History Revived

"What the...? Hey, Bill, take look at this. The alarm just went on in the east section."

Bill Waters, in charge for the MainControl Central, walked up to his colleague Keith Nicholls who had called him. He checked the screen. Yeah, the alarm for one of the storage-rooms had been triggered.

"That's strange. Why would anyone want to break in there? There's nothing worth a nickel down there."

"Could it be a bug in the system?"

Bill sighed. "Wouldn't surprise me a bit. This system hasn't worked one day without bugs yet. And Alan said he would go over it again yesterday."

"So, what do we do 'bout the alarm?"

"Guess we better check it out." He turned on the intercom. "Security? Hi Mike, Bill on Main here. Look, we got an alarm in storage-room 7D, eastern sector. Probably just a bug, but check it just in case, okay? Yeah... tell me about it, freakin' computers..."

He turned the intercom of, and turned his chair back to the computer. "Talking about Alan, have you seen him today?" he asked as he started typing in commands.

Keith shook his head. "Nope, not after lunch I haven't. Saw him this morning though. He seemed stressed, just rushed by me, didn't even say hi."

"Strange guy. He's a heck of a pro when it comes to computers, but... Man, is he hard to get to know!"

"Yeah, well, some types are. Hey, give me that paper with the crosswords over there will ya? If you haven't finished them all yet?"

Bill sighed and handed over the crosswords to his colleague. Then, with a well practiced movement did he flip up a cigarrette from the package and lit it with one hand, leaning back and exhaling in a cloud of smoke.

* * * * *

"Hey you guys, it's really clouding over. We'd better put the long leg first."

Jonny, Hadji and Jessie was walking on the road back to the base, fresh and comfortably cosy after the swim.

Jessie looked at them. "We'll never get back in time. How about taking a short cut? I sure would want to see the Brachiosaurs again."

Jonny nodded. "I'm in. Hadj?"

"Well, I don't think we should go through the park, but... I guess, since you've made your minds up..."

"That's the spirit. Come on, let's go."

They turned off the road, and plunged right into the forest.

There was a strange kind of light under the trees. The sun occasionaly came through as a few golden rays, but it wasn't dark. And the air had a sweet scent, thick with the smells of plants and trees. Birds sang between the trees, and it was pleasant to walk amongst the ancient woods.

"Wow, this is great!" Jonny looked around him. "Imagine if we'd have this kind of place back at home."

"Yeah", Jessie said. "You can practically EAT the smell, it's so strong."

Suddenly, they saw a movement ahead, in some bushes, and they all stopped dead, holding their breath. Brachiosaurs would be noticed at miles and they didn't fear them, but unseen things moving in the woods made them all feeling a bit creepy.
Then a small head came out of the bushes. It was a little dinosaur, no more than three feet from nose to tail.
It made a shrieking sound and looked at them without blinking.

Jessie was totally charmed by it.

"Oh, look at her! She's so cute!"

She took a few steps towards it, and it squeaked again.

"I don't think you should go any closer, Jessie", Hadji said. "She looks frightened. And I do not blame her."

Jonny wasn't paying attention to the little being, he was studying something on the ground. "Um, Jess, I think Hadji's right. I think we'd better go."

 "What do you mean?"

Jonny pointed at the ground. There were footprints in the soft earth, about a yard long, and a few inches deep. Whatever had made those prints, it had to be big, and heavy. Jessie swallowed and nodded, and they went on, leaving the little dino behind them.

The ground was getting more swampy and muddy, slowing down their progress.

"We must be close to water", Hadji said. "A lake perhaps."

"Close?!" Jonny said, sinking down to his ankles. "We're in the middle of one for J's sake! I might as well put my swimshorts on."

"Come on, Jonny, it isn't that bad. But I think that we should get out of the forest, though."

Jessie stared forward. "I think it's clearing up over there. Come on."

They struggled another hundred yards, and now even Jonny and Hadji could see the end of the forest. Before them lay a lake, with blue-green water, reflecting the trees.

"Oh, Jeez, look! This is great!"

A herd of Brachiosaurs came slowly striding out of the forest a bit further down, and they entered the lake, trumpeting and calling solemnly with high, slightly sad voices.

Jessie sighed. "They're just SO majestic! Why did they have to die?"

There they stood for a long time. Silently, not moving, just watching the dinosaurs, afraid that a movement or sound would tear apart the beauty of the moment.

* * * * *

In the Weather Control Center, Chris Matkins pushed his chair away from the computers, addressing his boss.

"Sir, you wanted med to keep an eye on that storm? Well, it's definitely heading this way. I wouldn't want to be outside in half an hour, it'll be raining nails."

"Oh chucks! I hate rain. I was hoping for a nice moon tonight."

"Sorry Sir, not this night, anyway. Do you want me to notify Mr. Hammond?"

"No, Matkins, I'll do it myself right away. Go get me a soda or something will you? Jeez, this is gonna be a long night..."

* * * * *

 "What?!" Hammond said in the intercom. "A storm? But, three of my guest are out somewhere on the island... Yes... yes, I understand. Yes, thank you." He hung up.

He, Benton and Race had been sitting in the relaxation lounge, taking a glass of wine, talking about everything.

Now he turned to the others, a worried look on his face.

"My friends, I was just told that there is bad weather coming in, really bad, and really fast. And the kids aren't back yet."

"Don't worry John", Benton said. "They won't be in any need. They'll just get a little wet."

"Yeah, don't worry." Race filled in. "Jessie knows how to handle tough weather in the wilderness, and so does the others. They'll be fine."

"Ah well, you are right of course." Hammond said. "Still..."

He walked to the windows and looked outside. The skies had the color of dark purple, and in that very moment, raindrops began to fall, and smash onto the windows.

* * * * *

Mike hang up, and left Bill with the intercom in his hand.

Bill Waters was puzzled. The alarm on the computer had went off, but now Mike told him that it hadn't!
It didn't make any sense.

Suddenly, his eyes were caught by something, and he run over to it with a curse. On a screen with a map over the island, with the areas enclosured with the electric fences, the lines began to blink and disappear. Area after area went out, leaving the whole island dead.

Bill stared at it, slowly realizing what was happening. "Oh my God, the fences are out. WHERE IS ALAN!"

* * * * *

Alan Richter drove the non-electric jeep as fast as he dared on the narrow and bumpy road. The rain increased by every minute, and it was already hard to see far ahead.

"Come on, come on!" he grunted to himself. "Go Go Go!"

They would be waiting at the shore. They wouldn't leave without him. They couldn't afford to miss this chance to get the embryos. He had them, he made the calls. They would be there. God damn them if they weren' t there.
He had sacrificed his life to this, he could never go back. Damn old Hammond, why did he have to treat him like an errand boy? He was fed up working under those ungrateful bastards, now he would be rich, he could go wherever he wanted, do anything he wanted.

The ride became more and more insane, the bumps in the road making the car jump and twist.
Suddenly, the wheels slipped in the mud, and Alan lost control over the vehicle. He drove off the road, plunged right into the bushes and trees at the side. The car stopped abruptly when he almost crashed into a big tree.

He tried ferociously to start the car, and back up, but the wheels just spinned in the soft ground. With a curse he hasted out, trying to tie a wire to a tree, so he could wind the car back up on the road.
Something moved in the corner of his eye. He swung around and looked around him. Nothing. Shrugging his shoulders, he continued attaching the wire.

A sound made him turn around. In front of him, just some ten feet away, stood a dinosaur. It was about his own hight, and it watched him curiosly.

"Um... nice dino... nice little dino." The creature leaned its head, and continued to watch him, all the time making this strange sound, almost like a cat purring. Alan almost smiled.

"You look nice, but just go away, and let me fix this, okey?" He turned away from it and started back to the car.

Then he suddenly noticed that the purring had stopped.
He turned around to see the creature standing right behind him, a hungry and deadly glance in its eye.
Suddenly, a collar of skin spread out, from the creature's neck, making the thing look even more devilish.
With a fierce shriek it raced forward, burying its sharp teeth deep in Alans face.

He screamed once, twice, before his throat was slashed open, and he sank down into the mercy of death, not feeling his body being ripped apart to pieces.

* * * * *