He missed both times, though he felt the updraft from the flyer’s thirty-foot wingspan.
“Whoa!” Kelly yelled.
“Don’t worry, they look tough, but they’re hollow-boned, really light,” Jack said, talking much too quickly as he drew his sidearm. “About thirty or forty pounds, that’s all.”
“Uh-huh,” Kelly said, watching for the Pteranodon as he patted his spare cartridge belt. Still there. Good.
“What, you don’t believe me?” Jack said nervously, priming his gun.
“Sure, it’s just . . . I mean—I read this article in
Time,
and it said InGen played around with stuff. Who knows if—”
The flyer changed direction suddenly, slicing directly under the helicopter and disappearing from sight. Both men tensed.
“Anything?” Jack called to the pilot.
“I don’t see it,” the pilot yelled.
“The sound of our blades should be scaring the life out of that thing!” Jack said. “They’re like birds, and birds scare easy.”
Not like birds,
Kelly thought.
Not even close.
“We’ve got a loudspeaker, ultrasound, but none of it’s hooked up,” Jack said. His voice was shrill.
Suddenly, the Pteranodon rose up on the opposite side of the helicopter, allowing the vacuum of the machine’s blades to haul it upward. Kelly saw the creature in all its glory for only a second. The flyer’s dark eyes met his; then its fiery-looking wings flapped sharply and the chopper jerked as if it had been grabbed by a giant hand on one side.
The flyer had landed on the chopper’s opposite rudder. Each time it flapped its wings, the helicopter bounced in the air. The Pteranodon
had
to weigh five or six hundred pounds!
Kelly felt his lunch rise as the chopper tilted and trembled. Jack spun and aimed his gun at the opposite window. He caught only a glimpse of his friend’s ashen expression and shaking hands.
“No!” Kelly screamed.
Jack emptied the gun. Glass shattered as the flyer dropped away, capsizing the helicopter with a thrust of its powerful rear claws! Bullets ricocheted as the chopper spiraled down toward a grove of trees.
Kelly’s world whirled around and he felt as if he were caught up in the chaotic fury of a twister. He tried to draw a breath, he wanted to scream, and the trees shot up at them.
He never got the chance.
The adult male Pteranodon dropped away from the great metal enemy, easily avoiding the crash and the great fireball that rose up. He considered checking the wreckage for carrion, but there was no need. Twilight was fast approaching. With the night would come the first of many feasts his family would enjoy in this place.
He returned to the lagoon and found a scene of confusion. His mate, Flood, was frantic. His son Spike had returned, though he seemed shaken, agitated. Trip was also on hand. But Lightning, his quickest and eldest son, was still missing.
Fire announced that he would delay the feast. Give his eldest son time to return.
CHAPTER 15
They found the communications room quickly. Manly went to a computer in the corner and hooked up his digital camera. Amanda practically attacked the phone, but all she could summon up was another series of busy signals. Eric and Josh surveyed the equipment with Alan.
“We can tap into the park’s loudspeakers and announcement system from here,” Eric said as he pointed at a set of controls.
“So I could talk to my dad?” Josh said, his chest heaving with excitement.
“He’d hear
us,
” Alan said. “We wouldn’t hear him.”
PTERANODON
Josh nodded, his shoulders sagging. “Right. I didn’t think of that.”
Eric understood. When he was lost on Isla Sorna, the logical conclusion wasn’t always the first one he came to, either. And yet . . . Josh was glaring at him, as if he felt Eric was somehow to blame for things.
“Come on, it’ll be okay,” Eric said as he put his hand on Josh’s shoulder.
“You don’t know that,” Josh said sharply. “You don’t know anything.”
Eric drew back and let Josh
“Whoa!” Kelly yelled.
“Don’t worry, they look tough, but they’re hollow-boned, really light,” Jack said, talking much too quickly as he drew his sidearm. “About thirty or forty pounds, that’s all.”
“Uh-huh,” Kelly said, watching for the Pteranodon as he patted his spare cartridge belt. Still there. Good.
“What, you don’t believe me?” Jack said nervously, priming his gun.
“Sure, it’s just . . . I mean—I read this article in
Time,
and it said InGen played around with stuff. Who knows if—”
The flyer changed direction suddenly, slicing directly under the helicopter and disappearing from sight. Both men tensed.
“Anything?” Jack called to the pilot.
“I don’t see it,” the pilot yelled.
“The sound of our blades should be scaring the life out of that thing!” Jack said. “They’re like birds, and birds scare easy.”
Not like birds,
Kelly thought.
Not even close.
“We’ve got a loudspeaker, ultrasound, but none of it’s hooked up,” Jack said. His voice was shrill.
Suddenly, the Pteranodon rose up on the opposite side of the helicopter, allowing the vacuum of the machine’s blades to haul it upward. Kelly saw the creature in all its glory for only a second. The flyer’s dark eyes met his; then its fiery-looking wings flapped sharply and the chopper jerked as if it had been grabbed by a giant hand on one side.
The flyer had landed on the chopper’s opposite rudder. Each time it flapped its wings, the helicopter bounced in the air. The Pteranodon
had
to weigh five or six hundred pounds!
Kelly felt his lunch rise as the chopper tilted and trembled. Jack spun and aimed his gun at the opposite window. He caught only a glimpse of his friend’s ashen expression and shaking hands.
“No!” Kelly screamed.
Jack emptied the gun. Glass shattered as the flyer dropped away, capsizing the helicopter with a thrust of its powerful rear claws! Bullets ricocheted as the chopper spiraled down toward a grove of trees.
Kelly’s world whirled around and he felt as if he were caught up in the chaotic fury of a twister. He tried to draw a breath, he wanted to scream, and the trees shot up at them.
He never got the chance.
The adult male Pteranodon dropped away from the great metal enemy, easily avoiding the crash and the great fireball that rose up. He considered checking the wreckage for carrion, but there was no need. Twilight was fast approaching. With the night would come the first of many feasts his family would enjoy in this place.
He returned to the lagoon and found a scene of confusion. His mate, Flood, was frantic. His son Spike had returned, though he seemed shaken, agitated. Trip was also on hand. But Lightning, his quickest and eldest son, was still missing.
Fire announced that he would delay the feast. Give his eldest son time to return.
CHAPTER 15
They found the communications room quickly. Manly went to a computer in the corner and hooked up his digital camera. Amanda practically attacked the phone, but all she could summon up was another series of busy signals. Eric and Josh surveyed the equipment with Alan.
“We can tap into the park’s loudspeakers and announcement system from here,” Eric said as he pointed at a set of controls.
“So I could talk to my dad?” Josh said, his chest heaving with excitement.
“He’d hear
us,
” Alan said. “We wouldn’t hear him.”
PTERANODON
Josh nodded, his shoulders sagging. “Right. I didn’t think of that.”
Eric understood. When he was lost on Isla Sorna, the logical conclusion wasn’t always the first one he came to, either. And yet . . . Josh was glaring at him, as if he felt Eric was somehow to blame for things.
“Come on, it’ll be okay,” Eric said as he put his hand on Josh’s shoulder.
“You don’t know that,” Josh said sharply. “You don’t know anything.”
Eric drew back and let Josh
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