Jurassic Hell

by Russ Watts

  JURASSIC HELL

  Russ Watts

  Copyrigh 2017 by Russ Watts

  To the beautiful Yasawa Islands and Napoleon for inspiring me.

  CHAPTER 1

  They walked through the dense heat grateful that it would only be for a short time. The chief of the local tribe had given them two days to explore the unnamed island for the rover. Given that it was already approaching forty degrees and not even midday, they were all hoping that it wouldn’t actually take two days to find it.

  “Ricardo, what do you make of this?” asked Tobias stopping to pick up a tiny fragment of metal. It was barely bigger than his hand and the metal was blackened and charred. It was twisted as if it had been melted and reformed.

  “Yeah, I’d say that’s a piece of the outer hull. No doubt. We’re on the right trail. Where was it?” Ricardo Mendez was the team leader. He was leading the merry expedition through the jungle in the hope of retrieving a very expensive piece of machinery. That was just the first step. The real gold was what that machinery contained.

  “Over here by these vines.” Tobias knelt and pointed to the thick vines covering the jungle floor. His back ached and sweat rolled down his forehead. “There. I can see another piece.” He reached into the green jungle floor and plucked out another piece of metal.

  “Let me see that.” Ricardo knelt down beside Tobias and examined the lump of charred metal. “We’re close.”

  “Thank the Lord for that,” said Tobias. “This place is filthy hot. I’m not sure I could stand it all day.” Tobias worked under Ricardo, as he had for a few years now, and was just as keen to find the remnants of the probe. The contents were priceless.

  “What do you think?” Ricardo examined the undergrowth and could see no further sign of the probe. He scanned around, but even if there was something there, it was well hidden. The jungle was hot and humid, and he constantly had to keep wiping the sweat that dripped over his eyes.

  Tobias pointed up at the canopy. “When it broke up, some of it must have crashed through here. Right above us, actually. See how those branches up there are broken?”

  “That doesn’t necessarily mean it was our probe,” countered Ricardo.

  “Maybe. But the island is deserted, right? So, if it wasn’t monkeys, then what broke those branches?”

  “A storm? Hurricane, perhaps?”

  “Not in this area. This far west of the Yasawas, they don’t experience tropical storms often. It’s the wrong time of year anyway. And don’t tell me the tree is old. It’s healthy, young. This is the spot all right.”

  Ricardo shielded his eyes as he looked up. Sunlight filtered through an opening in the tall trees, bursting apart the thick green leaves that dripped with sweat. For the last two hours, he had been trudging slowly through the tall grass and weaving between the trees looking for evidence of where the probe had landed. This was the first real clue they had found. It was a relief to know they were at least on the right trail. The small opening above them gave him a glimpse of blue sky and he suddenly found himself feeling claustrophobic. The trees and bushes swarmed around him, constantly pushing and tugging at his clothes, snaring him. He wanted to be back on the boat, letting Tobias take care of it. Yet he knew he had to keep going. The probe was more important than anything else. He had to go on.

  “Okay, let’s go and keep an eye out for any more clues as to the probe’s location.” Ricardo tugged the straps of his backpack, pushing away the thoughts that the island was closing in around him. It was just his imagination. Nobody lived on the island and the nearest people were miles away. There was nothing to be scared of. Yet he was unnerved. He was more at home in front of a computer. He wasn’t an explorer. He hated gardening, and he hated the heat. The cool confines of his office cubicle were where he felt at home. He could analyze data from the probe for hours on end and be perfectly happy. Out here, he was exposed, naked, unprepared; he hated it.

  “Let’s go up there. There’s a clearer path,” said Tobias. He saw a narrow opening through the jungle. Some of the tree trunks were naturally curving toward the east, perhaps looking for the sun, and there was a path between them. It would be nice to not have to hack their way through the undergrowth for a change. His arms ached and every finger ached from heaving his machete. They each had one and had been forced to use them on several occasions to get through the scrub that blocked their way.

  “Excellent. You go on, Tobias. I’ll be right behind you. I’ll just wait a moment for Jane. If you find anything, radio me and wait. Don’t be a hero.”

  “Got it.” Tobias smiled and held up his short-wave radio. “Find the probe. Don’t be a hero.”

  Ricardo watched him go. He was not just a colleague but a friend. They had worked closely over the last two years. What had started out as coffee and donuts over endless data about the mission had progressed into barbecues around each other’s homes on summer evenings. Their wives got on well too and Ricardo was happy with his life. He loved his job—apart from when he had to go out in the field to recover lost probes in unexplored jungles on remote islands. That part was not in his job description when he had signed up to working for Space54. It had been a big step leaving NASA, a leap of faith, but the opportunity was just too good to miss. If he had stayed in his position at NASA, then they might have had a crack at Mars in another fifteen to twenty years. Funding and public support dropped every year in equal measure. Going private made sense. Space54 was self-funded and had a definite plan: Mars within five years. They had the finances to back up their ambitious goals and the experts to help them achieve it. Ricardo was just one of many people working on the project. It had been, so far, a complete success. The probe had made it, despite the opinions from the so-called experts in the media and the scientific community who thought they couldn’t do it. Ricardo had proved them all wrong. They had made it and got the probe onto the surface of Mars successfully at the first attempt. In truth, there could be no second chances. Several hundred million dollars meant everything had been poured into that one rover. There was no real back-up plan. It was the first time anyone had successfully landed anything on Mars. They managed to get the probe to collect rock samples from where it had landed, and after one orbit, got it to take off again. It had almost been the perfect mission. Only when it was re-entering orbit around Earth had something gone wrong. A simple malfunction with the thrusters had meant it had gone off course, coming down over this forsaken island instead of a planned location in the Atlantic. The probe had begun to disintegrate as it crashed uncontrolled through the Earth’s atmosphere. They had been lucky it hadn’t crashed into a major city anywhere. The lawsuits would have bankrupted Space54, despite the vast millions backing the company. The problem that they had now was that all that valuable data they had collected was buried somewhere on this island. The local chief had been reluctant to give them access, and it was only a very large donation that had secured the three of them any time at all. They were six hours into what was going to be a grueling journey to find any trace of the probe. Failure was not an option. To have achieved so much only for it all to end like this would be more than frustrating. It was everything to Ricardo. His fledgling marriage could endure any ups and downs, he was sure of that, but his career was on the line now. This was his life.

  “Sorry, I’m okay now.”

  Ricardo watched Jane appear from behind a tree. She looked terrible. Her long blonde hair was tied in a bunch and dark spots of sweat peppered her shirt. Her face was pale, and she wiped her mouth as she approached him.

  “You feeling any better?” he asked genuinely. “I know this is difficult, but we found something. We’re getting closer, I think.”

  “Yeah, a little. I don’t think I have anything left inside of me to throw up,
” she said sheepishly. “I’m not good with boats, and this heat…fuck.”

  “I know.” Ricardo could see the journey had taken its toll on her. She knew it was a short trip, and he was impressed she had even volunteered to come along. She was young and pretty, and had no end of admirers back at the company headquarters in Richmond where they worked. She could have taken the easy option and let someone else come along, but she was dogmatic, stubborn, and highly intelligent. The truth was, he was glad to have her with them.

  “You okay to carry on? If not, you can head back to the beach and wait for Freddy.” Ricardo glanced at his watch. “He’ll bring the boat back around in about ten hours. There’s no shame in admitting that this is—”

  “No, I’m fine.” Jane stood upright and looked at Ricardo. She attempted a smile and brushed a fly from her face. “I am fine. Show me what you found and let’s get this done. I’m not getting back on that boat without getting what we came for.”

  He could see that she meant it too. He could insist she go back, that she wasn’t physically up for the challenge that lay ahead, but it would be pointless. He knew she would just double-back and follow them. There was no way that any of them would leave the island without a piece of Mars in their hands. He would be best to keep her close so he could watch her. She could protest as much as she wanted to, but the truth was she wasn’t well. The journey and the dire heat of the jungle was affecting her. He couldn’t afford to let it cloud her judgement. If he sent her back to the beach, she might easily get lost. The only way back home was if all three of them stuck together and found the probe together.

  “Okay, that way. Tobias went on ahead.” Ricardo showed Jane the piece of metal they’d found. “We think it came down close by. Tobias thinks—”

  The ground shuddered and the leaves on the trees around them shook. It felt like a tremor and Ricardo looked nervously at Jane. “You felt that, right?”

  “Yeah. Weird.” Jane looked at a tree close by that was still shaking. The ground had settled down and the flies continued to buzz around her head. “Quake?”

  “Possibly, but we’re not on any fault line. At least nothing we know of.”

  “Come on, let’s catch up with Tobias. I don’t want him finding the probe and claiming all the glory.”

  Ricardo dismissed the trembling trees. It must have been a shallow quake. It was nothing. He was pleased to see Jane smiling. With an empty stomach, he didn’t know how much energy she had in her and he had to make use of her while he could. “Too right. The three of us are in this together. We’ll all take the glory.”

  Ricardo followed Jane through the clearing and watched her follow Tobias’ trail. They walked for several minutes before reaching a dead end. The trees closed in on them and the thick grass was at least five feet high. There was no sign of Tobias.

  “Where is he?” asked Jane. She looked puzzled. “I thought you said he came this way?”

  “He did.” Ricardo examined the floor, looking for footprints or a clue as to where Tobias had gone.

  “What if he wandered off and got hurt, Ricardo? You said we should stay together. You said—”

  “I know what I said, Jane,” snapped Ricardo. Some of the grass had been flattened and he was sure it had to be from Tobias.

  “Tobias?” Jane called out. She looked around but saw nothing. “Tobias, where are you?”

  Ricardo felt sick. If something had happened, he was going to have to face Tobias’ wife. He was going to have to explain how he had let Tobias go off on his own. This was his responsibility. Yet despite how bad he felt, one thought kept bouncing around his head: now there were only two of them left to find the probe.

  “Check me out!”

  Jane and Ricardo looked up and saw Tobias sitting in the tree above them. His legs dangled either side of a thick branch and he was grinning and waving at them.

  “I feel like a kid again!” he yelled out. “And I can see for freaking miles.”

  “Tobias, what the hell are you doing up there?” Jane anxiously approached the base of the tree. She could see now where he had climbed it. The lower branches were short and stubby, and the large green leaves didn’t really get in the way until halfway up. “Get down here.”

  “You feeling better, Jane?”

  She nodded. “Yes, but I’ll feel much better when you get down and tell me what’s going on. Ricardo told me you found something.”

  “Yeah, come on Tobias, quit messing about. It’s going to take all three of us to hack our way through this jungle.” Ricardo looked at the tall grass blocking their way. It was never-ending. He looked up and saw Tobias had his machete tucked into his belt. “Get down here and we’ll find the trail again. The probe is close, right?”

  Tobias nodded. He pulled apart two huge leaves that were as large as him. “Yeah, it’s close. I can see it,” he said calmly.

  “What? You can see it?” asked Jane excitedly.

  “Really, Tobias?” Ricardo felt a chill run down his back. The sticky heat, the towering trees, the fear, and nausea all vanished. They had found it. They were going home.

  “So, where the fuck is it?” Jane shouted up to Tobias. “Show us.”

  “Through there.” Tobias pointed to the north from where he was perched high in the tree. “There’s a ridge just through these trees where the land falls away. There’s a huge peak to the side there. Thank God we don’t have to climb that. The trees thin out on the other side of it, and I can see the probe lying on the ground, right out in the open. Well, what’s left of it anyway. It’s pretty smashed up. At the base, I can see a small beach. There’s a spit, it’s quite small, and it leads over to a smaller island. It’s just a rocky outcrop really. If we can get—”

  The ground shook again and Ricardo felt Jane grab him. A few leaves fluttered down around them and Ricardo looked up at Tobias. “Okay, maybe you should come down now. You’ve got it figured out, right? How we can best reach the probe? I don’t think it’s safe for you to stay up there.”

  The trembling faded once more and Tobias looked down. “Yeah, I’ve got it. I can find it. Jesus, what was that? I felt one a few minutes ago too. You don’t think that was a quake, do you?” Tobias carefully pulled himself up into a standing position. He gripped the thick trunk and began to move around it, reaching his left foot down for a shorter branch.

  “I don’t know, Tobias, just get down here.” Ricardo felt Jane let go of him and he took out his machete. He approached the nearby grass and took a swing at it. A huge clump fell away under his sharp blade. “We’re going to have to do a little more work to get to the probe.”

  “Be right there,” said Jane. “I just want to make sure Tobias is okay. It’s always easier going up than down.”

  “And you know that how?” asked Ricardo as he cleaved apart the grass.

  “I have four older brothers, you know.” Jane smiled, remembering the farm she grew up on. “You really think I don’t know how to climb a tree?”

  “Fair call.” Ricardo paused to wipe the sweat from his face. “Just make sure that you—”

  The ground shook again, this time accompanied by a sound that Ricardo couldn’t identify. It sounded like the roar of a lion, only with more base, as if the lion was fifty feet tall. He stopped hacking at the grass and turned to Jane. The ground was still shaking and continued as he looked at her.

  “Ricardo?” Jane took her machete out. It wasn’t for the grass. “Ricardo, what is that?”

  He looked around the jungle, but all he could see was green vegetation. He saw flies and dirt. He saw slivers of sunlight filtering through the branches above and he saw panic on Jane’s face. But he didn’t see what was causing the ground to shake or the source of the roar.

  “Tobias, hurry the fuck up.” Jane looked up at Tobias. He was still thirty feet above them, slowly crawling down the tree. Somehow, he seemed to have found the tallest tree on the island. His arms were wrapped around the tree trunk and she saw him glance over his shoulder. Hi
s excitement at finding the probe had gone. Now he looked scared, terrified almost. “Tobias?”

  “Jane, go back,” he shouted. He looked to the east through a gap in the leaves of the tree. “Go, now. Forget the probe.”

  “What the hell is he talking about?” Ricardo ignored the trembling ground and the dead leaves that shifted beneath his feet. He approached Jane at the base of the tree. He saw a line of ants crawling up the bark, a procession of soldiers heading for home. “Tobias? What do you see?”

  “Oh my God.”

  They didn’t hear Tobias whisper. They didn’t see what he did. They had no idea what was coming.

  “Tobias!” Jane screamed as he let go of the tree. He seemed to push himself away, as if he hadn’t slipped but actually wanted to get off the tree. She saw him fall, but there was no scream as he fell. He plummeted to the ground silently, and just as she thought his body was going to crash into the earth next to her, she heard a rustling of leaves. Jane covered her eyes and felt Ricardo grab her.

  The ground shook fiercely, sending crashing waves of fear through her. Something wet and warm splashed over the back of her head, and she felt Ricardo’s hands push her to the ground. She put her hands out to stop herself falling and landed painfully on the ground. A thick blade of glass sliced open her left palm and she felt Ricardo land beside her. She wiped her eyes and looked at him next to her on the ground. He was staring up at the sky, his face full of shock and awe.

  “We should never have come here,” he said. Ricardo fumbled for Jane. His fingers found her waist and he clutched at her khaki shirt. “Oh, Jesus. We shouldn’t be here.”

  Jane heard crunching noises from behind her and she turned over to see what Ricardo was looking at. Tobias was back in the tree, only his face was flat and lifeless, and his arms no longer waving but hanging limply by his side. Blood dripped copiously from his body that had been severed at the waist. His intestines dribbled from his exposed guts, and Jane knew what had splattered the back of her head. She didn’t need to look to know. Looking at him, she felt oddly calm. He was dead, plain and simple. There was no coming back from it. What troubled her more was what had killed him. A giant monster, as tall as the trees, had him held tightly in two front claws. Its head and arms poked through the foliage, but the bulk of what was undoubtedly a massive body was hidden by the thick copse of trees. The thing was unrecognizable. It was no creature that she had ever seen or dreamt of. In between the lush green leaves she spied its eyes, two bright blue orbs that seemed to stare at her and Ricardo. Slowly, she saw the thing lift Tobias’ body up through the branches of the tree and into its mouth. It snapped off an arm and began to chew on the bone and meat.