finally began to pull away.

  Chapter Eight

  As Marcus glanced back he could see other dinosaurs coming into the clearing. Allosaurs, tyrannosaurs, Utahraptors, and a few he didn’t recognize. Apparently they were all converging on the wounded allosaurus. Marcus guessed some were there for an easy meal and others for their pack-mate. Looks like there was probably going to be a big fight. Finally the Spinosaurus turned around and headed back to the screaming allosaurus.

  Marcus breathed a sigh of relief turning his attention to the road ahead. Before he could settle in to the ride ahead, Jocelyn interrupted again.

  “Marcus, we have trouble again,” said Jocelyn.

  “What is it now?” asked Marcus as his frustration was beginning to show.

  “Look up. Pteranodons have migrated into this area,” she said.

  As Marcus looked up he noted that surprisingly the skies had cleared. Apparently weather forecasting had not improved much over the years. As he was looking up and around he saw the giant winged monsters circling above him. There were three circling above and they were tracking him. It was going to be a long day.