“Now we get to that communications room and let the outside world know what we’ve seen.”
“For once, I agree with him,” Alan said. “If there’s a computer, we can upload his footage as an e-mail attachment. Knowledge is power. The more information people on the outside have, the better equipped they’ll be to deal with this.”
Alan nodded toward the trapped Pteranodon.
“Tape some of that racket,” Alan said, looking at his map. “I’ve got an idea.”
CHAPTER 14
The chopper descended quickly over Orlando. The side door was open wide and one member of the city’s animal control unit sat in a harness, his legs dangling. A high-powered long-range tranquilizer gun was gripped tightly in his hands. His partner was perched behind him with a video camera. The man’s shoulder-holstered sidearm was filled with Teflon-coated armor-piercing bullets.
“I’m still thinking maybe we should have gone in on foot,” Kelly LeCroix said as the chopper sailed over Universal Studios and continued to descend. He was a handsome, well-muscled African American with brown eyes hidden behind his dark shades.
“These things have the advantage of the high ground,” Jack McCanley said, shouting to be heard over the heavy beating of the chopper’s wings. He had short, thinning red hair shaved to a crew cut and covered with a baseball cap. His face was thin, his look determined. “This way, we’ll be even higher.”
Kelly sighed. “So—you up for this?”
“No. You?”
He laughed. “No.” Playing scared was a ritual with them, a way of easing their all too natural and reasonable fears.
“We stick with the plan,” Jack said. “Aerial recon first. We need a good lay of the land. Try to assess any damage.”
“And casualties.”
Jack gripped his partner’s shoulder. “Yeah.”
The park was now coming well into view. Kelly hoisted the camera and aimed it at the many buildings and streets below. “How many would you say we’ve bagged?”
“Gators or bears?” Kelly asked.
“Both.”
Kelly leaned out a little and checked the scratches on the side of their chopper. They only counted the animals they captured alive. Termination was a last resort, a kind of failure. “A baker’s dozen.”
“Right, lucky thirteen.”
“Yeah, the last was that bear that knocked on that woman’s door in Oviedo, then just sat on the porch until we came.”
“I remember. Wish they could all be like that.”
Kelly nodded. They had joked about how that one had been too easy; they’d probably have to really work for the next one. As it turned out, they had no idea what they’d be in for.
The chopper swung over the great lagoon at the center of the park. Jack caught the entire scene with his zoom lens. “They’ve herded all the people into the lagoon. Could be close to a hundred visitors. Two of the Pteranodons are circling. Two more are perched on boats in the harbor, pecking anyone trying to climb out of the water.”
“How many killed?”
“No floaters. A couple of people lying on the boardwalk. They might just be knocked out.”
Kelly raised his weapon and put his eye to his sight. “Then we should get this done quickly.”
“Negative. Recon only. Who knows what might happen if we get those things stirred up?”
Kelly lowered his weapon. “Yeah.”
Looking over his shoulder, Jack told the pilot to take them out of here.
Kelly finally allowed himself to relax.
“I was reading up on the way here,” Jack said. “Pteranodons aren’t even dinosaurs. They just lived during the Dinosaur Age. They’re actually winged reptiles. They’re more like birds than anything.”
“So what are they doing here?” Kelly asked. “What do they want?”
The chopper flew high over the lagoon. Jack frowned. “My best guess? Nesting.”
Suddenly, one of the flyers whipped around and sailed right for them. Kelly aimed his tranq rifle and fired twice at the Pteranodon as it sailed perilously close to the chopper.
“For once, I agree with him,” Alan said. “If there’s a computer, we can upload his footage as an e-mail attachment. Knowledge is power. The more information people on the outside have, the better equipped they’ll be to deal with this.”
Alan nodded toward the trapped Pteranodon.
“Tape some of that racket,” Alan said, looking at his map. “I’ve got an idea.”
CHAPTER 14
The chopper descended quickly over Orlando. The side door was open wide and one member of the city’s animal control unit sat in a harness, his legs dangling. A high-powered long-range tranquilizer gun was gripped tightly in his hands. His partner was perched behind him with a video camera. The man’s shoulder-holstered sidearm was filled with Teflon-coated armor-piercing bullets.
“I’m still thinking maybe we should have gone in on foot,” Kelly LeCroix said as the chopper sailed over Universal Studios and continued to descend. He was a handsome, well-muscled African American with brown eyes hidden behind his dark shades.
“These things have the advantage of the high ground,” Jack McCanley said, shouting to be heard over the heavy beating of the chopper’s wings. He had short, thinning red hair shaved to a crew cut and covered with a baseball cap. His face was thin, his look determined. “This way, we’ll be even higher.”
Kelly sighed. “So—you up for this?”
“No. You?”
He laughed. “No.” Playing scared was a ritual with them, a way of easing their all too natural and reasonable fears.
“We stick with the plan,” Jack said. “Aerial recon first. We need a good lay of the land. Try to assess any damage.”
“And casualties.”
Jack gripped his partner’s shoulder. “Yeah.”
The park was now coming well into view. Kelly hoisted the camera and aimed it at the many buildings and streets below. “How many would you say we’ve bagged?”
“Gators or bears?” Kelly asked.
“Both.”
Kelly leaned out a little and checked the scratches on the side of their chopper. They only counted the animals they captured alive. Termination was a last resort, a kind of failure. “A baker’s dozen.”
“Right, lucky thirteen.”
“Yeah, the last was that bear that knocked on that woman’s door in Oviedo, then just sat on the porch until we came.”
“I remember. Wish they could all be like that.”
Kelly nodded. They had joked about how that one had been too easy; they’d probably have to really work for the next one. As it turned out, they had no idea what they’d be in for.
The chopper swung over the great lagoon at the center of the park. Jack caught the entire scene with his zoom lens. “They’ve herded all the people into the lagoon. Could be close to a hundred visitors. Two of the Pteranodons are circling. Two more are perched on boats in the harbor, pecking anyone trying to climb out of the water.”
“How many killed?”
“No floaters. A couple of people lying on the boardwalk. They might just be knocked out.”
Kelly raised his weapon and put his eye to his sight. “Then we should get this done quickly.”
“Negative. Recon only. Who knows what might happen if we get those things stirred up?”
Kelly lowered his weapon. “Yeah.”
Looking over his shoulder, Jack told the pilot to take them out of here.
Kelly finally allowed himself to relax.
“I was reading up on the way here,” Jack said. “Pteranodons aren’t even dinosaurs. They just lived during the Dinosaur Age. They’re actually winged reptiles. They’re more like birds than anything.”
“So what are they doing here?” Kelly asked. “What do they want?”
The chopper flew high over the lagoon. Jack frowned. “My best guess? Nesting.”
Suddenly, one of the flyers whipped around and sailed right for them. Kelly aimed his tranq rifle and fired twice at the Pteranodon as it sailed perilously close to the chopper.
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