Dinosaur Wars: Earthfall

  ***

  After breakfast, Kit, Chase and Dr. Ogilvey decided to create a window through the wooden patch on the back wall in order to keep a lookout from the kitchen. They went out and framed a small opening with two-by-fours and Kit steadied a painter’s ladder while Chase climbed up and tacked a sheet of clear plastic over the hole. As Kit and Ogilvey stepped back to admire the result, they heard Zippy barking.

  “What’s he up to now?” Kit asked, turning to watch the dog trot down the hillside behind the house. “And who’s that with him?”

  Ogilvey shrugged. “I don’t know. Looks like Zippy dragged someone out of a ditch.”

  The man was splotched with soot and muck and limping heavily but as he hobbled nearer, Kit’s mouth fell open. “Daddy,” she said quietly, not believing her eyes. Then she shouted, “Daddy!” and rushed to him despite her sore knee, like she was a little kid again and he had come home with candy. She threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly and kissing his whiskery cheek over and over. Then she backed away and looked him up and down. “You look and smell like something the cat dragged in. What happened to you?”

  He seemed dazed, but as he stared into her face a smile dimpled his scruffy cheeks. “It’s a long story, Little Girl.”

  “C’mon inside, Daddy. We’ll get you cleaned up.” She took his arm and pulled him toward the back porch, but he paused to look over the patch on the kitchen wall.

  “I leave you here a couple days,” he mumbled, “and you wreck the place. Who are these people?”

  “You don’t remember them?”

  He took a good look at Ogilvey. “Oh, yeah, the dinosaur digger. I’ll bet you’re having fun.”

  “After a fashion,” Ogilvey agreed.

  “Let me tell you.” Daniels pointed a thumb over his shoulder. “That was one crazy buncha overgrown lizards up there. That try-anna-saurus ate my new bull.”

  “Tyrannosaurus,” Kit corrected as she’d done a hundred times before.

  “And them other buggers, they caught me snooping around their spaceship and took me to meet the big reptile himself—Oogon.”

  Ogilvey’s eyebrows raised. “You were held prisoner by the Kra?”

  Daniels squinted hard at the professor. “How’d you know what they call themselves?”

  “It’s a long story,” Ogilvey replied. “But I’ve seen them sacrifice other humans. Why did they let you live?”

  “Well, they wanted to study me I guess. I seen ’em eat some people, though. It ain’t pretty. But they kept me around because I was their first uh, specimen, you know? They wanted to learn English from me, which is a good joke on them. And they wanted to know how the Army’s organized and how our cities work and our electricity and stuff like that—which I wouldn’t tell ’em.”

  “So, when the mountain blew up?” Ogilvey prompted.

  “Some of it blew up, you mean. Not the part I was in. There’s still plenty of mountain left up there. I ducked out after the excitement was over. Gave ’em the slip and wandered around till Zippy found me. It’s good to be home. I could use a change of underwear.”

  A noise came from the kitchen. Kit said, “Um, Daddy, there’s someone else I want you to meet.”

  Daniels turned to take a hard look at Chase at the top of the ladder. “Howdy, Mr. Wolf-Chaser. Seems like we’ve already met.”

  Chase nodded down at him but Kit went on, “That isn’t who I meant.”

  He gave her a quizzical look. At that moment Gar stepped onto the back porch. “Now Daddy,” Kit began as Will staggered backward, his eyes nearly popping out of his head.

  “Sweet Jesus!” he cried. “You’re living with the enemy.”

  “Calm down Daddy,” Kit soothed. “He’s friendly.”

  Her father regained his composure but squinted apprehensively at Gar as Kit made a formal introduction. “Daddy, meet Gar. Gar, meet Daddy.”

  “Dad-dee,” said Gar, bobbing his head in greeting.

  Daniels was at a loss for words. After a moment, Kit broke the silence.

  “Gar helped us blow up the mountain. He’s a good friend.”

  “Whew,” Daniels wheezed, relaxing a bit. “Well then, I guess I’m pleased to meet you, Mister Gar.”

  He looked sidelong at Ogilvey for help. “Do I shake his hand?”

  “No,” Ogilvey said. “Just a nod will do.”

  Daniels nodded and Gar nodded back and said, “Gekkan-Ukek.”

  Ogilvey translated, “That’s the traditional Kra greeting to a friend.”

  “Okay,” said Daniels, looking at Gar in bewilderment. “Gekkan… You too.”

  The sound of barking at the front of the house made everyone pause. Kit said, “I wonder what’s got Zippy all worked up?”