 
             --===Where the Maiasaurs Roam: Chapter 1===--
 
Where the Maiasaurs Roam:
 
Taking a Big Step Back
 
 
 
    "Finally refuted in 2068, what was the equation, proposed
by Einstein, that linked energy and mass in such a way as to limit the
speed of all objects in the universe?"
 
    A light came on accompanied by a musical *ding!* and the
questioner looked to his left.
 
    "Jane, for Harrison Central Academy."
 
    "E=mc²," Jane replied confidently.
 
    "Correct," the questioner confirmed, and the audience
applauded loudly.  The questioner waited for them to settle before he
theatrically looked up at the board - he had a similar display in front
of him, but that wasn't dramatic - and raised his arm.
 
    "As you can see," he said, "the score is now tied, with
both Harrison Central Academy and Matheson Magnet School both with 128
points.  That means we go to a tie-breaking question.  This will decide
this year's Science Bowl Champions, and that team will gain forty
points in the overall Science Olympiad competition!"
 
    The audience *oohed* appreciatively, and then settled.  The
questioner raised the final card of the game, then dramatically looked
at each team in turn.
 
    "What was the name," the man said, "of the man who put
forth the pseudo-theory that the dinosaurs were killed by an asteroid?"
 
    The Matheson Magnet team all got confused looks on their
faces; they'd never heard such a thing.  On the Harrison Central team,
all members looked to Tim, who calmly rang in.
 
    "Tim, for Harrison Central Academy.  What was the name of
the man that put forth the pseudo-theory that the dinosaurs were killed
by an asteroid?"
 
    "Luis Alvarez."
 
    The audience was barely breathing, waiting for the final
decision.
 
    "*Correct*!  Harrison Academy wins the Science Bowl!"
 
    The audience erupted in applause and cheering, and Tim's
teammates congratulated him.  He smiled and accepted their praise
quietly.
 
 
 
-----
 
 
 
    "The winners of this year's Science Olympiad, by a margin
of thirty points, is... Harrison Central Academy!  C'mon up here, you
guys!"
 
    The eight team members made their way onto the stage, as
they were announced by the emcee.
 
    "Tim Cutter, Team Captain and Science Bowl Specialist!...
 
    "Jane Turner, Science Bowl Specialist!...
 
    "Aylett Nelson, Biologist!...
 
    "Steven Yeager, Engineering!...
 
    "Collin Clinton, Physicist!...
 
    "Laura Davis, Engineering!...
 
    "Kevin Miller, Engineering and Physics!...
 
    "Sloan Watson, Biochemistry!...
 
    "And Mr. Allen Miller, Team Sponsor!  Let's give 'em all a
big hand!"
 
    The audience applause lasted for a solid minute while the
team stood on stage, embarrassed by the attention.  They were proud of
themselves; they'd just won the national championship, and it was a big
deal, but none of them were used to the spotlight.  Finally, the
audience began to settle.
 
    "Now, we've been very secretive about this year's grand
prize, with good reason.  We didn't want to drive everyone crazy
imagining it.  Harrison Central Academy, as the champions this year,
you have just a won a free *time trip!*"
 
    The audience erupted.  Time tripping was not uncommon, but
it was *horrendously* expensive.  To be given this opportunity...
 
    The emcee waited for the audience to settle before he
continued with the presentation of their trophies, and their
scholarship award checks.  They were all stunned as they walked off the
stage.
 
 
 
...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---...
 
 
 
    "You've all made your selections from the list?" Mr. Miller
asked.
 
    They each handed in their card.  Collin asked, "How come we
have to pick from a list?  I thought we could go back to whenever we
wanted!"
 
    The scientist standing next to Mr. Miller answered. 
"Technically, you can.  But lots of places you might go, it is too
dangerous to send you to.  Either because of disease, or war, or
because your appearance there would cause major disruption.  Besides,
we were kind of hoping to get agreement among you, and if we just let
you pick anywhere, we'd get eight different answers."
 
    There was general agreement on that point.  Mr. Miller
tallied up the results.  "Okay, we have two people that want to visit
the Middle Ages, two that want to visit the Death of Christ... one who
didn't respond at all... and three for going to see the dinosaurs."
 
    "Dinosaurs?" Collin grumped.  Everyone looked at him
irately, even the people who had not made that choice.
 
    Mr. Miller ignored him; he was used to Collin's rather
annoying attitude.  He turned to Aylett.
 
    "Aly?  You didn't pick one."
 
    Aly shrugged.  "I don't really care."
 
    "We need you to pick one.  Preferably," he said with a
smile," one of the three that the others chose."
 
    Aly looked over the list again.  She shrugged.  "Tim's the
one who won us the championship.  I'll go with whatever it was he
wanted."
 
    "Okay.  That makes it four for the dinosaurs."
 
    There was some minor grumbling, but Kevin, who had chosen
the Middle Ages, spoke up.  "I'm okay with going to see the dinosaurs. 
It's not where I wanted to go, but just so that we get a majority for
*somewhere*...  So you can change my card, Dad."
 
    Mr. Miller smiled at his son.  "Thanks, Kevin.  Okay, so we
have five for the dinosaurs."
 
    The other three frowned, but no one objected vocally.  The
scientist nodded and said, "Okay, construction on your
shelter-transport will begin in about a half hour, and you'll be ready
to go on Saturday."
 
 
 
...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---...
 
 
 
    "What the hell is this thing?" Jane asked, her distaste
clear on her face.
 
    "Don't let the outside of it fool you.  It's meant to be
camouflaged when you're observing the dinos.  The inside is quite
modern."  The engineer walked over and inserted his hand into a small
hole.  He turned something inside, and the door opened.  Seeing the
looks on their faces, he said, "Backup system.  It's not powered up
yet."
 
    The group went inside and looked around.  The room they had
entered seemed like a lounge/kitchen combination.  The small,
galley-style kitchen was off to the left, and there was a hallway to
their right.  They each walked down the hallway, to see first a
bathroom, then several small sleeping rooms... ten in all.  They
weren't large, but they weren't really intended to be *living* space,
and this facility was only going to be used for a week.
 
    The group gathered back in the main room, and then Tim
noticed a ladder.
 
    "What's up there?"
 
    "Observation deck.  You don't have to go outside to see the
dinosaurs.  In fact, we'd prefer you didn't, since that could be
dangerous.  But of course, once you're there, we can't stop you."
 
    Tim climbed up to the observation deck.  He knew someone
had come behind him, but he couldn't see who it was until he was
standing on the platform.
 
    "Hey, Sloan.  What do you think?"
 
    Sloan looked around, and nodded.  "Windows are kind of
small, though."
 
    The engineer had climbed up with them, and he heard her
comment.
 
    "The windows are only there so you can see when you come
into the room.  Actually, you can open up most of this room.  It has a
clear bubble surrounding it."
 
    "Why bother with the solid-looking walls at all, then?" Tim
asked.
 
    The engineer shrugged.  "We planned for things that we
couldn't think of.  The walls are capable of withstanding more pounding
than the bubble is, so in some kind of dangerous situation, you'd want
to put the walls in place."
 
    Tim nodded.  "Let's hope we don't have to do that."
 
    "Amen," Sloan agreed.  They saw Mr. Miller standing on the
ladder, looking around.
 
    "This gonna work for you, Tim?" Mr. Miller asked.
 
    "I guess it sort of has to, doesn't it, Mr. Miller?" Tim
replied with a smile.
 
    Mr. Miller chuckled.  "Yeah, I guess so.  Okay, you guys. 
C'mon down so we can get ready to go."
 
    With the team all assembled in the lounge, they were all
directed to seats.  Collin found himself sitting next to a female
teacher he was unfamiliar with.  "Who're you?"
 
    "Miss Sheffield agreed to join us on this expedition, just
so we had two adults along," Mr. Miller explained.
 
    A couple of the kids knew her, because they'd been in her
class.  She leaned over to Sloan, who was sitting on the other side of
her, and said, "This was *your* idea, wasn't it?"  Her voice was light,
but still accusatory.
 
    "Not *just* mine!  There were five people who finally chose
to go here."
 
    "I see," she replied.
 
    The lead engineer stuck his head in and said, "Everybody
ready?  Okay, I need you to fasten your seat belts.  Normally, time
trips are pretty quick.  But then, normally we're not sending you
seventy million years into the past, either!"  He smiled, and then
continued.  "Your trip will take about two hours.  We're sending you to
an area that had a high concentration of dinos at the time."
 
    "Which continent?" Tim asked.
 
    "North America, near the shore of the inland sea."
 
    Tim nodded and sat back.
 
    Laura looked at the man and spoke for the first time. 
"What the hell is an inland sea?"
 
    Tim snickered as the man replied, "Back then, the water was
a lot higher than it is now, and the land was different.  Where you
have Rocky Mountains now, there was a giant sea.  Lots of North America
was under water."
 
    "Cool," Kevin said.  "Swimming!"  The rest of the group
laughed.
 
    "Now, we're going to pull you back at exactly noon,
according to the timer here in the pod, seven days from now.  It will
count down for you, so make sure you're in here when it leaves, or
you'll be stuck there.  We wouldn't even be able to reliably retrieve
you."
 
    "Why not?" Aly asked.
 
    "Because we're sending you so far back, we can't be as
precise with our destination date.  It has to do with frequencies and
wavelengths.  Even if we tried to send someone back to the exact time
we send you, to get you, we could be off by a decade or more.  So make
damn sure you're in the pod when it leaves!"
 
    "How can you track the pod, then?"
 
    "There is a device onboard that we can lock onto, to pull
it back."
 
    "Oh."
 
    "Any further questions?"  There were none.  "Okay.  Just
sit back and relax.  The trip shouldn't be all that bumpy, the seat
belts are a precaution.  Have a good time!"
 
    The engineer stepped back and sealed the hatchway.  The
first thing that happened was the system was powered up.  The lights
came on, and a system check ran across the central video screen.  Then
they heard a voice.
 
    "System checks completed.  System shutting down for
transit."
 
    After that, the lights went off.
 
    "What happened?" Jane asked.
 
    Collin answered, "They can't leave power on during the
transfer.  Duh."
 
    "Shut up, Sissy," Kevin snapped, using a very unflattering
nickname.  Collin stared daggers at him, but kept his peace.
 
 
 
-----
 
 
 
    As they rode through the time-stream, there were occasional
bumps.  Sloan got a little green, and Tim noticed.
 
    "You feeling okay?" he asked concernedly.
 
    Sloan nodded.  "I get motion sickness."
 
    "Close your eyes and take deep breaths," Kevin offered. 
"It helps your body adjust."
 
    Sloan nodded and did so.  She felt a little better as the
trip wore on.
 
    "Mr. Miller, you're not actually going to confine us to
this stupid little hut, are you?" Jane demanded.  "We need a little
privacy, and some time to lay in the sun."
 
    "We'll see," Mr. Miller replied.  "Besides, you can lay in
the sun upstairs.  But I know what you mean about it becoming crowded
in here.  As I said, we'll see.  It depends on how dangerous the place
is where we end up."
 
    "Tim?  How dangerous is it going to be?" Steven asked.
 
    Tim shrugged.  "The fossil record doesn't tell you squat
about how dangerous an animal is, really.  We can tell which were
hunters and which were plant-eaters, but really, no one knows about
their behavior."
 
    "I remember an old movie series... Jurassic Park..." Laura
said.
 
    "Don't get me started!" Tim snarled.  Everyone laughed.
 
    "What?  You think you know better than they did?" Laura
asked haughtily.
 
    "Even *they* knew better than the crap they put in that
movie!  Those weren't dinosaurs, they were monsters.  Besides, even
Spielberg knew that velociraptor wasn't three meters tall!"
 
    "Okay, geez, don't get your nose out of joint."
 
    "He thinks he knows everything about dinosaurs, Laura,"
Collin said snidely.
 
    "Unlike you, who just thinks he knows everything?" she shot
back.  Collin looked hurt, but didn't respond.
 
    The ride wore on.
 
 
 
...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---...
 
Saturday
 
 
 
    Suddenly, the group felt the pod lurch.  They felt
something beneath it flatten, and the pod settled.
 
    "Are we there?" Sloan asked nervously, finally opening her
eyes.
 
    "I think so," Mr. Miller said.  "Let's go up and look out
the observation windows, to see."
 
    The group all clambered up the ladder to the observation
deck.  Kevin and Steven - he hated being called Steve - slid the wall
sections down, so that the clear bubble was exposed.
 
    In front of them all was a grassy plain.  There was a large
herd of animals, themselves quite large.  They were standing next to
either a large lake, or a portion of the inland sea.
 
    "What are those?" Miss Sheffield asked, pointing to the
animals in the distance.
 
    "I can't see them real well from here," Tim replied.  He
grabbed his binoculars out of the bag he had with him, and brought them
to his eyes, carefully focusing...
 
    "Holy shit," he said quietly, forgetting there were adults
present.
 
    "What is it?" Kevin asked.
 
    "Styracosaurs."
 
    "Huh?" three people asked at once.
 
    "Oh, sorry.  They're ceratopsians... like triceratops, but
smaller."
 
    "Dangerous?" Steven asked.
 
    "Of course they're not dangerous, you twit," Collin spat.
 
    "Actually, there's no telling, without watching them. 
They're herbivores, so they won't hunt us, but we don't know how
they'll react to this new lump of dirt in the middle of their home...
and if we do go out there, we don't know how they'll react to people."
 
    Collin muttered something under his breath and walked to
the corner of the room, away from the others.
 
    Miss Sheffield looked at them through Tim's binoculars. 
"They don't look very deadly.  How big are they, really?"
 
    Jane replied, "Styracosaur could be up to six meters... and
as much as three tons."
 
    Mr. Miller looked at Jane in surprise.
 
    Tim chuckled and said, "Leave it to the walking
encyclopedia..."
 
    Jane stuck her tongue out at him, and most of the group
laughed.  When they settled, Jane said, "I read a little booklet about
the kinds of dinosaurs we might see along the way... but it wasn't very
in-depth, so don't count on me to know a whole lot."
 
    "I don't see any velociraptors at all," Laura said
snottily.  "Guess it doesn't matter how big they were."
 
    "Depends on exactly where and when we are, but there may
not *be* specifically velociraptors around here," Tim said.
 
    Suddenly, they all felt the earth shake beneath them.
 
    "What the hell was that?" Mr. Miller asked, just as it
happened again.
 
    "Something big," Tim replied.
 
    Just then, Collin cried out and jumped back.  He was
looking in a direction different from everyone else.  The whole group
turned, to see a giant eye looking in through the bubble... or it would
have been, except for the illusion that should have been presented,
only...
 
    "Hey, we never turned the power on!  He can see us!" Tim
cried out.
 
    "What the hell *is* that?" Sloan screamed, backing away.
 
    Just then, several more of them appeared.  Tim studied them
carefully.  Thinking to twist her tail, Tim said, "Well, Jane?"
 
    "Hey, just because I know the information, doesn't make me
a dinosaur expert!"
 
    "It's a maiasaur, I think... definitely a hadrosaur of some
kind."
 
    "Hadrosaur?" Laura asked.
 
    "The duck-billed dinosaurs.  See the way the mouth is flat?"
 
    "Dangerous?" Steven inquired.
 
    "All hadrosaurs were herbivores," Jane replied.
 
    "Mr. Miller," Tim said, getting back on track, "we need to
get the power on, so that we can hide from them.  Sure, the pod looks
like a rock, but not this bubble.   They can see in as easily as we can
see out, unless we turn the hologram on."
 
    "Okay, Tim, don't panic.  I'll go downstairs and get things
running."
 
    "I thought only hunters walked on two legs," Kevin said.
 
    Tim shook his head, still concerned that the animal could
see them.  "No, lots of herbivores were two-legged.  Besides, the
hadrosaurs can walk on four legs when they want to."
 
    "Oh."
 
    "Steven?" Mr. Miller called from downstairs.  "Could you
come down here a minute?"
 
    Steven turned and made his way down the ladder.  "What's
up, Mr. Miller?"
 
    "I can't get this thing to work.  You're our electronics
expert, see if you can get the system up and running.  We need it, or
we're going to have problems."
 
    "Sure thing, sir."
 
    Steven set about fiddling with the computer system, while
Mr. Miller looked on.
 
 
 
-----
 
 
 
    It was a half-hour later when the others began to worry
about why the power wasn't on.  Miss Sheffield stuck her head down
through the ladder hatch and asked, "Mr. Miller?  What's going on?"
 
    "I think you'd better come down here, Lynn," he said
quietly.  She quickly made her way down the ladder, and stepped across
the room with Mr. Miller.
 
    "What's wrong, Allen?  You look like you've seen a ghost."
 
    "We can't get the power on."
 
    "What do you mean?"
 
    "I mean nothing works.  It's all... dead.  We've looked for
shorts or blown circuits, and we can't find any.  It's just... gone. 
The system doesn't work."
 
    "But they tested it right before we left!" she hissed.
 
    "I know!  The long trip must have something to do with it."
 
    "What do we do?"
 
    "Not much we *can* do.  We'll have to rough it until it's
time to go home.  It's going to get very warm in here.  You can already
feel the temperature climbing, and we have no air conditioning."
 
    "What about at night?"
 
    "It's not going to get cold here... not to our way of
thinking, anyway.  We need to let the kids know... but we've both got
to remain calm, or they'll get panicky."
 
    Miss Sheffield nodded, and then Mr. Miller walked over to
the ladder.  "Kids?  Could you come down here, please?"
 
    The group scrambled down the ladder, and stood around Mr.
Miller.
 
    "Okay, kids... it looks like we have a little problem."
 
    "Does it have something to do with the electronics not
working?" Sloan asked.
 
    Mr. Miller stumbled as he asked, "What makes you say that?"
 
    "Because my watch is dead.  And so is the electronic
spotting scope I brought.  Nothing that requires power works here, does
it?"
 
    "It doesn't look like it.  We can't get the systems
online.  Steven's been trying, and we'll keep at it, but for right now,
it doesn't look like we're going to have electric power."
 
    There was a lot of murmuring and discussion, but Mr. Miller
raised his voice to be heard.  "Now, this is *not* a big problem!  We
have enough food *and* water for twice the length of our planned stay. 
It's going to get warm in here... well, okay, it's going to get *hot*
in here during the day.  We have no air conditioning.  We'll open
windows during the hottest portions of the day.  And there's just no
way I can keep you guys inside now.  We'll have to go outside just to
get some relief."
 
    "Is that safe?" Aly asked.
 
    "Tim... I realize you don't *know*... but what would you
suggest?"
 
    "Groups no smaller than three," he said.
 
    "Why?" Collin snapped.
 
    "Because one person out there alone is in deep shit... and
if one gets hurt, it'll take two to carry them back here," Kevin said,
backing Tim's assessment up.  "That's how you always do it in
possibly-dangerous situations."
 
    "Oh, yeah, like you've been in any!" Collin shot back.
 
    "All right, that's enough," Mr. Miller said.  "We'll stick
to the best knowledge we have, which is a group of no less than three. 
Remember, kids, you are some of the smartest teens in the country.  We
can certainly survive this without any problems.  Just put your
knowledge to use."
 
    There was general agreement.
 
    "What do we need to do now, Mr. Miller?" Steven asked.
 
    "Nothing, really... I mean, we have all we absolutely need
for the week: food, water, and shelter.  Might as well go for a walk."
 
 
 
...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---...
 
 
 
    "Sir, we've lost contact!"
 
    The lead engineer rushed over and looked over the man's
shoulder.  "What do you mean, lost contact?"
 
    "One minute, the beacon was there... then it sort of faded
out... it came back for a blip or two, and then it was completely gone!"
 
    "What was the last lock-on you had?"
 
    "Thirty-eight million years."
 
    "Shit, that's nowhere near their destination.  Was the pod
compromised?"
 
    "I have no way to know that, sir.  All I know for sure is
that I can't read the homing signal."
 
    "Try to get it back!" the lead engineer said, and walked
away.  The man turned to look at the guy sitting next to him.
 
    "And how the fuck am I supposed to do that?"  The guy
simply shrugged.
 
 
 
...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---...
 
 
 
    "Oh, look!" Jane called.  "A pterodactyl!"  Everyone looked
up and saw the creature, which was soon joined by others.  It was
cruising along the coastline of the inland sea, obviously looking for
dinner.
 
    "What kind is it, Tim?" Jane asked him.  He looked at it
through his binoculars, then shook his head.
 
    "I *think* it's a pteranodon, but I can't be sure.  The
biggest difference between the different types of dactyls is their
size, and it's really hard to tell how big that thing is."
 
    "Are they dangerous?" Laura asked.  The thing reminded her
of a bat, and she hated bats.
 
    "How should I know?" Tim asked, exasperated.  Every time
they came across a new animal, someone asked him that, and he was
becoming annoyed.  "They eat fish, so they're not *likely* to bother
us, but... but if it *is* a pteranodon, then it has a seven meter
wingspan.  It could hurt you by accident, if it got close enough."
 
    "Great," Laura groused.  "Can we go back to the pod now?  I
don't want giant bats in my hair."
 
    "It's not a bat."
 
    "Whatever."
 
    "Tim," Sloan said.  "How come there aren't any big
dinosaurs around here?"
 
    "You don't think the Maiasaurs were big enough?"  They had
watched the herd of several hundred animals move past them, after the
first of them had sniffed out the pod.
 
    "You know what I mean."
 
    "Most of the really huge ones are extinct already."
 
    "Huh?" Kevin asked.  "I thought they all went at once."  He
blushed at how dumb that sounded.
 
    Tim chuckled.  "No, not quite.  Anyway, you're not going to
see like.. oh, an apatosaur or a brachiosaur here. They're all gone. 
At least in North America, they are."
 
    "How close you think we can get to those things?" Aly
asked, pointing at the styracosaurs.
 
    "I don't know," Tim said, "but I'd like to find out."
 
    "No fucking way," Laura said.
 
    "Not a chance," Collin agreed.
 
    "C'mon, guys... the whole point of coming here was to see
the dinosaurs, and see what they're really like."
 
    Mr. Miller spoke up.  "Okay... Miss Sheffield, you can take
those that don't want to come, and go back to the pod.  I'll take Tim
and the others, and we'll see how close we can safely get to the
styrackies."
 
    "Okay.  See you back at camp."
 
    As the uninterested people started to leave, Tim called
out, "Kevin?"
 
    "Yeah?"
 
    "Could you do me a favor and tag along?"
 
    Kevin shrugged.  "Sure, I guess.  You going to use me as
bait or something?"
 
    Tim smiled, then shook his head.  "No, but you're the
strongest guy on the team.  Just in case something goes wrong."
 
    Kevin nodded, glad to be helpful.
 
    Mr. Miller said, "Okay, Tim.  You're the only one here who
knows anything about these guys, really.  Take the lead."
 
    As they walked, Tim said, "Keep your eyes open.  There's
bound to be stuff around here that wouldn't mind having us for lunch."
 
    "What's the biggest dinosaur alive just now?" Mr. Miller
asked.
 
    "There are some sauropods alive, but I don't think there
are any in this area.  I think what you're asking is what's the biggest
dino you have to worry about?"  Tim looked to Mr. Miller for
confirmation, and got it.
 
    "The one you're going to be afraid of most is T. rex."
 
    "Oh, shit," Kevin said.
 
    "You're not afraid of him?" Aly asked.
 
    "I didn't say that," Tim replied with a grin.
 
 
 
-----
 
 
 
    It took an hour as the group walked in the tall
ground-flora and the trees, approaching the styracosaur herd slowly, so
as not to spook them.  Now they were crouched behind some shrubbery. 
It took Tim a minute to realize why that was odd.
 
    "Hmph.  Well, that confirms that, sort of."
 
    "Huh?" Sloan asked.
 
    "Shrubs.  They weren't sure whether shrubs would exist
yet.  Apparently, they do, since we're hiding behind one."
 
    Aly giggled.
 
    "How far away you think they are?" Mr. Miller asked.
 
    Tim stood up slowly, and raised his field glasses. 
"Maybe... two hundred meters, maybe more.  I-"  Tim's voice suddenly
cut off, and his head snapped to the left.  Slowly, the binoculars
followed suit.
 
    "What is it?" Kevin asked.
 
    "Don't...move," Tim said very quietly.
 
 
 
-----
 
 
 
    "God, what a waste of time," Collin muttered.  "This is so
stupid. I mean, everyone knows why the dinosaurs died out.  Who cares
how they lived?"
 
    "Just how *did* they die out?" Steven asked.  "It's not
exactly my field of study."
 
    "Ask Tim," Collin spat, leaving to go to his room.  

    Steven looked at Miss Sheffield.  "What's his problem?"
 
    "He doesn't want to be here, I guess."
 
    "None of us picked this as our first choice," Jane said. 
"Well, except Laura, but I think she just wanted something that
wouldn't require any work."
 
    "Fuck you," Laura said.
 
    "All right, you two," Miss Sheffield said.  "That's
enough.  It's going to be a long week if you two are at each other's
throat all the time."
 
    "Sorry, Laura," Jane said sincerely.
 
    "You should be," Laura said, and got up.  She opened the
door.
 
    "Where are you going?" Steven asked.
 
    "Out."  She slammed the door on her way.
 
    "That's... not smart," Jane said.
 
    "Should we go after her?" Steven asked.
 
    Miss Sheffield wavered, unsure.  She was a biology teacher,
and field trips were not her best thing.  She shrugged, and said,
"Let's see if we can keep an eye on her from the observation deck."
 
    They climbed the ladder to watch Laura as she walked away
from the pod.
 
 
 
-----
 
 
 
    Aly trembled at the tone of Tim's voice.
 
    "What is it?" Mr. Miller asked, afraid to turn his head.
 
    "We have company.  About... ten o'clock, one hundred
meters.  Look *up*."
 
    Everyone turned their heads at once, and Kevin was quick
enough to clamp his hand over Aly's mouth before her scream echoed
across the plain.
 
    It was big.
 
    It was much too close.
 
    It was a tyrannosaur.
 
    "Holy shit," Mr. Miller exclaimed under his breath.
 
    Sloan shuddered in fear.  "Can it see us?"
 
    "Bet your ass," Tim said.  "It's looking right at us."
 
    "What the hell do we do?" Kevin rasped.
 
    "Nothing."
 
    "*Nothing*?" Kevin demanded.
 
    "What would you like to do?  An in-shape human can run
about twenty kilometers an hour.  T. rex is known to run over thirty. 
We can't outrun it, we have no way to fight it."
 
    "So we're fucking *lunch*?" Kevin hissed.
 
    "I don't think we're on the menu today," Tim said quietly. 
He was very calm.  He was testing a theory, though it wasn't
exclusively his, of course.  If he was wrong, they would all regret it,
but he didn't think he was.  He stood still and watched the
tyrannosaur, as its eye swiveled off them, and moved back to the herd
of styracosaurs.  Tim looked out at the herd, and past them, seeing the
maiasaurs in the far distance.
 
    Suddenly, the tyrannosaur lunged.  It ran straight for the
nearest styracosaur, a mere fifty meters away.  The entire herd
screamed in one loud grunting noise, and they turned to run.  They were
far too close, however, and the rex brought down its target, which had
clearly been wounded previously.  The rex stood over its kill and
bellowed, its voice a deep, rolling growl that echoed across the area.
 
    As the tyrannosaur bent down to begin its feast, Kevin
said, "I think we should leave."
 
    "That... would be a good idea," Tim agreed.
 
    The team silently crept clear of the kill, and made their
way shakily back to camp.
 
 
 
-----
 
 
 
    "I can't believe that," Kevin said as they made it back to
the pod.  "I thought we were toast for sure."
 
    As Tim was about to respond, the others came out of the
pod.  Aly grinned at them all and said, "You'll never guess what we
just saw..."
 
    Miss Sheffield interrupted their enthusiasm.  "Laura's
missing."
 
    Everyone stopped dead.  Mr. Miller asked, "What do you
mean, missing?"
 
    "She stomped off, upset."
 
    "Alone?" Tim asked.  Miss Sheffield nodded.  "Oh, crap."
 
    "Kevin, you and I had better go looking for her... Tim, I
guess you'd better come along, in case we run into anything *else*
nasty."
 
    Tim nodded.  Miss Sheffield indicated the way Laura had
gone, and then the team wished them luck.  The three headed off toward
a stand of trees.
 
    "Tim... why didn't the rex eat us?  I thought for sure he'd
charge us.  I mean, we're easy prey."
 
    "There's a few reasons... don't step in that," he said,
interrupting himself.  Kevin walked around a puddle of something he
didn't want to think about.
 
    "Such as?" Kevin asked.
 
    "Well, first off, he has no idea what a human is.  We're
the largest mammals on the planet, but he's never seen one before.  He
doesn't really know we're food."
 
    "Seems easy enough to find out," Mr. Miller said.
 
    "True, but most predators are pretty conservative.  They
don't randomly attack things they don't understand."
 
    "So, he didn't eat us because he didn't know what we were?"
 
    "That's part of it.  Also, I think T. rex is used to eating
dinosaurs, not mammals.  We are very obviously mammals, so we just
might not be 'food' to him."
 
    "Oh."
 
    "There's one last reason that he didn't go after us just
then, even if he *would* eat us."
 
    "Which is?"
 
    "We're puny."
 
    "Huh?" Kevin said.  "I mean, I weigh like seventy-four,
seventy-five kilos..."
 
    "But the styracosaur he took down probably weighed two
tons.  Think of it like this: The rex is a tiger.  The styracosaur is a
moose, and we were rabbits.  Sure, the tiger will eat the rabbit, if
nothing else is available, but why chase a rabbit when there are moose
available?"
 
    "Good point.  So... we're safe from the rex?"
 
    "I didn't say that."
 
    "Well, *what* then?" Mr. Miller asked in exasperation.
 
    Tim stopped them and turned.  "You're asking me to draw a
conclusion based on *one* observation.  It would be nothing but a
guess!"
 
    "So, guess," Kevin said lightly.
 
    "I would *guess* that tyrannosaurs don't eat people as a
rule.  That doesn't mean he's not dangerous.  He could consider us
competition, or he could think we're encroaching on his territory...
hell, he could step on you accidentally and not pay any attention. 
This way," he said, trying to get off the subject.  It made him uneasy
to be forced to draw conclusions with so little information.
 
    "Are you sure?" Mr. Miller asked.  He was a physics
teacher; wandering through the wilderness was not his specialty.
 
    "Unless something else around here makes Nike footprints." 
Tim pointed to the imprint in the mud.
 
    "Should we be calling for her?" Kevin asked.
 
    "I'd rather not," Mr. Miller said.  "Who knows what kind of
animals are around here that would be attracted to such noise?"
 
    "Animals are rarely attracted to strange noises, but
there's no point in yelling as long as we can follow her footprints,"
Tim said.
 
    The others agreed, and continued to follow the footprints
in the mud.  Suddenly, they noted the prints getting much further apart.
 
    "She's running?" Mr. Miller asked.
 
    "Yeah," Tim said.  He was glad for the mud; it made
tracking her easy.  Suddenly, however, he saw other tracks.
 
    "Theropod... she was being chased by something."
 
    "What?" Kevin asked.
 
    Tim shook his head, and they kept following the tracks. 
Finally, they came to a gully.  The last shoe print was smudged, and
the dinosaur tracks stopped, then moved off in another direction.
 
    "They caught her?" Mr. Miller asked.
 
    Tim looked down into the gully, and shook his head.
 
    "This animal apparently wasn't hunting.  It was just
getting rid of her."
 
    "How can you tell?" Kevin asked.
 
    "Well, because she's lying in those ferns down there, and I
don't think it would have left its food lying around."
 
 
 
-----
 
 
 
    Laura winced in pain again.  She couldn't stand up.  

    *Well, this was fucking stupid.  Christ, why did I want to
come here?*
 
    She knew the answer to that question, but wasn't going to
admit it to herself just now.  She tried to move again, and her ankle
simply wouldn't take any weight.  She breathed heavily from the
exertion and the fear.
 
    Suddenly, she heard something coming down the hill behind
her.  She couldn't really turn to see what was coming, but she managed
to lie back, and she saw people.  She couldn't tell exactly who it was,
but people were people at this point.  She closed her eyes and breathed
a sigh of relief.
 
    "Laura, are you okay?" Mr. Miller asked as the three got to
her side.
 
    "Hurt my ankle.  I can't walk on it," she replied.
 
    "Is it broke?" Tim asked.
 
    "How the fuck should I know?" she snarled at him.  Tim
stepped back away from her.
 
    "What happened?" Kevin asked as he tried to help her up.
 
    "I was just taking a walk, and then some damned...
*thing*... started chasing me.  I didn't see the drop in time, and lost
my footing at the edge.  The thing just sort of stood there, snarling
at me, then it went away.
 
    "After that, some great big furry thing came along and
grumbled at me.  It went away when I beaned it in the head with a rock."
 
    "Furry thing?  I thought there weren't any furry things..."
Mr. Miller said.
 
    Tim just rolled his eyes.
 
    "We can't go back the way we came," he said.
 
    "Why not?" Laura demanded.
 
    "Because whatever it was that ran you off the first time is
likely to do it again!  I'm surprised it let *us* past!"
 
    "Maybe because there were too many of us?" Mr. Miller asked.
 
    "It could be, but we *don't know*, is the point.  Better
safe than sorry."
 
    "What do you think it was?" Kevin asked.
 
    Tim shrugged.  "Could have been any of a number of things. 
Did you get a good look at it?" he asked Laura.
 
    "Oh, sure.  I had it pose for camera shots.  I was
*running*!"
 
    "Just asking!  Geez."
 
    "Let's get back to the pod," Mr. Miller said.  "That way
Laura can rest."
 
 
 
-----
 
 
 
    "Shit, Laura, you okay?" Steven asked as they brought her
inside the pod.
 
    "Looks like a sprained ankle," Mr. Miller said.  "She took
a tumble down an embankment."  They got her situated in a chair, and
then everyone settled for a long minute.
 
    "So... now what?" Jane asked.
 
    "We have another... um... 'issue,'" Steven said.
 
    "What now?" Aly moaned.
 
    "We can't use the bathroom in here."
 
    "What... oh, right," Mr. Miller said.  "It doesn't have a
storage tank, it was designed to vaporize everything."
 
    "Joy of joys," Aly said.
 
    "Well, we'll manage.  Who's hungry?" Miss Sheffield asked.
 
 
 
-----
 
 
 
    The group whiled away their evening in different ways.  Tim
and Sloan both kept watch in the observation dome.  Steven continued to
try to trick the electronics into working.  The adults decided to have
a drink or two.  The rest played cards or talked.
 
    As it got near time for them to head to bed, Laura tried to
struggle to her feet.  Steven, who was the nearest person to her,
reached out to steady her.  She looked sharply at him, but then
realized he was just being polite.
 
    "Steven, could you help me outside?  I need to... *go*."
 
    Steven paled a little.  "Uh... wouldn't one of the girls..."
 
    "What if I fall?" she said with a pleading smile.
 
    Steven sighed softly, and assented.  He let her put her arm
around his shoulder, and he put his arm around her waist.  Then they
both headed for the door.
 
    By the time they got back - Steven had decided to alleviate
his own needs, as well - everyone else had already settled in for the
night.  Steven made sure the door was fully latched, and then he turned
to Laura, who stood on her good leg, leaning against the wall, waiting
for him.
 
    "Could you help me back to my room?" Laura asked softly. 
Steven wondered at her suddenly gentle demeanor, but was too polite to
refuse a request for help.  He supported her again, and they made their
way down the hallway.  Laura's room was the last one on the left. 
Steven opened the door, and then led Laura in.  She pulled the door
shut behind her.
 
    As she did so, Steven turned to see what she was doing. 
This pulled Laura toward the bed, and conveniently - for her, anyway -
off balance.  As she fell onto the bed, she kept hold of one of
Steven's arms.
 
    Though she'd been wearing shorts for her walk earlier,
Laura had changed her clothes when she'd returned.  Her walking clothes
had been filthy, after all.  She had put on a thin blouse and a skirt.
 
    Steven now realized, looking down, that was *all* she'd put
on.  Her skirt had flown up to her waist, and he was now looking down
at her bare - *completely* bare - pussy.  Laura saw where his gaze
lingered, and she smiled to herself.  She tugged on his arm, and he
came closer, almost unconsciously.
 
    "You've been such a big help, Steven," she purred.  "Is
there anything I can do to repay you?"  Her emphasis on the word
'anything' made her offer very clear.
 
    "Laura, I..."  Steven stammered.
 
    "C'mon, Steven," she cooed.  "Let me be nice to you."
 
    Keeping her one hand clamped onto his arm, she leaned up
and ran her other hand over her own chest, arousing herself and clearly
offering her body to him.  When Steven made no move to join her on the
bed, Laura started to undo the buttons on her blouse.  She had a lot of
experience in doing this one-handed, and in just a few moments, her
blouse was fully undone.  She pulled the tails loose from her skirt,
and laid her blouse open, exposing her lovely tits to his view.
 
    Steven gawked at the body before him.  Laura's tits were
small, but perky.  Her areolas were dark, and her nipples were large
and tight.  He looked up into her brown eyes, and even he was able to
read her invitation clearly.  Very slowly, he reached down with his
free hand - she still had hold of his other arm - and rubbed his
fingers lightly across her stomach.  Laura shivered, and wriggled her
body.  Just as slowly, Steven's hand moved up her body until finally he
brushed the bottom swell of her breast.
 
    "Oh, yeah, Baby," she murmured.  "That feels good."
 
    At her words, Steven grew a little bolder.  His hand moved
a little more assuredly, caressing the skin of her tits, moving back
and forth over her chest.  When he ran his fingers over one of her
nipples, Laura shuddered and squeaked.
 
    "Oh, God, yeah!" she cried as softly as she could.  She
knew these rooms were well insulated for sound, but she wasn't sure
just *how* well.  Her encouragement caused Steven to move his other arm
forward, and she released him, letting him have access with both
hands.  he rubbed both of her breasts gently, not wanting to cause her
discomfort.  He ran his hands up and down her sides before returning to
her chest.
 
    Laura began to wiggle her hips at him, and then she lifted
them off the bed.  Still, Steven didn't get the hint.  Laura rolled her
eyes, though they were turned away from Steven at that moment, so he
didn't notice.
 
    "Take my skirt off, baby," she said, lifting her hips again.
 
    Steven slid his hands off her tits, and down her sides.  He
maintained contact the whole way, until he reached her waistband. 
Hooking his fingers into the elastic, he tugged on her skirt until it
slipped past her hips.  Laura lowered her hips back to the bed, and
lifted her legs, so that he could pull the skirt all the way off.  As
it cleared her feet, she laid her legs back down, spreading them so he
could clearly see her cunt, already moist from the anticipation.  The
sight made him forget to wonder when she'd removed her shoes.
 
    "Like what you see, baby?" she breathed.  Steven merely
nodded.  Laura smiled, and then pushed herself up to a sitting position.
 
    "It looks like it," she said, now staring at his jeans,
with their obviously cock-induced tenting.  "Why don't we let him out
to play?" she said, running her hand over his crotch.
 
    Steven just moaned as Laura reached up to undo his belt. 
His jeans were unfastened quickly, and then pushed off his hips.  She
wriggled her nose at his plain white briefs, but didn't say anything to
him.  Instead, she merely pulled them down and out of her line of
sight.  Seeing his hard dick pointing straight out at her made her
forget them, anyway.
 
    Steven gasped as Laura lightly caressed Steven's shaft for
the first time.  Her dainty fingers wrapped around his cock, and then
she leaned forward.  As her fingers stroked ever so gently, Laura began
to lick the head of his dick.  Steven's hips were already jerking at
the sensation.  This was why she was doing it; she knew he was much too
excited.
 
    Opening her mouth, Laura slipped her lips down onto his
shaft and applied suction.  Her fingers were still working over his
cock, and her other hand began to fondle his balls.  Steven clenched
his eyes shut and groaned, trying to hold back his cum.  It was like
trying to hold back the Amazon with a bucket, however, and with a
tortured groan, he exploded into her mouth, spewing a large load of cum.
 
    Laura continued to suck on him until he stopped jerking,
and then she swallowed.  She loved the taste of cum, and his was no
exception.  She licked the head of his dick carefully; she knew that
some guys were overly sensitive after orgasm.  He groaned in pleasure,
and she smiled to herself.
 
    Finally, she let him loose, and she rose to her good leg,
supporting herself against him, intentionally pressing her body against
his.  She smiled seductively at him, her eyes sparkling.
 
    "Did you enjoy that?"
 
    "Oh, God..." he replied.
 
    "Good.  Now, let's get this shirt off you," she said.  She
tugged at his T-shirt, and it slipped up his body.  She held onto him
as he pulled it the rest of the way off, exposing his somewhat muscular
chest.
 
    "Ooh," she cooed.  "For a geek, you sure got a nice bod."
 
    "I work with my hands a lot," he replied, blushing.
 
    "Oh, yeah?  What can your hands do right now?" she said,
pressing herself against him.
 
    Steven wrapped his hands around her waist, and then slid
them hesitantly down her body until he was cupping her ass cheeks. 
Laura sighed at the feel of his fingers against her flesh.  Steven took
that as a good sign, and began to knead her ass.  She pushed herself
more tightly against him, mashing her tits against his chest, and
rubbing her groin against his hardening cock.
 
    Laura leaned in and began to nibble on Steven's neck,
causing him to shudder.  She felt his dick jump at that, and she
smiled.  Her hands were rubbing up and down his sides, and she wiggled
her ass against his hands, thus causing her crotch to wiggle against
his cock.  She could feel him stiffening, and knew he would be ready in
just a few more moments.
 
    After those moments had passed, and Steven was once again
stiff as an iron rod, Laura leaned back, pulling him with her.  She
fell to the bed, pulling him down on top of her.  He had the presence
of mind not to crush her body, and he was now lying on top of her, his
hard cock pressing against her crotch.  She looked up at him lustfully.
 
    "Fuck me," she said, wrapping her legs around him.  She had
to be very careful with her one, or it would hurt like hell, but she
managed, practiced girl that she was.
 
    Steven just stared down at her, unsure of exactly what to
do.  Laura sighed again, and looked up at him, then allowed her hands
to slide down his body until she was fondling his cock.  Rolling her
hips, she gently maneuvered his prick until the head of it was nudging
her entrance.
 
    "Fuck me!" she hissed, and pulled with her legs.
 
    Once Steven felt his dick entering her cunt, he groaned,
his eyes closing in intense pleasure.  She squeezed his cock with her
pussy muscles, and her hands returned to rubbing his chest.
 
    Steven's body took over where his brain fell down.  His
hips pushed forward until he was buried inside of Laura, and she sighed
again, this time in contentment.  She looked up into his big, hazel
eyes and smiled.
 
    "C'mon, stud.  You know how this works."
 
    Steven blushed, but his body knew what she wanted.  His
hips began to rock back and forth, moving his dick in and out of her
cunt at a rapid pace.  Laura was immediately moaning, so worked up by
her own actions that she was already near orgasm.  As Steven's hips
hammered away, she began to mewl and moan, her head twisting from side
to side.
 
    "Yeah, baby.  Fuck me.  Fuck me good," she whispered again
and again.  "Oh, so good.  Feels so good.  Harder, harder!"
 
    Steven began to move as fast as he could.  He saw Laura's
face twist into an unrecognizable emotion, and then her body shuddered
strongly.  She let out a strangled moan, and her hips pushed up at him
strongly.  He continued to fuck her throughout, and it seemed to extend
her obvious climax.
 
    As Laura descended from her orgasm, she looked up at Steven
in something close to awe.  He was still ramming into her, and she
could barely form thoughts.  Her body was begging for more, and he
wasn't about to stop.  The look of concentration on his face was
intense and adorable, though she was more concerned with the intense
pleasure going on in her pussy.  She was quickly nearing her second,
much larger orgasm.
 
    Steven could see the look returning to her face, and he
hoped she was close, because he was straining to control himself now. 
He thrust into her faster and faster, surprised that he could even move
as fast as he was.  Her body began to twist and writhe beneath him, and
that was entertaining.  He clenched his body, fighting off his climax
as long as he could, but continuing to ram into her.
 
    Laura finally came, grabbing the pillow to scream into, as
her pussy rippled and squeezed Steven's cock.  That was all he could
take, and with a grunt of his own, he blasted his seed deep into her
pussy.  The sensation sent her even higher, and she screamed again,
this one leaking around the pillow to fill the room.
 
    For long moments, both of them shuddered and gasped, until
Steven finally came down from his high.  He looked down at Laura's
heaving body, enjoying the sight of it.  Finally, as she settled and
let her legs fall, he withdrew from her, a little unsure of what was
supposed to happen now.
 
    Laura looked up at him, a sated and satisfied smile on her
face.
 
    "Oh, God, that was good.  Thanks, stud."
 
    "Uh... sure.  Anytime."
 
    Steven saw Laura trying to maneuver herself onto the bed. 
He gently took hold of her, and helped her make it under the covers.
 
    "See you tomorrow," she said sleepily.
 
    He pulled up his pants and grabbed his shirt before leaving
the room.
 
 
 
...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---...
 
 
 
Sunday
 
 
 
    When Steven came out to breakfast in the morning, he
expected a lecture, or at the very least some snickers and teasing.  In
fact, no one seemed to be aware of what had gone on the night before. 
He couldn't look Laura in the face, but she seemed to be completely
normal, despite their evening liaison.
 
    "You know, it's a good thing we use very little fresh food
anymore,"  Kevin said.  "Otherwise, it would all have spoiled by now."
 
    His father nodded.  "Yes.  But even a couple centuries ago,
they knew how to make camping food that would keep.  For instance, they
used to powder milk."
 
    "How the hell do you drink *powder*?" Collin asked snidely.
 
    "You add water to it when you want to use it," Mr. Miller
explained.  "That way, it doesn't have a chance to get contaminated."
 
    "Seems like a good idea... and it would be lighter.  How
come we don't do that?"
 
    "Because it tastes like crap," Tim said.  "I've had some."
 
    "Where did you get powdered milk?" Miss Sheffield asked
incredulously.
 
    "I went to Space Camp last summer.  They teach you about
how it used to be done, and since powdered milk is what NASA shuttle
astronauts used, they let you drink some.  Yuck!"  The rest of the
group chuckled, as breakfast continued.
 
    As they wrapped up their meal, Mr. Miller said, "So, what
should we do today?"
 
    At this point, Collin got up from the group and, without a
word, walked out the door.
 
    "What the hell's his problem?" Jane wanted to know. 
Everyone else shrugged.
 
    "Um... shouldn't someone go after him?" Tim asked. 
"Remember about traveling in groups?"
 
    "Yeah," Mr. Miller said.  He went to the door and opened
it, but did not see Collin.  He called for him several times, with no
response.  He closed the door and looked worried.
 
    "Should we search for him?" Miss Sheffield asked.
 
    "Not much point," Aly said.  "If he doesn't want to be
found, we're not going to find him."
 
    There was general agreement on the point.
 
    "Okay, well... there are nine of us, that means three
teams..." Mr. Miller started.
 
    "So, what should we do?" Miss Sheffield asked.
 
    "I'd still like to see how close we can get to the
animals," Tim said.
 
    "Last time we tried that, we nearly got eaten," Kevin said
with a chuckle.
 
    Tim rolled his eyes.
 
    "I want to see if there are edible plants here," Sloan said.
 
    "Of *course* there are!" Laura spat snidely.
 
    "Oh?  Such as, smarty-pants?" Sloan shot back.
 
    "Duh... fruits and vegetables!"
 
    "Might not be around right now, Laura.  In fact, the ones
we're used to certainly aren't.  But there might be others."
 
    "*Fine*," she harrumphed, and slumped back in her chair.
 
    "I really don't think I want to go out there again," Aly
said.
 
    "And I need to keep working to see if we can get the
systems up," Steven said.  It would also give him a chance to talk to
Laura.
 
    "Okay, so that means we've got our two choices.  Who wants
to go where?"
 
 
 
-----
 
 
 
    Sloan bent down and dug at the ground carefully.  She
wasn't really sure what she'd find, but she hoped that something she
found would be edible.  She was surprised to find a very swollen
root... it almost looked like a tuber.  She of course had no idea what
these plants were, but she had a feeling that neither did anyone else.
 
    Continuing to dig, she was amazed at the size of it; it was
as large as a cantaloupe.  She hefted it, and it was quite heavy, so
she handed it to Kevin.
 
    "Hey, wait a minute," he said good-naturedly.  "When did I
become the pack-mule?"
 
    "When you became the strongest person in the group," she
said with a quiet smile.
 
    "Hmph," he retorted, but carried the vegetable, anyway.
 
    "What is this thing?" he asked.
 
    "Beats me," she replied.
 
    "Great."
 
    As Sloan moved slowly through the jungle, she was sweating
profusely.  She was not in the best of shape, being somewhat
overweight, but she wanted to look around.  She hoped that here in the
trees, the dangerous animals would be fewer.
 
    Suddenly, she heard something scampering through the
trees.  She soon realized that it was several somethings, and Kevin
pulled her down to the ground, hiding behind some horsetails.  She
tried to peer around the plant, and she saw a large, rodent-like
creature being chased by a pack of...
 
    "Hey, they're kind of cute," she said in a harsh whisper.
 
    Kevin grunted in disagreement, but kept his mouth shut. 
They watched as the small dinosaurs caught up to the creature.  One of
the dinosaurs - it was the shape of a velociraptor, but much smaller,
and was covered with something that Sloan could not quite determine -
jumped up onto the mammal's back.  They saw the sharp, sickle-claw dig
in to the victim's skin.  It screamed in pain, and tried to shake the
dino free.  It didn't work, and the dinosaur clamped its jaws around
the mammal's neck, and bit.  The creature let out a blood-curdling
shriek, and slumped over, dead.  The dinosaur hopped off, and then the
pack of them crowded around, ready to eat.
 
    "Let's get out of here," Miss Sheffield said.  The others
agreed.  Watching animals feed was not a pleasant sight.
 
 
 
-----
 
 
 
    Tim watched the styracosaurs from the same stand of trees
as the first time.  He first looked around for the rex, but didn't find
him.
 
    "Maybe he's hunting elsewhere?" Jane hoped.
 
    "Yeah, or sleeping, or..."
 
    "Sleeping?  In the middle of the morning?" Jane asked.
 
    "Most predators sleep most of the time.  What else are they
going to do?  I mean, animals only do a few things.  They eat, sleep,
shit, and screw.  Any other thing they might do is almost directly
related to one of those four things."
 
    Jane giggled at the mention of sex.  Mr. Miller frowned,
but didn't say anything.
 
    "So... is it safe to go out there, or is the rex hiding and
waiting for us to go out where he can get us?"
 
    "I doubt he's that smart," Tim said.
 
    "But he's a predator... he's big and has a good-sized
brain..."
 
    "For a dinosaur."
 
    "Right..."
 
    "Dinosaurs weren't known for being geniuses."
 
    "Oh."
 
    "I'm not sure if it's safe to go out there or not.  But we
can try, if we move slowly."
 
    The three stood up and calmly walked out from the trees. 
The nearest styracosaur turned immediately to look at them.  Tim put
his hands out, to stop the others from moving forward.  The dinosaur
stared at them for a while, sniffed, and then turned away.
 
    "What the hell?" Jane asked in a whisper.
 
    "C'mon," Tim said.  They inched closer to the dinosaurs,
and more of the animals turned to look at them.  However, after a few
seconds of interest, they turned and essentially ignored the intruders.
 
    "Well, this is something of a letdown," Mr. Miller said,
bemused.  "I was ready to be attacked... I wasn't quite ready to be
ignored."
 
    "Let's move to the left," Tim said.
 
    "Why?" Jane asked.
 
    "There are babies over there," he said, pointing to the
right.  "And I don't want to find out if they continue to ignore us
when we get close to their children."
 
    "Good idea," Mr. Miller agreed.
 
    The trio moved through the herd of animals, which neither
parted nor prevented their actions.  They were soon standing on the
shore of the inland sea.
 
    "Stay away from the water's edge," Tim warned.
 
    "Why?"
 
    "Because the stuff in that water will eat you faster than
you can react."
 
    "What's in the water?" Jane said, fearful.
 
    "Crocodiles, for one thing.  And bigger marine reptiles. 
Let's just say you don't want to know, and leave it at that."
 
    "Oh.  My pamphlet didn't mention that."
 
    "That's because they're not dinosaurs.  They're reptiles."
 
    "I thought dinosaurs..." Mr. Miller started.
 
    "They aren't," Tim said finally.  "They were reclassified
over two centuries ago... or, will have been reclassified... or... you
know what I mean!" he said, flustered.  The other two laughed.
 
    "So, what are they?" Mr. Miller asked.
 
    "They're *dinosaurs*.  Not reptiles, not birds.  They're
the in-between class."
 
    "Oh."
 
    "Um, Tim?" Jane said quietly.
 
    "Yeah?"
     "There's a closer look at your flying friend."  She
pointed off to their left, and sure enough, the pterodactyl was sitting
on a large rock.
 
    "That thing's huge!" Jane said.
 
    "Yeah, it is.  A lot bigger than I thought it was."
 
    "Is it..."
 
    "If you ask me that, I'm not speaking to you for the rest
of this trip," he warned.
 
    "*Fine*." Jane retorted, hurt.
 
    "It's a Quetzalcoatlus."
 
    "A *what*?" Mr. Miller said.
 
    Tim sighed.  "It's a big pterodactyl."
 
    "Oh.  How big?"
 
    "Oh, ten, twelve meter wingspan."
 
    "Crap," he said.
 
    Just then, they saw a large hump appear in the water, and
then disappear.
 
    "What the fuck was that?" Jane asked.
 
    "One of the things in the water I told you that you didn't
want to know about," Tim said.
 
    "Can we get out of here now?" she said rather pointedly.
 
    "We should go.  Sloan said she'd only take an hour or two,
though how she's going to know when an hour or two is up, I don't
know..."
 
    Tim held his arms out in front of him, and moved them, hand
over hand, into the sky.
 
    "It's been about an hour and a half so far."
 
    "How do *you* know?" Jane snapped.
 
    "You didn't read that anywhere?" he teased.  She glared at
him.  "I'll teach it to you sometime.  Where were we supposed to meet
them?"
 
    "This way," Mr. Miller said.
 
 
 
-----
 
 
 
    Steven worked on the electronics for quite a while, but he
simply wasn't having any luck.  He couldn't even find what was actually
causing the problem.  Nowhere in any of it could he find a short, or
blown circuitry.  There was no fried wiring.  He simply had no clue as
to why it wouldn't turn on.
 
    Frustrated with things, he slammed the panel shut and stood
up.  He wasn't sure where Aly'd gotten off to, but he knew that Laura
was in her room.  He needed to talk to her about the night before.
 
    Walking down to her room, Steven knocked on the door, and
opened it a crack, so he could hear her respond.
 
    "Yeah," Laura called out.  He opened the door and stepped
inside.
 
    "What?" she asked, stopping Steven dead in his tracks.  Her
tone was exactly the same as it had been, and exactly the same as she
treated everyone else.  Taking a deep breath, he plunged on.
 
    "Laura, about last night..."
 
    "What about it?" she said.
 
    "Well... I mean... did we... start something?  Am I your
boyfriend now?"
 
    Laura laughed derisively.
 
    "Oh, that's a good one.  Not a chance.  I wanted sex, you
were available.  You're pretty good, for a beginner," she opined.  She
saw the blush on his face, but ignored it.  "No, we're not a 'couple.' 
Anything else?"
 
    Steven struggled to get his embarrassment and shame under
control, and succeeded, for the most part.  "No.  Call if you need
anything."  He backed out and closed the door softly.  He didn't know
whether to scream or to cry, and he went back into the lounge and
slumped in a chair, angry with the world.
 
 
 
-----
 
 
 
    The six people met up as planned, and Jane gawked at the
various items that Kevin had gotten stuck carrying.
 
    "See anything dangerous?" Tim asked.
 
    "Bunch of mini-dinosaurs," Sloan replied.
 
    "What were they?"
 
    Sloan shrugged.  "Beats me.  They were hunting in a pack,
looked like raptors, but were little bitty guys..."
 
    "Hmm.  I'd have to see one."
 
    Sloan nodded.  "How'd you guys make out?"
 
    "We walked right into the herd!" Jane gushed.  "The stupid
things didn't even pay attention to us."
 
    Tim kept his peace.  He knew that wasn't accurate, but the
details weren't important at the moment.
 
    The group started walking back toward camp.  Suddenly,
Kevin stopped.
 
    "What's the matter?" Tim asked, concerned.
 
    "Don't you smell that?" he asked.
 
    Everyone sniffed the air.
 
    "Oh, gross," Jane opined.
 
    Tim arched an eyebrow.  "That's pretty ripe.  What do you
figure it is?"
 
    "I don't know.  But it's coming from over that way."
 
    The group made their way into the trees, moving as silently
as they could.  It was Sloan that stumbled over something.
 
    "You okay?" Mr. Miller asked.
 
    "Yeah, what did I trip over?"
 
    "It was a... oh, my God."
 
    Mr. Miller bent down and picked up a shoe.  Unfortunately,
the shoe was not empty.
 
    "Oh, man, I think I'm gonna..." Jane said, and she dashed
off to a nearby bush and removed breakfast from her system.
 
    Tim grew very pale, and bent down, putting his head between
his knees to breathe deeply.  Sloan turned away, her eyes closed shut
tightly, and she was breathing through her mouth.  Miss Sheffield was
looking very piqued, and she wouldn't come near Mr. Miller.  Kevin was
the least affected, but he was still a little green.
 
    "Is that..." he asked.
 
    "It's Collin's shoe," Mr. Miller confirmed.
 
    "What happened to him?" Jane cried, still near the bush.
 
    "I..." Mr. Miller began.  Just then, they heard a rumbling
growl through some nearby bushes.  They all went silent at once.
 
    "Tim..." Mr. Miller hissed, as Tim eased his way toward the
bushes.  He pushed aside a frond of fern, and peered through.  The
grumbling stopped, and there was silence for several seconds.
 
    After that, a loud, screeching sound was heard.  Tim jumped
back and screamed, "We should leave now!"  He reached down and took
Sloan's hand to help her up, but after that, he ran as fast as he
could.  The group followed suit.
 
    Luckily, the dinosaur did not.
 
 
 
-----
 
 
 
    The group ran all the way back to camp, and rushed into the
pod.  It was a long moment before they caught their breath.  Steven had
leapt to his feet when they'd thrown open the door, and Aly soon came
down from where she'd been lying in the observation dome.
 
    "What the hell's the matter?" Steven asked, worried.
 
    "Where's Laura?" Miss Sheffield asked immediately.
 
    "In her room," Steven spat.  Aly looked at him curiously,
but was more concerned with why the group was totally out of breath.
 
    "What happened?" she asked.
 
    Mr. Miller was not in good shape, and could barely catch
his breath.  He motioned for someone else to explain.  Tim, who was the
only one who'd actually *seen* what had happened, elucidated.
 
    "Collin's dead," he said bluntly.  Aly gasped, and Steven
cursed.
 
    "What happened to him?" Aly asked quietly.
 
    "Well... it's hard to say for sure.  I don't know if the
dinosaur that was eating him - sorry - was what killed him or not."
 
    "Rexy got him, didn't he?" Steven said.
 
    Tim shook his head.  "No, we didn't see the rex today."
 
    "What was it then?" Aly asked.
 
    "A troodon."
 
    "A what?" Sloan asked, catching her breath.
 
    "Troodons were... or I guess I should say *are*... the
smartest of the dinosaurs.  They look a little bit like a raptor, but
heavier.  He was... oh, hell, two or three meters long, stood about
half as tall as Kevin."
 
    "Could he have killed Collin?  Is it big enough?"
 
    "Oh, hell yeah.  And that damned screech of his... I think
my toes are *still* curled.  And for once, I can say quite plainly. 
Yes, that thing *is* dangerous!"
 
    "Why didn't he chase us, do you think?" Jane asked.
 
    "Most likely because he already had food.  He just wanted
us away from it."
 
    "Well, he's more than welcome to his lunch, so long as it
isn't me," Jane said, and then paused, realizing just what, or rather
who, it was that the troodon had been eating.
 
    The room was very quiet.
 
 
 
-----
 
 
 
    The adults tried to keep the teens busy for the rest of the
day, but it wasn't easy.  Some of them simply refused to focus on
anything other than the fact that they'd just lost a member of their
party.  He wasn't a well-regarded member, to be sure, but his death was
an indicator of just how dangerous their trip was.
 
    Aly was one of the people who refused to be goaded into
doing busywork.  She sat on the sofa in the lounge and stared out the
doorway, which was open to allow a breeze through.
 
    Steven happened to be in the same room with her, but he was
working.  He was making yet another attempt at tricking the systems in
the pod to operate.  He wasn't having any luck with it, but he was
making his own attempt not to think about the death of his classmate.
 
    Aly watched Steven for a bit, remembering the look on his
face when he'd mentioned Laura earlier.  She hesitated to intrude on
his life, because she didn't really know him that well, and she wasn't,
by nature, a pushy person.  However, she knew from her own trips to the
therapist that, if you allowed things to build up, they just made life
worse.
 
    "Steven?" she asked quietly.  He turned to look at her. 
"You want to talk about it?"
 
    "What's to talk about?  I didn't much like Sissy, anyway. 
I'm sorry he got killed, but I can't say I'm going to miss him."
 
    "Not that," Aly said.  "There's something else bugging
you.  Want to talk about it?"
 
    Steven's face clouded for a moment, then his expression
became very neutral.  "Not really, no."
 
    Aly didn't respond.  She just looked at him quietly.  As
Steven returned to his task, she continued to watch him.  This was a
technique she'd learned from watching her mother.  Her father had never
been able to resist for more than a half-hour.
 
    An hour later, Aly was wondering at the stubbornness of the
boy in front of her, but finally he turned around, seeing for the
umpteenth time that she was still staring at him, and he sighed heavily.
 
    "Alright," he said, sitting down on the other end of the
couch.  Then he looked around, and realized how public this area was. 
"Um... look, could we go to my room, or yours?  I don't want to talk
about this where someone else might hear us."
 
    "Okay," Aly said, getting up to follow him back to his
room.  He closed the door all the way, and then sat on the bed, away
from her.  She sat on the end of the bed and waited quietly.
 
    "I don't know how much you know about me, but... I'm not
real popular.  I'm too shy around girls."
 
    Aly nodded.  She thought he was quite handsome, but now was
not the time to say so.
 
    "Last night, I was helping Laura get to her room, and...
she..."  Steven took a deep breath, and said in a rush, "She came onto
me.  She took off all her clothes, and pretty much told me to... you
know."
 
    Aly nodded.  She didn't want or need the details.
 
    "Well... I thought maybe she wanted to be friends, you
know... boyfriend-girlfriend kind of thing..."
 
    Aly nodded again.
 
    "But this morning when I tried to talk to her about it, she
told me that all she wanted was to get laid!  She had no interest in me
at all!"
 
    Aly could see the hurt this caused him.  She was aware that
he felt rejected; she'd gone through similar feelings herself, though
not over sex, since she was still a virgin.  She frowned, thinking
about what kind of bitch Laura was, and then she turned her eyes back
to Steven.
 
    "I'm sorry.  She shouldn't have treated you like that.  I
don't understand Laura, even though we have a couple classes together. 
She's... well, the rumor is she's a slut.  She'll sleep with anything
male."
 
    "Oh," he said unhappily.
 
    Aly said, "I'm sorry... maybe I should have warned you and
the other boys..."
 
    "You couldn't have predicted it," Steven said, trying to
let her off.
 
    Aly shook her head.  "Yeah, I probably could have, if I'd
thought of it.  But... I don't know.  I was kind of lost in my own
world, really."  She reached out and put her hand on his arm.  "I'm
sorry.  You're a nice guy, and you got treated like shit.  I hope
you'll get over it... she's not worth the agony."
 
    "Thanks, Aly," he said softly.  Screwing up his own
courage, he asked, "Is something bothering you?  You've been... well,
kind of moping around since we got here..."
 
    Aly shrugged.  She didn't mind talking about her problems,
though almost no one ever asked.  "I have some... issues.  I get
depressed easily.  I don't deal well with newness.  It's why I didn't
pick anywhere to go.  I didn't really want to come on this trip,
regardless of where we went.  It all makes me uncomfortable, and I'd
just like to get home."
 
    It was Steven's turn to reach out to her, and he put his
hand on her shoulder.  "I didn't realize."
 
    "Why should you?  I don't go around telling people that I'm
tropophobic.  Then again, things aren't much better at home, because my
parents are getting a divorce."
 
    "I'm sorry," he said gently.  He could see Aly's eyes were
misting over.
 
    Aly tried to shake it off, but the tears trickled slowly
down her cheeks.  "They're fighting over who gets custody of me, like
I'm an oil painting or something.  Neither of them has asked where *I*
want to go, you know?"
 
    Steven moved a little closer to her, and began to rub her
back gently.  She cried openly, and then he reached out to hug her. 
She leaned against him and cried for a minute or so, while he held her
and continued to rub her back.  Finally, she sat up, and he released
her instantly.
 
    As she wiped at her eyes, Steven leaned back and grabbed a
handkerchief from his night table.  He handed it to her, and she used
it to wipe her tears and to blow her nose.  She looked at him with a
soft smile.
 
    "Thanks," she said.  Then she frowned.  "We came in here to
talk about your problems, not listen to me bawl over mine."
 
    "It's okay.  I feel a little better about Laura now that
I've talked to someone.  Thank you."
 
    Aly nodded, and the two rose from the bed.  As they were
about to leave, Aly stopped him, and she gave him a hug.  He returned
it, rubbing her back and holding her for a little while, before they
both stepped back, and then headed back to the lounge.
 
 
 
-----
 
 
 
    "We have a minor problem... or maybe not so minor..." Miss
Sheffield said.
 
    "What's that?" Mr. Miller asked.
 
    "We've eaten all the food that's meant to be prepared cold,
except for sandwiches.  We need to find a way to cook things.  We've
got pots here, but... no heat."
 
    There was some talking among the group before Aly said, "We
need to start a fire.  There's plenty of kindling and good wood - well,
or whatever passes for wood - here... we just need to do that 'rubbing
two sticks together' trick."
 
    "Let's go out and prepare a fire pit," Kevin said.
 
    The group all headed outside to clear a spot and gather
rocks.  three of them went off to gather horsetails and bigger branches.
 
    When they returned, Aly sat down and tried to work two
smaller sticks together, trying to heat them up.  After five minutes,
she gave up.
 
    "I'm not making any progress," she said dejectedly.  Steven
placed his hand on her shoulder for support.
 
    "Anyone have any ideas?" Mr. Miller asked.
 
    All of them thought hard, and then Tim raised his head, to
look into the sun.  He wondered why that was important, then it came to
him.
 
    "Sloan!" he said sharply.  She turned to him.  "You mind
sacrificing your spotting scope?"
 
    "Sure.  Doesn't work, anyway..."  She went into the pod and
returned with the electronic device.  "I don't know what good it's
going to do..."
 
    Tim had already begun to disassemble the device, and it
wasn't long before he'd gotten as far as he could without tools.  He
took the central tube of the device over to a rock and rapped it
sharply.  The plastic cracked, and he was able to break the tube open.
 
    "What are you doing?" Steven asked... "Oh, wait a minute..."
 
    "Yeah," Tim said.  He walked over to the fire pit, where
the horsetails had been laid.  They made good kindling because their
feathery wisps would catch fire easily.  He held the lens of the
spotting scope up, and got the sun to shine through it.  He maneuvered
it so that the light focused on the tip of one of the horsetails.  In
mere seconds, it was smoking, and in just another few, it was burning. 
Tim blew very gently on the flame, allowing it to grow, until it was
steadily increasing its size to engulf the kindling.
 
    "Okay, fire achieved," he said with a grin.
 
    "I'll watch over it," Aly offered.  "I've been out camping
a lot."
 
    "Good," Mr. Miller said.  "Now... who knows how to cook?"
 
    "I do," Sloan said.  

    Laura, who had been helped outside by Kevin, since Steven
wouldn't even talk to her now, thought to make a smart remark about
Sloan's size and cooking, but did not. Sloan was somewhat overweight,
but she was well-liked among the group, while Laura was not, and she
didn't feel the need to start a fight she wouldn't win.
 
    As Sloan set to her task, Steven and Kevin worked out a way
to make a platform that sat above the fire, so that Sloan would have
somewhere to put the pans.  In short order, they had a nice meal in
front of them, and it was nice to sit outside in the breeze to eat.
 
    "Won't cooking food attract animals?" Jane asked.
 
    "It might, but they don't like the fire," Aly said.
 
    "Oh.  Okay."
 
    Their meal was eaten quietly.
 
 
 
...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---...
 
 
 
Monday
 
 
 
    All of the teens were a bit subdued as they awoke the next
morning.  They filed out to the lounge, but it was immediately obvious
they were missing someone.
 
    "Steven, could you go get Laura?" Mr. Miller asked.
 
    "No," Steven said flatly.  Mr. Miller was taken aback by
the force of the statement.
 
    "Uh, okay... um..."
 
    Tim said, "I'll go get her."
 
    "Thank you."
 
    Tim walked down the hall and knocked on Laura's door.  He
had to open it just a crack so that he'd even hear her, the
soundproofing was so good on the doors.
 
    "Laura, you dressed?"
 
    "Yes," she said with a heavy sigh.  He opened the door and
walked in.
 
    Laura was *not* dressed.
 
    Laura lay, completely nude and spread out, on her bed.  Tim
gawked, and quickly shut the door, lest anyone else see this.
 
    "Laura... what the hell...put some *clothes* on!"
 
    Laura stroked her body, and purred at him.  "Don't you like
what you see?"
 
    *So Aly was right.  Good grief.*
 
    Tim considered what to do, while Laura continued to play
with her body, trying to entice him.  He felt no shame in looking her
over, but he wasn't about to join her in bed.
 
    "Look, do you want to get dressed and come to breakfast, or
not?"  His tone indicated that she wasn't going to get what she wanted.
 
    Laura's look switched from one of seduction to one of anger
in an instant.
 
    "Get the fuck out of my room!" she snapped.  "What, I'm not
good enough for you?  Fuck, you probably can't even get it up, you
spineless fucking shit."
 
    Tim was, by nature, a calm person, but Laura's words made
him angry.  He didn't lash out in the usual way, however.  Instead, he
looked down at himself, and smiled wickedly.
 
    "You know what?  You're right.  For you, I *can't* get it
up.  Any other girl on this trip, sure.  But not you.  You can hobble
your fucking way to breakfast, slut."  He turned and walked out of the
room, not bothering to close the door.
 
    Laura felt as if she'd just been slapped.  She lay on the
bed for a long moment, then she curled up in a ball and began to fume.
 
    *That son of a bitch.*
 
    Out in the lounge, Tim said, "Laura... is not ready to come
to breakfast.  And I think that, from now on, you should have one of
the girls look after her."
 
    Mr. Miller was confused, but Miss Sheffield immediately
understood the look in Tim's eyes.  She said, "Yes, that would be a
good idea.  I'll look after her today.  Hopefully by tomorrow, she'll
be back on her feet."
 
    "I'll see if I can make her some crutches or something,"
Steven offered.  He didn't mind being helpful, as long as he didn't
have to go near her.
 
    "That would be a good idea," Miss Sheffield said.
 
    "Okay, so... what do we want to do today?" Mr. Miller
asked.  He hesitated to send the team back out into the wilderness, but
they had several days before they would be pulled back home, and
sitting in the pod with nothing to do but dwell on the death of their
classmate would, he knew, eat them all up.
 
 
 
-----
 
 
 
    The team had traveled in a different direction this time. 
They had moved away from the inland sea.  They were hoping that,
because the maiasaur and styracosaur herds were both near the shore,
the main predators would be in that direction as well.
 
    They'd collected a few unrecognizable plants that Sloan
felt might possibly be edible.  This time, she had cajoled both Kevin
and Steven into carrying sacks for this purpose.  They had yet to see
anything terribly spectacular.  In fact, they'd spotted only small
lizards and a couple of unidentifiable rodent-like mammals along the
way.
 
    Just now, they found themselves standing at the top of a
hill.  They could see through a sparsely-vegetated stand of trees out
to another plain.  Moving across the plain was a massive herd of
hadrosaurs.
 
    "What are those?" Steven asked.  "More maiasaurs?"
 
    "No, they're shaped different," Tim said.  "And they have
that crest.  I think they're parasaurolophuses. or is it
parasaurolophi?  Eh... they're paras, okay?"
 
    "Herbivores, though, right?" Aly asked nervously.
 
    "Yeah, they're harmless, at least at this distance."
 
    Just then, they heard several animals scampering through
the trees toward them.  The whole group was on alert.  They all
scattered, trying to find someplace to hide.  Sloan ended up next to
Tim, hiding behind a bush.  The others had likewise paired off, for
safety and mental comfort.
 
    "What the hell is that?" Sloan rasped as the noises came
closer.
 
    "I don't know," Tim whispered.  "Sounds like a bunch of
animals."
 
    Suddenly, a furry animal ran out of the woods.  It was an
odd creature, that looked like a mix between a bear and a dog, but was
only a meter long.
 
    "Didelphodon!" Tim whispered in awe.
 
    "Will it hurt us?" Sloan whispered back.
 
    Before Tim could answer, it continued to scamper past
them.  In another instant, half a dozen dinosaurs bounded out of the
forest after it.
 
    "I've seen those before!" Sloan hissed.
 
    "Holy shit," Tim marveled.  He watched the animals as they
ran after the didelphodon.  They used the open ground to surround the
animal, and then one jumped up onto it.  The dinosaurs were theropods,
with a large, curving claw on their foot.  They used it to dig into
their prey's hide, and hold on.  Two of them were on top of the victim,
and as they bit into it, one grasping the throat, and the other
clamping onto the back of its neck, they nearly severed the head of the
animal.  It fell without another noise.
 
    As the dinosaurs began to feed, the group circled around,
trying not to come too close, and regrouped.
 
    "What the hell are they?" Mr. Miller asked.  "I've never
heard of dinosaurs this small."
 
    "Lots of dinosaurs were small," Tim said.  "Just, they
don't get the publicity."
 
    "So what are they?" Kevin asked.
 
    "Bambiraptors."
 
    "*What*?" Jane replied incredulously.
 
    "You heard me."
 
    "As in..." Jane continued.
 
    "Yes, as in that stupid Disney cartoon that we got to watch
in Cultural History last year."
 
    "Why on Earth..."
 
    "Because the guys that found it thought it looked 'cute.'"
 
    "Well, they are kind of cute," Aly said.  "But... is that
stuff on their back... I mean, those look like feathers."
 
    "They are feathers."
 
    "So... doesn't that make them birds?"
 
    "No."
 
    "Oh."
 
    "Are we in any danger from them?" Mr. Miller asked, a
little nervous to be watching them devour their meal.
 
    Just then, one of the raptors turned and faced them.  It
was almost as if it had heard them talking.  The animal made a growl
that sounded distinctly wolfish - if somewhat higher pitched - which
they all found odd coming from such a strange creature.
 
    Kevin stood his ground and puffed out his chest.  "Back
off, shrimp, or I'll step on you."  Kevin took a step forward and the
animal backed up.  When Kevin didn't chase it, the animal stepped
forward again.
 
    "Go on, I said!" Kevin growled forcefully, and took a much
larger step forward.  The bambiraptor leapt cleanly over its kill and
the others feeding off it, to land on the far side of the clearing. 
There it growled again, until it realized that Kevin wasn't going to
come after it.  Then it slowly made its way back to the kill, but
didn't turn its back on the humans anymore.
 
    "I'd say they're not dangerous," Tim said with a chuckle.
 
    "Quick little guy, though," Steven said.
 
    "Yeah.  And damn, can he jump.  That had to be like four,
five times his body length."
 
    "And that thing they're eating..." Jane asked.
 
    "The largest mammal of the time.  Didelphodon was supposed
to be nocturnal, I don't know why he's out now.  Of course, that whole
nocturnal thing was just a guess on someone's part, so I shouldn't be
surprised they got it wrong."
 
    "Can we go now?  They're making me lose my appetite," Jane
said.
 
    The group turned and walked through the forest.
 
 
 
-----
 
 
 
    As the group meandered through the trees, they kept their
eyes and ears open.  Sloan finally said, "It's eerie to be in a forest
with no birds chirping."
 
    "Yeah," Aly agreed.  "When you go camping, you hear them
all the time, but this is just... strange."
 
    "Yeah," Jane agreed.  She was looking up, and then she
thought she saw something.  "Hey, you guys, are these really wal-AHHH!"
 
    When Jane stepped nearer the tree, she stepped on a rock. 
Unfortunately for her, it wasn't actually a rock.  The tortoise that
she stepped on moved, and the shifting 'ground' caused her to lose her
balance.  She fell forward, and unfortunately, that way led down an
incline.  She tumbled her way down the hill.
 
    "Ow! shit!... Hey, is that a flower?... Ouch! Dammit! 
Wait, that was a fern...fuck! ow!... sequoia tree... kind of small...
Oof!...that looked like a blackberry...OW!"
 
    As Jane came to a stop against a large tree, she could hear
the others clambering down the hill toward her.  She opened her eyes
and felt the nausea wash over her from her dizziness.  Suddenly, she
felt something whack her on the head.
 
    "OW!"
 
    She looked down to find what looked like some kind of nut,
about the size of a walnut, but heavier.  Much heavier.
 
    She brought her hand to her forehead just as the rest of
the group got to her.
 
    "Aw, shit.  I'm gonna have a bruise!"
 
    "Probably several of them," Steven quipped.  The others
chuckled.
 
    As she regained her senses, Jane looked down.
 
    "Aw, man!  I ruined my shirt!"
 
    Sloan rolled her eyes at the irrelevancy.  Suddenly, Aly
squeaked, and everyone turned to look at her, then in the direction she
was looking.
 
    What they saw was smaller than most of the threats they'd
seen as of late.  But it was so familiar-looking that it was somewhat
scarier.
 
    "Is that a dinosaur?" Kevin asked.
 
    "No, it's a reptile," Tim said.
 
    "A monitor lizard," Aly said.  "Jane, you need to get up
now."
 
    Jane tried to rise, but winced as she leaned on her leg.
 
    "Oh, crap," she breathed.
 
    Kevin, seeing her pain, came over and picked her up.  "Now
what?" he asked Aly.
 
    "We get the hell out of here.  Quickly.  Monitor lizards
are territorial."
 
    "Can it chase us?" Sloan asked nervously.
 
    "Not for very far.  It's a lizard, so it's cold-blooded,"
Aly replied.
 
    "Well, I'm not waiting.  Let's go," Kevin said.  He ran as
fast as he could back up the hill, with Jane clinging tightly to him. 
They made it up the hill, and then looked back.  The lizard had not
followed them very far, and was now turning back.
 
    "Thank God," Mr. Miller breathed.  The entire group sat
down for a minute to catch their breath.
 
    "Are you going to be able to make it back to camp?" Kevin
asked Jane.
 
    "I don't know," she said.
 
    "If someone else can carry my goody-bag, I can carry her
back."
 
    "I'll do it," Tim said.
 
    Steven said, "You'd better carry mine, Tim.  His is
heavier.  I'll carry his."
 
    "Okay."
 
    The group rested for several more minutes before starting
out on their trek back home.
 
    "Has anyone noticed that we don't seem to be very well
adapted to this sort of thing?" Tim asked on the way home.
 
    "What do you mean?" Mr. Miller responded.
 
    "We've been here three days.  On each of those days someone
has been hurt.  At least."
 
    The rest of the group pondered it as they made their way
back onto the plain where the pod was located.
 
 
 
-----
 
 
 
    Miss Sheffield fussed over Jane as they set her down in a
chair.
 
    "I'll be okay.  I think it's just sprained.  It doesn't
hurt unless I try to stand on it."
 
    Laura dumped the crutches that Steven had made at her
feet.  "Here, you can use these.  I don't need them."  She walked back
to her room, and everyone knew she was upset, but no one cared that
much to go talk to her.
 
    "Jane," Sloan said, "You were yelling something as you
rolled down the hill, but we couldn't understand you..."
 
    Jane thought back.  "Yeah, I was just noting the plants I
saw as I fell.  Like the ones that looked like blackberries."
 
    "I don't think blackberries grew back now," Tim said,
nearly confusing everyone with his grammar.
 
    "Well, I didn't say they *were* blackberries.  I said they
looked like blackberries.  And then there was the nut tree that beaned
me in the head... some others as well, like a sequoia, and some
ferns..."
 
    "Well, then we know there are fruits and vegetables here,"
Sloan said.
 
    "Yes.  Nicely guarded by that damned dragon," Kevin said.
 
    Aly giggled.  "It wasn't a dragon.  It was only half the
size of a komodo."
 
    "Big enough," Kevin grumped.
 
    "Well, Tim... *now* are you willing to say this place is
dangerous?" Mr. Miller asked.
 
    "I never said the place wasn't," Tim sniffed.  "You guys
kept asking me if the *dinosaurs* were dangerous.  And except for
Collin, the injuries here haven't been caused by dinosaurs."
 
    "Oh, and that lizard thing today was just going to have tea
with us?" Steven demanded.
 
    "That wasn't a dinosaur," Tim retorted.
 
    "Okay, you two.  That's enough," Mr. Miller said before a
fight broke out.  "I think we all need to relax."
 
    The group broke up to go do things that would bleed off
stress, while the adults conversed quietly in the kitchen.  Everyone
was wondering what would happen next.
 
 
 
...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---...
 
 
 
Tuesday
 
 
 
    It was well into the morning before any member of the team
stepped outside.  They had been a little lazy, getting up not as a
group, but whenever their bodies were ready.  However, when Sloan went
outside to begin breakfast, the remaining sleepers quickly awoke.
 
    "We really need to be more careful with our exploring," Mr.
Miller said.  "I realize you guys want to see things, and that just
sitting in this pod all day is dull as all get out, but we simply can't
go back with all of us injured."
 
    "Or dead," Miss Sheffield added.
 
    "Why don't we head over that way?" Tim said, indicating a
rocky outcropping.  "It's a different kind of terrain, maybe it will
have different dinosaurs."
 
    "Not a bad idea," Kevin agreed.  "Maybe all the dangerous
dinosaurs stay near the water."
 
    "Okay, but no rock climbing," Mr. Miller admonished.
 
    "I think I'll stay here with Jane," Miss Sheffield said.
 
    "I need to study the plants we brought back," Sloan told
them.
 
    "Okay... anyone else want to stay behind?" Mr. Miller
asked.  Nobody did.  Even Laura wanted out of the pod, having been
cooped up in it since the first day.
 
    "Well, might as well get going, then."
 
 
 
-----
 
 
 
    The group trekked their way over a rocky space, and through
some trees.  They saw several species of lizard and mammal, but the
only dinosaurs they'd seen were more of the paras they'd spotted the
day before.  As they walked, they kept up light conversation.
 
    "So, Tim," Mr. Miller asked him, as they began to walk
along a wide ledge of rock.  There was a cliff face to their left, and
a gentle slope to their right.  The slope was covered thickly with
trees. Mr. Miller continued, "Have you been surprised by anything
you've seen so far?  Anything unexpected?"
 
    Tim considered for a long moment.  "I was a little
surprised by the styracosaurs.  I expected them to be more
territorial.  Then again, they're herbivores, and lizards tend not to
care if you're there or not."
 
    "But you said they weren't reptiles," Steven objected.
 
    "They're not.  But they come from reptiles."
 
    "Oh.  So... we don't even have to pay any attention to
them?"
 
    "I wouldn't go that far.  We avoided their babies.  I
imagine they might notice if we did something they thought was
threatening to one of the younger ones.  Plus, their size means that if
they got upset about something completely unrelated to us, we'd be just
as dead when they stampeded."
 
    "Good point."
 
    "Anything else?" Aly asked quietly.
 
    "I'm a little surprised at how smart the bambis were."
 
    "You called that smart?" Kevin snorted.
 
    "For a dinosaur?  Yeah."
 
    "No wonder they died out."
 
    The group chuckled.
 
    "Still... I don't know.  The troodon worries me."
 
    "Why?" Mr. Miller asked.
 
    "Because we don't know if it killed Collin by hunting him,
or if he just stumbled across him... or if, in fact, he didn't kill him
at all, and was just taking advantage of a free meal."
 
    "What's the difference?" Laura asked sharply.  "Either way,
that shit is just as dead... good riddance to him, too."
 
    "Laura!" Mr. Miller reprimanded.
 
    "What?" she snapped back.
 
    Tim interrupted.  "The reason it matters is because, if the
troodon was actually hunting him, then we have one definite predator of
humans.  He'll have realized how easy we are to kill now, and even if
he just accidentally stumbled across Collin and killed him, he will
still know we're an easy food source."
 
    The group shivered at the idea.  Aly moved a little closer
to Steven as they walked.  He noticed.
 
    Leaning over, he whispered, "You okay?"
 
    Aly nodded, but didn't speak.
 
    The group walked on.
 
 
 
-----
 
 
 
    After another several moments, the group rounded a sharp
bend.  They had heard a soft snorting noise, and so they approached
very cautiously.  As the animal came into view, they all froze.
 
    "What the fuck is *that*?" Kevin rasped.
 
    "Ankylosaur," Aly answered.  "Don't you ever watch
*Discovery*?"
 
    The others giggled nervously, but no one knew how to act
around the animal.
 
    "Tim?" Mr. Miller queried.
 
    "Step back slowly, and move against the cliff," Aly said. 
Everyone except Tim looked at her curiously.  Tim was already taking
her advice.
 
    Aly explained.  "Just pretend it's a very big African
buffalo.  You don't want to be anywhere near it."
 
    "How do you know?" Kevin hissed.
 
    "I *don't*, but would you rather pretend it *isn't*
dangerous?"
 
    "Good point," Mr. Miller agreed, and the group all moved
back against the cliff.
 
    The ankylosaur continued to amble toward them.  It looked
at them for a moment, but didn't seem concerned.  As it approached, it
would pass within ten feet of them, as they clung to the cliff face to
give it as much room as it wanted.
 
    Unfortunately, the group's luck was holding.  Their bad
luck, that is.  Just as the ankylosaur reached them, another dinosaur
burst from the forest in front of the ankylosaur, causing it to
suddenly stumble backward.  As the obviously carnivorous dinosaur
advanced, everyone in the group held their breath.  They had nowhere to
run to, and no way to avoid any assault.
 
    "What is it, Tim?" Steven asked through clenched teeth.
 
    Tim took a pragmatic look at it.  He knew that he was dead
if the dinosaur attacked.  Standing still wouldn't prevent anything. 
"It's a rex... but a juvenile, I think.  Or it's a nanotyrannus, but
lots of people still think those are just juvenile rexes."
 
    "Dangerous?"
 
    "Very.  We're a much better meal for an animal that size
than a full-grown rex."
 
    "What do we do?" Kevin wanted to know.
 
    "What *can* we do?" Tim shot back.  "If you do such things,
pray."
 
    They needn't have worried so much.  The rex wasn't
interested in them.  They were merely alongside his intended lunch. 
The rex lunged at the ankylosaur, but the anky turned out of the reach
of the rex's grasp.  The anky turned his body until he was mostly
facing away from the rex, his tail swishing back and forth with its
massive club-end waving about.  It kept its head turned, to see the
rex's movements.
 
    Rex slipped back as the anky swung his tail, intending to
do harm.  The rex was less than five feet from Aly, who was shivering
in fear.  Steven, who was next to her, reached down and took her hand. 
As the rex moved away, she squeezed his hand tightly.
 
    The rex circled, trying to find a way past the ankylosaur's
defenses.  He lunged and tried to nip, but nearly got his legs taken
out from under him.  Luckily for him, he jumped out of the way just in
time.
 
    Tim was watching the fight in fascination, while everyone
else stood, terrified.  He saw the rex pivot and charge the anky,
hoping to get in before the tail could come back, but he wasn't fast
enough.  The ankylosaur swung his club and clocked the rex upside his
head.  The swing was only a glancing blow, however, and so the rex was
not injured.
 
    Stepping back, the rex shook his head, clearing the stars
away.  The group watched as it moved further away from them, giving
them a little room.
 
    "Guys, move along the cliff," Mr. Miller ordered quietly. 
"Keep right to the cliff face.  We need to get out of here.  Tim...
TIM!  Move!"
 
    Tim finally broke free of his fascination, and started
moving along the wall.  The others were close behind him, and Mr.
Miller was taking up the rear, keeping himself between the teens and
the dinosaurs.
 
    As they made their way, the young rex - the young and
*foolish* rex - charged the anky again.  It made it inside this time,
and bit down on the anky's back.  It got nowhere with that, as the
plates on an ankylosaur were much too hard to penetrate, and the anky
grunted in anger.  It shook the rex loose, and swung its tail full
force.
 
    The club-end of the tail impacted the ribs of the rex, and
it stumbled sideways.  It lost its balance and it staggered, slamming
hard into the cliff face before it fell to the ground.
 
    Right before Mr. Miller did.
 
    As the rex had hit the wall, Mr. Miller had been hit by its
tail.  The strength of the hit slammed his head against the rock with
massive force.  Everyone there heard the crack of bone.
 
    "*Dad!*" Kevin screamed, and ran to his side.  The others
were more circumspect, wavering between running from the dinosaurs, and
going to check on Mr. Miller.
 
    The rex made their decision easier.  It staggered drunkenly
to its feet, obviously seriously wounded.  It stumbled twice before it
made its way back into the forest.  The others stood stock-still as the
ankylosaur turned its body, and then slowly lumbered its way up the
path it had initially been walking.
 
    The kids gathered around the body of Mr. Miller.  Aly
backed away when she saw gray matter splattered on the rocks.  Tim
tried to ignore it as best he could, though he felt distinctly queasy. 
Laura ignored it all, standing to the side, waiting for everyone else
to get their act together.  Steven put his hand on Kevin's shoulder,
trying to lend support.
 
    Kevin was already sobbing.  He knew his father was dead,
and he cradled the body.  Steven could see there was absolutely nothing
he could do for Kevin, and so he went over to check on Aly.
 
    "Are you going to be okay?" he asked her quietly.
 
    "I think I'm going to be sick," she said.  He gently put
his arm around her as she bent over and heaved.
 
    Laura finally gave up her attempt at patience.  "We need to
get out of here, before that damned rex comes back!"
 
    Tim looked up at her with irritation.  "That rex is well on
its way to being *dead*.  It's hardly a threat!  Christ, Laura, Kevin
just lost his dad.  Show some humanity for once!"
 
    Laura stared daggers at him, but kept her mouth shut.  She
knew that she was outnumbered.
 
    Tim knelt next to Kevin, deliberately not looking at the
body of his physics teacher.  "Kevin, we've got to get going."
 
    Kevin looked up at him.  "Help me carry him."
 
    "Kev," Tim said as gently as he could.  "We can't take him
back with us."
 
    "We can't just *leave *him here!" Kevin cried.
 
    "What do you want us to do with him?" Laura spat.
 
    "We have to bury him!" Kevin insisted.
 
    "Kevin," Tim said, again keeping his voice neutral.  "I'd
like to.  Really, I would.  But... what do you plan on burying him
*with*?  We don't have any shovels or anything."
 
    "Then a pyre!" Kevin offered.
 
    Tim shook his head sadly.  "We can't risk a fire that big
on the grass...er... on the plains.  The plants might catch fire, and
then we'd be in deep shit."
 
    "We can't *leave him*!" Kevin screeched, lost in his
despair.
 
    "Kev, it's the only thing we can do.  Your dad wouldn't
have wanted us to put ourselves in more danger trying to care for his
body.  If we bring him back with us, it's only going to attract every
predator in the area.  We've got to leave him."
 
    "Guys... it's not a perfect answer, but what if we covered
him with fern leaves and such, over here?  It's not a very good burial,
but..." Aly offered.
 
    "But it's better than nothing," Tim finished.  "Kevin?"
 
    Kevin nodded blearily.  They respectfully carried the body
over into the brush, and laid it down.  They scooped dirt over the body
with their hands, and then lay fern leaves and other detritus on top. 
Kevin knelt over the now-indistinct lump that was his father's
makeshift grave, and said some final words.
 
    Laura, meanwhile, stamped her foot up on the rocky ledge. 
She impatiently waited for the others to finish their task.  As they
came back up, she decided to make her displeasure known.
 
    "Are you people done boo-hooing now?"
 
    "Laura," Steven said crossly, "Next time, break your ankle."
 
    "C'mon, guys," Tim said quietly.  "We've got to get back to
camp."
 
    "Who the fuck put *you* in charge?" Laura demanded.
 
    "No one.  If you guys want someone else to lead, go right
ahead.  But I sure as hell am not following you, you spiteful little
bitch."
 
    "You mother-fucking son of a-" Laura lunged at him, and
only Steven's strong arm kept her from reaching her target.  He shoved
her backward strongly.
 
    "Knock it off, Laura!  First off, Tim is team captain.  He
has every right to lead.  Second, I happen to agree with him.  We need
to get back to camp so that we can tell the others what happened.  And
I think Kev needs time to get things sorted.  So shut up and get
moving!"
 
    Laura remained at the back of the group as they headed off,
licking her wounded pride.  As they walked, Tim fell back to walk
beside Steven.
 
    "Thanks, man."
 
    "No problem, Tim.  You're the only one that really knows
these dinosaurs and has an idea of what they're like."
 
    "Yeah... but I'm not really a wilderness kind of guy, you
know?  I had to come to the wilderness to see the dinosaurs, but I'd
just as soon they'd come to the museum, you know?"
 
    Steven chuckled.  Even after the death of his teacher - an
event he was trying to submerge in his mind - he had to laugh at that.
 
    "I hear you."
 
    "You okay, Aly?" Tim said.  She was walking beside Steven,
but she was very quiet.  Now, she just nodded.  Tim eyed Steven, but he
just shrugged.
 
    Tim returned to the head of the group.
 
 
 
-----
 
 
 
    By the time they got back to the pod, a heavy rainstorm had
swept over the area, and they were soaked long before they arrived. 
When they did finally make it to the pod, Kevin went straight to his
room, without a word to the two people in the lounge.  Sloan was not in
sight.
 
    "What's the matter with him?  Miss Sheffield asked. 
Immediately, a more important question arose.  "Where is Mr. Miller?"
 
    Everyone dumped their wet items in the entrance.  Everyone
but Tim moved off to their rooms to change.  They were emotionally
spent, and weren't able to support him in telling the others.
 
    "There was an accident," Tim said sorrowfully.
 
    "An *accident*?" Jane asked, panicked.  "He was eaten,
wasn't he?"  Her words were nearly hysterical.
 
    "No, he wasn't eaten.  He wasn't even attacked.  It was an
accident."
 
    "What happened?" Sloan asked.  She'd heard Jane's scream,
and had come out of the kitchen where she'd been working to prepare
dinner.
 
    "We ran into an ankylosaur, which was okay, because it
wasn't terribly interested in us.  But then a baby rex...well, a
juvenile, anyway... came out of the forest after the anky.  In the
fight, the rex stumbled, and... ended up crushing Mr. Miller against a
rock."
 
    "Oh, god..." Sloan said.  Jane was wide-eyed.  Miss
Sheffield was trying to collect herself.
 
    "He didn't suffer any... he was dead before he even fell to
the ground... we... uh... 'buried' him in a shallow grave in the
forest.  Truth is," Tim lowered his voice to make damned sure that
Kevin wouldn't hear them, "the body is probably already being... um...
picked apart."
 
    Jane went pale, and the others were quiet.
 
    "I want out of this place," Miss Sheffield said quietly. 
Taking a deep breath, she said, "There will be no more adventures.  No
more exploring.  If you want to watch the damned dinosaurs, do it from
the bubble."
 
    Tim nodded.  He'd reached the same conclusion already. 
That is, as long as the thing he feared didn't come to pass.  He picked
up the bag of items they'd collected on the first part of their trip,
and walked over to Sloan.
 
    "You okay?" he asked her quietly.  She looked as if she
wanted to cry, but was holding it in.
 
    Sloan nodded her head, but wouldn't speak.  They both moved
back into the kitchen, where Tim set the bag on the counter.
 
    "Just some more fruits and such that we found on the
trip."  Turning to her, he asked, "Are you sure you're okay?"
 
    Sloan couldn't hold it in any longer, and she started to
weep.  Tim instinctively hugged her, and he held onto her while she
cried.  They stayed like that for a long time, until she was able to
pull herself together.  When she leaned back away from him, he let her
go, and tried to smile for her.
 
    She returned it, but the gesture was weak.  She grabbed a
towel and wiped her eyes.
 
    "Thanks," she said quietly.  He put his hand on her arm and
nodded.
 
    "I need to change," he said.  "How long to dinner?"
 
    "At least an hour.  I have to figure out how to make food
that doesn't require cooking.  It's too wet outside to build a fire."
 
    "Oh, yeah... well, maybe we should just do sandwiches,
then."
 
    "It's a thought."
 
    "Anyway, I'm gonna go get into dry clothes.  Let me know if
you need any help, okay?"
 
    "Yeah.  Thanks, Tim."
 
    "No problem."
 
 
 
-----
 
 
 
    The night passed very quietly.  No one engaged in more than
minimal conversation.  Everyone was somber, and a few were crying on
and off.  At what had become their usual bedtime, not everyone went to
bed.
 
    "You guys want to play some cards or something?" Aly
asked.  "I don't think I can sleep."
 
    Steven and Tim were the two left in the lounge.  They both
agreed, and they started playing cards.
 
    "Do you think we're going to get out of here alive?" she
asked Tim.
 
    Tim saw Steven give him a very quick shake of the head.  He
knew what Steven meant; Aly was in no position to hear the truth.  On
the other hand, he refused to lie to her.
 
    "I sure hope so," he said, straddling the fence nicely, he
thought.
 
    As they continued to play, they relaxed a little bit.  It
had been a long, tiring day, and the release of tension was necessary
for all of them.  The storm outside droned steadily on; they wondered
when it would stop.
 
    "Gin," Tim said, laying down his cards.  Steven cursed
good-naturedly.
 
    "How the hell do you do that?" he grumbled.
 
    "I've had a lot of-"
 
    Tim's remark was cut short by a very loud scream.  It had
almost been covered by a crash of thunder, but its high pitch meant it
cut through the louder noise.
 
    "That sounded like Miss Sheffield," Aly said.
 
    "Had to be pretty damned loud to make it through the
soundproofing, too," Steven offered.
 
    "Someone has to go check on her," Tim decided.
 
    "More power to you," Steven said with a chuckle.  Tim knew
that Aly wasn't going to do it; she wasn't the type.  Tim pushed his
chair back, and rose.
 
    "Guess you'll have to play the next hand by yourselves."
 
    He moved quickly to Miss Sheffield's door, and knocked. 
Then he opened the door.  He could see her, sitting up on the bed.  Her
body was shaking like a leaf.  He moved in, and closed the door behind
him.
 
    Moving to the bed, he said, "Miss Sheffield?  Miss
Sheffield, are you okay?"
 
    Tim reached out and shook her shoulder, and she cried out
again.  He could tell that she was not awake, despite her open eyes. 
He took hold of her and shook her, hard.
 
    "Miss Sheffield!" he yelled.
 
    Finally, she snapped to.  She looked around frantically,
and a flash of lightning illuminated her panicked face.  She saw Tim,
only inches from her, and she clutched at him.  He could feel her body
shaking as she took in heaving gulps of air, trying to get her body to
calm down.
 
    "Oh, God, Tim, that was awful!  Oh, fuck.  I've never...
shit."
 
    Tim held onto her until she began to settle down, and then
he gently disentangled himself.  He looked in her eyes, and he could
see the fear and anguish there.  He wished there was something he could
do, but he didn't have any clue what it would be.
 
    "It was just a dream.  Why don't you try to get back to
sleep now?" he asked, remembering the way his mother would treat him
when he was little and had a nightmare.
 
    When Tim tried to step away from Miss Sheffield, she
wouldn't let go of him.
 
    "Tim... please don't leave.  I... don't think I can be
alone right now."
 
    Tim sat down on the edge of the bed.  He and the others had
put on their pajamas, so he was well aware that neither he nor Miss
Sheffield were dressed.
 
    "Um... Miss Sheffield..."
 
    "Please, Tim?  I just need someone here with me.  Please?"
 
    Tim couldn't resist her pleading, and so he nodded.  As
Miss Sheffield lay down, he stood and lifted the covers, so he could
slide in next to her.  The bed was large enough that they weren't
crowded, but not big enough for them not to touch.
 
    "Thank you, Tim," she said, giving him a hug, and then
letting him go.  She turned over, her back to him, and then she tried
to settle.
 
    "Good night, Miss Sheffield," Tim said quietly, and then
lay down himself.  It was a long time before he finally managed to fade
off to sleep.
 
 
 
...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---...
 
 
 
Wednesday
 
 
 
    Tim slept fitfully through the night, but he didn't wake up
until the morning.  His dreams had been an odd mix of terror and
arousal, and that made him uncomfortable.
 
    What made him even more nervous was that, as he awoke, he
felt his hand resting against Miss Sheffield's side.  He was aware that
she had turned over during the night, and he could feel her soft breath
on his cheek.  Slowly, he opened his eyes.
 
    Tim was greeted by the sight of a beautiful sleeping
woman.  Miss Sheffield, he knew, was twenty-six and single.  He also
knew that she was a knockout.  His hand caressed her side of its own
accord, not doing more than moving gently back and forth.
 
    As he caressed her, Miss Sheffield mewled in her sleep, and
she moved closer to him.  He could now feel her breasts pressing
tightly into his chest.  He could barely breathe, and his morning woody
had turned into a raging hard-on in an instant.  His hand had
automatically slipped onto her back, because she'd moved faster than he
could have possibly anticipated.  He rubbed his hand across her back as
gently as he had her side, and she sighed.  It didn't really seem as if
she was waking up, for she settled once she felt his embrace.
 
    Tim looked down at her as she slept peacefully.  He had
never been this close to a girl before, let alone been in bed with
one.  Had Laura been a nicer person, or if Aly had not warned him and
he'd been caught off-guard, he would have ended up in bed with her.  He
was kind of glad he hadn't; she wasn't the kind of person he wanted to
be with.
 
    He knew he didn't stand a chance with Miss Sheffield,
either.  She had been terrified the night before, and right now, she
had no idea who was in bed with her.  She was probably dreaming about
her boyfriend, he thought.
 
    *I wonder what it would be like to kiss her*, Tim thought. 
He knew she'd never kiss him in anything more than a maternal way, but
she was asleep right now...
 
    The very idea caused Tim's cock to twitch.  He'd never
kissed a girl before.  He thought this might be his only real chance to
do so, even if she was asleep.
 
    Tim argued the idea in his mind for quite a while, as Miss
Sheffield slept on.  Finally, he came to a decision.
 
    Leaning down, he shifted himself.  That caused Miss
Sheffield to adjust, and it did two things.  First, it tilted her face
up so that he was looking straight at her.  Second, it pressed her more
tightly against him.  That wasn't really a help; he was already horny
enough.
 
    Tim was almost shaking as he leaned in.  Very lightly, he
brushed his lips against hers, then broke away, lest she immediately
wake up.  The touch had been nice, but far too brief.  Tim continued to
stroke Miss Sheffield's back, hoping that might keep her asleep, as he
gingerly pressed his lips to hers again.
 
    At first, the touch was nice.  Then, slowly, with a soft
moan, Miss Sheffield moved her lips against his.  This made the contact
much nicer.  Tim didn't really notice as her arm wrapped around him,
but they continued to kiss.
 
    Suddenly, Miss Sheffield woke up.  Her eyes opened, and
looked into Tim's.  He'd not closed his eyes, for just this
eventuality.  He broke off their kiss in a panic.
 
    "Miss Sheffield!  I...I...I'm sorry!  I... just..."
 
    Tim tried to back away, but now he realized that Miss
Sheffield was gripping him tightly.
 
    "Why did you kiss me, Tim?" she asked.
 
    Tim stammered, "I...I...I wanted to feel what it was
like..."
 
    "Did you enjoy it?" she asked quietly.
 
    "Well..." Tim said, blushing fiercely.  "It got a lot
better near the end."
 
    "You mean when I was kissing back."
 
    "Yeah," he said, unable to meet her gaze.
 
    "Kind of like this," she said, and leaned in.  Her lips
locked onto his, and the two returned to kissing.  Their lips moved
against each other for a long time, and Tim's hand continued its caress
of her back, out of sheer habit.  Miss Sheffield pressed herself fully
into Tim's body, and she could feel his erection.
 
    When they finally broke their kiss, Tim said, "I'm sorry,
Miss Sheffield.  It's just that, well, I woke up... um... like most
guys do, and you were here, and then you sort of snuggled up next to me
in your sleep, and that just sort of..."
 
    "Drove you crazy?" she said with a smile.
 
    "Well, kind of," he said, embarrassed.  "I mean, you're
really pretty, and very nice, and..."
 
    "Thank you, Tim," Miss Sheffield said, blushing herself. 
"It's okay."
 
    Miss Sheffield leaned in again, and they kissed.  She began
to caress his back now, pulling him more strongly against her.  Soon,
she slipped her tongue out to run it across his lips.  After a few
seconds, Tim got the idea and opened his mouth to admit her tongue, and
it dashed in to play with its counterpart.  Tim learned quickly, and
soon their tongues were tangoing wetly.
 
    Miss Sheffield pressed her thigh in-between Tim's legs, and
she began to gently rub his crotch.  Tim moaned into her mouth, and his
hand massaged her back more assuredly.  She was hoping he would move
his hand to a more sensitive spot, but she figured he would need
guidance.
 
    Continuing their kiss, Miss Sheffield moved her own hand
down until it rested on Tim's ass.  He gasped at that, but didn't break
their kiss.  As she molded his ass cheek, she wiggled her own body,
hoping he would get the hint.
 
    Finally, Tim got the message.  He moved his hand slowly
downward, continuing his stroking motions, until he finally was
caressing her butt.  Miss Sheffield moaned into his mouth, and that
vibration caused him to press tighter against her ass on his upstroke. 
As he brought his hand back down, he felt it pass by a fold in the
fabric... but then he was touching bare skin.  He suddenly realized
he'd gone past the hem of her nightshirt.
 
    Tim opened his eyes wide in sudden worry.  He didn't know
if she'd allow him to do that or not.  He allowed his hand to make very
small motions on her bare skin until he realized that she was not
breaking their kiss, and not tensing.  Hesitantly, he moved his hand
back up, pushing the nightshirt off her ass and giving his fingers free
access.  He distinctly noted that he felt no underwear.  As his fingers
plied her ass cheek, she moaned again, and pressed her thigh up into
his crotch, rubbing his cock with her body.
 
    Finally, after long moments of this, Miss Sheffield broke
their kiss, breathless.  Her body was quivering in arousal, and she
needed more.
 
    Tim worried that he'd somehow done something wrong.  "Miss
Sheffield-"
 
    She cut him off.  "My name is Lynn.  When we're alone,
don't call me Miss Sheffield anymore, okay?"
 
    "Okay... Lynn."
 
    She leaned in and kissed him again, and then rolled them
both, so she was on top of him.  She ground her body against him,
causing him to moan.  With one hand, she reached down, and pushed her
hand into the slit in his pajamas.  He groaned as her hand made contact
with his almost-aching dick.  She slipped it out, and he felt it rub
against her pubic hair.  He was completely lost, but enjoying every
minute of it.
 
    Lynn pushed herself upward, to a kneeling position.  She
wiggled her hips, and felt his cock twitch against her.  She smiled
down at Tim, and then reached down to grab the hem of her nightshirt. 
She pulled it off and dumped it on the bed next to them.
 
    "Oh, my God," Tim whispered, seeing her naked body for the
first time.  Her dark blonde hair fell down across her shoulders, and
that led his eyes down to her ample breasts, with their wide, pale
areolas and large nipples.  Her stomach was flat, with just the tiniest
of bulges, and her pubic hair was curly and natural.  He looked back up
her body, looking deep into her blue eyes.
 
    "You're beautiful," he said in awe.
 
    Lynn blushed, but then she leaned forward again, laying her
naked body against him.  "You're pretty good-looking, yourself," she
said.
 
    Tim blushed, and shook his head.  "I'm just plain."
 
    "Hmm.  Let's see about that."  Lynn took his pajama top and
worked it up his body.  She finally pulled it off over his head, and
looked down at him.  He was not muscular, but he was thin.  She rubbed
her hands over his chest and watched him shiver.
 
    "Well, you look good enough to me," she said, and then
leaned her chest down and rubbed her nipples across his skin.  She felt
his cock jerk when she did that, and she wanted that inside her soon. 
She laid her body on top of Tim, and kissed him passionately, their
tongues dueling.
 
    As they continued to kiss, Lynn reached down and took hold
of Tim's cock.  She positioned it at her entrance, and then paused.
 
    Lynn broke their kiss as she sat up, thus impaling herself
on Tim's iron-hard dick.  He gasped at the feel of her pussy as she
squeezed his cock, sending shivers throughout his body.
 
    Just as Lynn was fully impaled on his cock, Tim felt a
familiar sensation shoot through his body, and he knew he couldn't stop
it.  He groaned in despair as his dick erupted, spewing his load deep
into her pussy.
 
    Lynn both had and had not been ready for that.  The force
of his come was more than she'd expected, and her body shivered at it. 
But she knew he'd been too worked up.  She waited until he was done
climaxing, and then she began to squeeze his cock with her pussy.
 
    "Don't worry about it, Tim.  I'm not done with you yet."
 
    Tim opened his eyes, and she could see actual tears there. 
He looked at her in surprise.  "You're not mad at me?"
 
    She smiled sweetly, and shook her head.  "I knew you
couldn't hold out your first time.  Don't worry, we'll have you hard
again in an instant."  She leaned down again, and they kissed as she
rubbed her nipples across his chest.  Her cunt continued to squeeze his
dick, which had never gone fully soft, and was already beginning to
restiffen.
 
    Tim was shocked that he could get hard again so quickly. 
He'd never done so when he'd masturbated, but then again, he'd never
tried.
 
    As Tim continued to harden, Lynn began to rock her hips
back and forth.  Tim felt a jolt of pleasure run up his spine, and he
thought his hair was probably curling.  "Oh, God," he said softly.
 
    Lynn continued to rock until he was fully hard, and then
she sat up again, exposing her body to his hungry gaze.  She smiled at
him, and then she reached down to take his hands in hers.  She moved
his hands up, until they were cupping her breasts.  She felt him begin
to massage her tits, and he was gentler than she'd expected.  She
sighed in contentment, and then she began to rock her hips again, more
forcefully than before.
 
    Tim's eyes nearly crossed as Lynn began to move up and down
on his dick, her cunt sliding along his length as she pulsed her pussy
muscles against him.  His fingers soon found her nipples, and he began
to roll and twist them in his fingers.  Lynn was moaning now, feeling
the pleasure he was giving her.
 
    Soon, Tim's hips got into the act, starting to thrust up
into her in rhythm with her motions.  Lynn began to pant with each
thrust, and her body was heating up to the point of boiling.  She began
to push herself down onto his cock harder, grinding her pubes against
his.
 
    Suddenly, Lynn let out a loud groan, and her pussy clamped
down on Tim's cock.  She shuddered, and fell forward, laying her body
on top of Tim.  He moved his hands to her back, to hold her more
tenderly, as she continued to shudder from her climax.  His hands soon
found their way down onto her ass, and she moaned again softly.
 
    After a few moments, during which Lynn was able to catch
her breath and her senses, she leaned up and kissed Tim passionately.
 
    "Oh, God that felt good," she said when they broke the
kiss.  When Lynn rolled over, Tim thought to let her go, but she forced
him to roll with her, until he was now on top of her.  He supported his
weight on his elbows, looking down at her wonderful, beautiful face.
 
    "Well?" she said with an impish grin.
 
    "Well what?" Tim said, confused.
 
    "Do your stuff," she said, wriggling her hips so he'd get
the idea.  She smiled up at him, and he blushed.
 
    "I'm not really sure what to do," he admitted.
 
    "Oh, sure you do.  It goes in and out until we both feel
really good," she said with a grin.
 
    Tim began to move his hips, pushing his dick into her until
his pubes touched hers, and then he slid back out.
 
    Lynn sighed.  "Yes, like that."
 
    Tim leaned down to kiss her as he continued to move his
hips in and out, sliding his cock within her depths.  Lynn kissed back,
hard, and her hands wrapped around his back, pulling his body tightly
down against hers.  He was able to keep up his motions, and he felt her
hips begin to roll upward to meet his thrusts.
 
    The two continued to kiss as Tim fucked her slowly, his
movements deliberate and unhurried.  Soon, however, he felt the desire
to go faster, and so he broke their kiss.  She let him go as his hips
began to push into her faster, and she instead wrapped her legs around
his hips, her feet urging him to push deeper and faster.
 
    Tim looked down at the beautiful woman beneath him, saw her
smiling face, and her gorgeous body.  He watched in fascination as her
tits rolled on her chest with each thrust.  He leaned down and flicked
his tongue across one of her nipples, wondering if she would enjoy that
at all.
 
    "Oh, yes!" she cried out.  He felt her cunt squeeze his
dick at that.  He did it again on the other nipple, and she cried out
again.  Finally, he took one nipple between his lips and began to
nibble it and flick his tongue across it.  He noticed that Lynn's body
began to writhe against him more strongly, and her pussy was squeezing
him in rhythmic pulses that had him quickly rising toward his own
orgasm.
 
    He switched to the other breast, and Lynn was now moaning
constantly, her back arched to push her tit deeper into his mouth and
her pussy grasping at him.
 
    "Oh, fuck, Tim!  I'm going to come," she rasped.  "Come
with me!  God, I'm going to come!"  Her pussy quivered and gripped at
him as her body twisted and writhed.
 
    Tim felt her shudders begin, and he tried to thrust faster
into her.  Suddenly, she let out a loud groan, and her pussy clamped
down on him forcefully.  Her body was bucking and shuddering, and the
sensations were just too much for him.  He let loose a torrent of cum
into her pussy, and that sent her even higher.
 
    For long moments, the couple bucked and groaned on the bed,
until they both began to settle from their orgasms.  As Tim was about
to roll off her, she stopped him.
 
    "I don't want to let you go yet," she whispered to him.  He
smiled goofily, and then lay his body against hers, still supporting a
good portion of his weight on his elbows.  After a couple minutes, she
rolled to her side, so that they could be more comfortable.
 
    "Thank you so much, Tim," Lynn said.
 
    "Any time," he replied, and then blushed crimson.  She
giggled.
 
    "You know," she said, after a long moment of listening to
the still-pouring rain, "we can't do this after we get back home."
 
    Tim was very quiet.
 
    "What's the matter?" she said, fearing that he was too
attached to her, or that he would threaten her to keep a relationship
going.
 
    "I don't think we're going home," he said softly.
 
    "What do you mean?" she asked, feeling very insecure, and
glad that he was still holding her tenderly, his shrinking cock still
inside her.
 
    "I don't want to worry you or anyone else.  I just have a
deep fear that we're not leaving on Saturday."
 
    "Oh, Tim..." Lynn said, her voice almost that of a little
girl's.
 
    Tim looked deep into her eyes, and saw her fear.  His heart
broke, because he hadn't wanted to put fear there.  Leaning in, he
kissed her softly.
 
    That soft kiss led to a wet kiss.  The wet kiss led to a
passionate kiss.  The passionate kiss soon led to a hardened cock, and
that led to another round of lovemaking.
 
 
 
-----
 
 
 
    As it reached roughly mid-morning, a time that was
difficult to denote since no one had a working timepiece, and the
weather robbed them of the sun's position, Tim and Lynn climbed out of
bed.
 
    The showers in the pod worked, naturally, off electrical
pumps.  The team had thus taken to sponge bathing to keep clean.  It
wasn't very satisfying, but it was sanitary.  They kept small bowls of
water in their rooms for the purpose.
 
    "Lynn..." Tim said, getting her attention.
 
    "Yeah?"
 
    "Can I... can I bathe you?"
 
    She turned to him with a sweet smile.  "I think I'd like
that."
 
    Lynn went over and sat on the towel she put on the floor
for this purpose.  Tim took the soap and lathered his hands, and then
began to work over Lynn's body.
 
    In order to distract herself from the wonderful feelings
her young lover was giving her, Lynn asked, "What is it that worries
you about us getting home?"
 
    Tim didn't stop his movements as he said, "You probably
don't want to know."
 
    "Are you saying I shouldn't know?"
 
    "More like you're happier not knowing."
 
    Lynn shivered because of where Tim's hands were.  "Well,
you've made me pretty happy so far today.  I guess I'll let you keep
your little secret."
 
    Tim smiled, and then he leaned down to kiss her on the
neck, a spot he'd learned she liked to be kissed.  She smiled softly,
mostly to herself, and then he continued.
 
 
 
-----
 
 
 
    After Lynn finished bathing Tim - she had insisted - Lynn
dressed.  Tim put his pajamas back on, and both made sure they looked
somewhat presentable.  They didn't hold out a lot of hope that no one
would catch on, but they'd not stayed in bed *too* long, so there was a
chance.
 
    Before they left the room, Lynn embraced Tim, and then she
kissed him passionately.
 
    "Thank you for helping me last night," she said.
 
    "Thanks for not getting mad at me this morning," he replied.
 
    "I'm glad it happened," she whispered softly, and kissed
him again.
 
    Just before she opened the door, she said, "Tim?"
 
    "Yeah?"
 
    "If we don't make it out of here..."
 
    He knew what she was thinking.  He ran his hand along her
side.  "Let's worry about that on Sunday, okay?"
 
    "Okay."  She kissed him on the cheek, and then opened the
door.  He darted across the hall to his own room, which was right
across from hers.  He shut the door, and took a deep breath.
 
    *You're in way over your head, buddy.*  He'd postponed the
conversation about what they would do if they were stuck here because
he didn't know *what* to do about her.  The morning had been a happy
accident; he didn't know if he had any real feelings for her, or if she
really felt more for him than the fact that he was there when she'd
needed help.
 
    *Worry about it later,* he decided.
 
 
 
-----
 
 
 
    "Morning, Tim," Sloan said when he made it out to the
lounge.  He was surprised that the only other people there were Lynn
and Jane.
 
    "Hey.  Where is everybody?"
 
    "Sleeping, mostly.  Kevin was out here about an hour ago,
but he wouldn't say anything, and he didn't eat.  I'm worried about
him."
 
    "He'll be okay," Tim said hopefully.  "Losing his dad...
and right in front of him... it's got to be hard on him, you know?"
 
    "Was it really as quick as you said it was?" Jane asked,
concerned.
 
    "Yeah," Tim nodded.  "One second, he's just standing out of
the way... we were all trying to get away from the fight... and the
next, it's like... *wham*! and he's on the ground.  I'm not even sure
he would have felt anything."
 
    "Probably not," Lynn told him.  "If he died faster than the
brain can process pain..."
 
    Tim nodded.  No one really wanted to think about it.
 
    "What's for breakfast?" Tim asked.
 
 
 
-----
 
 
 
    Being stuck in and around the pod made for a very dull
day.  Kevin stayed in his room, immersed in darkest despair.  Laura
stayed in her room, because no one wanted her around.  Sloan was out
picking fruits, now that the rain had stopped.  She was in sight of the
pod, and Aly and Lynn were both watching her like a hawk from the
observation dome. Jane was also in the observation dome, getting a tan.
 
    Steven was fiddling with the busted computer when Tim came
to him.  Tim had already made sure of the activities of everyone else
before he decided to have this conversation.
 
    "Steven, I've got a question."
 
    "Shoot," he said.
 
    "Have you spotted the homing device?"
 
    "Homing device?"
 
    "Well, the lock-on device.  The piece of equipment that
TimeTrippers uses to keep track of us, to bring us back."
 
    "I wouldn't even know what it looks like.  Why are you
worried about that?"
 
    Tim took a deep breath.  He was surprised no one else was
thinking of this.
 
    "Because it is almost certainly electronic."
 
    Steven paled instantly.  "Are you saying..."
 
    "We might be stuck here.  We need to find it.  If it's
*not* electronic, then we're cool.  We just have to survive until
Saturday, noon, when they'll bring us back.  If it is, then it is
probably as non-functional as all the other electronics, and-"
 
    "And we're stuck here?  *Fuck!*" he hissed.
 
    "Yeah.  So... let's see if we can find it, okay?"
 
    "Good idea... but... why not just wait until Saturday, and
see what happens?"
 
    "Because that's three days from now.  Three days when we
could be creating weapons and tools for when our food runs out at the
end of next week."
 
    Steven nodded.  The two began to open panels, looking for
they knew not what.
 
    As they worked, Steven finally got up the guts to ask,
"Say, what happened with you and Miss Sheffield?  You went into her
room, and we went to bed... oh, half an hour later, but we never saw
you come back out..."
 
    Tim was grateful that Steven wasn't looking him in the
face, because he blushed furiously.  Getting himself under control, he
finally said, "She was having nightmares.  She asked me to stay with
her for a while, so she could get back to sleep."
 
    Steven sensed he wasn't getting the whole story, but he let
it ride.  "That's cool.  She's taking Mr. Miller's death kinda hard...
you think they were an item?"
 
    "Nah.  She's just out of her element.  She's a bio teacher,
and they don't do many field trips, you know?"
 
    "I hear that!" Steven said with a chuckle.
 
    "Still... she'll be helpful if anyone gets seriously hurt."
 
    "You mean, without getting killed," Steven said deadpan.
 
    "Yeah," Tim replied in kind.
 
    "I'm not finding anything," Steven said, to change the
subject.
 
    "Are these the only places it could be?  There aren't any
other panels?"
 
    "Well... you know, there are some panels in the hallway
ceiling..."
 
    Tim nodded.  "Yeah.  I have no idea what those are for.  We
should look there."
 
    They grabbed a chair and moved it into the hallway.  Steven
stood up on the chair, and opened the panel.
 
    "Holy shit..."
 
    "What?"
 
    "You better look at this.  I have no idea what I'm seeing."
 
    They switched places, and Tim looked up at the strange
collection of wires, circuit boards, and what appeared to be tachyon
flux tubes.  He reached up and gently touched one of the tubes.  It was
cold to the touch.
 
    "Oh, shit," Tim said, stepping down.
 
    "What?"
 
    "Well, I'm no expert, mind you, but I've seen tachyon flux
tubes before.  They're only used in time travel devices.  Those are
cold.  They should be at least warm."
 
    "So it's dead?"
 
    Tim looked down the hallway, and then motioned Steven into
his room.  They went in and closed the door, locking it.
 
    "Okay, yeah, it appears to be dead.  Unless they've got
some kind of system that powers all the way down when not in use, but
then it would have to *create* tachyons, because the purpose of a flux
tube is to keep the tachyons in one place.  But it's possible that's
what it does, so I can't say for *certain* it's dead."
 
    "But all the other electronics are."
 
    "Right."
 
    "And that's electronic."
 
    "Right."
 
    "If *A* and *B*, then *C*..." Steven began.  "If all
electronics are dead, and that is electronic, then that's dead."
 
    "Syllogisms don't always work in the real world," Tim said,
trying to maintain some vestige of hope.
 
    "Right.  You want to chance it?"
 
    "No.  But I don't want to scare everyone else, either."
 
    "Good idea.  What do you want to do?"
 
    "You and I need to start making some preparations for
staying here.  We need weapons and tools.  We need to make implements
for writing and keeping records."
 
    "What for?"
 
    "Just in case they find a way to rescue us.  We'll need to
know how old we are, and when we get injured, things like that. 
Besides, it's a tradition.  You have to keep journals when you're
stranded."
 
    Steven chuckled despite the situation.  "Okay, okay. 
Anything else?"
 
    "Not right now.  We'll have a week where everyone can help
us prepare.  I think if we make some weapons and tools in the next few
days, it'll be a good start."
 
    "Okay.  Good thinking, man."
 
    "Yeah... my good thinking got us into this mess."
 
    "Nah, there were four others, remember?"
 
    "Yeah, right.  Kevin wanted to go to the Middle Ages.  Aly
would have gone wherever I went.  Had I picked something else..."
 
    "Didn't happen, though.  Besides, you're the one who knows
these dinosaurs best."
 
    "And I barely know them at all, really."
 
    "Cheer up.  You're still alive..."
 
    It was not the best thing to say.  The conversation ended
at that point, as Tim left the room.  Steven knew he'd put his foot in
his mouth, but decided there was no way to fix it.  He went off to find
some tool-making materials.
 
 
 
-----
 
 
 
    "Steven, what are you doing?" Lynn asked.
 
    Steven was sitting on an overturned log near the pod, using
a knife to whittle on a heavy branch.  He shrugged.
 
    "Bored.  Decided to see how tough it would be to make
stone-age style weapons."
 
    "I...see," Lynn said, though clearly she didn't.  She
decided to leave him alone, and he continued to carve a groove into the
wood.  He had found a good piece of obsidian and a hard rock, and he
hoped that he would be able to create a sharp edge with them.  They
couldn't risk using their kitchen knives as weapons; they were too
fragile, and too important to Sloan's work.  He spent his afternoon and
a good portion of his evening shaping his spearhead.
 
 
 
-----
 
 
 
    As the evening drew to an end, Tim and Steven were sitting
outside by the cook fire, which had simply been allowed to burn,
talking over some ideas.  Tim had come up with a few things they could
make out of vines and other lumber pieces.  Steven had finished his
spear... at least as much as he felt he needed to.  He would work on
his shaping technique to get a better edge, but he figured what he had
would be lethal enough.
 
    As they talked, they saw Lynn approaching.  They became
silent as she reached them.
 
    "Tim, can I talk to you for a minute?"
 
    Steven stood up.  "I'm gonna head to bed.  I'll see you
both in the morning."
 
    Before either of them could say anything, Steven was on his
way into the pod.
 
    "Did you tell him about us?" she asked.
 
    Tim shook his head.  "No... he probably just wants to give
you some privacy."
 
    "I appreciate that more than he'll ever know," she said,
sitting down on the log beside Tim.  He dragged his foot in the dirt,
conveniently erasing the diagram he'd put there.
 
    "I've been thinking about this morning," she said softly.
 
    "Oh."
 
    "Are you sorry it happened?" she asked.
 
    Tim thought for a moment.  "Not really.  Not unless it
upset you."
 
    She gently put her arm in his, and laid her head on his
shoulder.  "I'm not."
 
    Tim shivered at her touch.  He liked having her that close
to him, but he was a little disconcerted.  He stood up, very gently
disengaging from her, and then he started to dump dirt on the fire. 
She waited while he did that, and then they went inside, closing the
door for the night.  They extinguished the torch/lantern they had
managed to create for light, and then they moved into the hallway.
 
    Tim hesitated, not sure which way to turn.  Lynn took his
hand, and pulled him into her room.  She pulled him over to the bed,
and they sat down together.
 
    "You don't really have any interest in me, do you?" she
asked.  "I was just... there?"
 
    Tim was not ready to have this conversation.  Lynn was
obviously not going to give him any choice in the matter, however.
 
    "I don't know.  You're beautiful, and you're very nice, and
I like you, but..."
 
    "But?"
 
    "But I don't really know anything about relationships," he
admitted.
 
    "Oh.  I guess I seem kind of pushy, huh?"
 
    "It's okay," he assured her.
 
    "It's just... you and Steven have me worried.  You're both
doing strange things, and you mentioned us not going home, and..." he
could see she was near tears, and so he wrapped his arm around her, and
held onto her.
 
    "Try not to let it worry you.  One way or the other,
there's nothing you can do about it."
 
    "That's what worries me most.  I'm next to useless in these
conditions."
 
    Tim thought for a moment.  He didn't know what to tell
her.  He didn't want her thinking about the things that might make her
skills useful: injury, poisoning, disease.  On the other hand, she
needed to know that she was important to someone.
 
    Tim leaned in and he kissed her.  She kissed back hungrily,
and the two fell back on the bed, their conversation ended for the
night.
 
 
 
...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---...
 
 
 
Thursday
 
 
 
    When Tim awoke, he found himself comfortably tucked in next
to Lynn.  They had worn each other out and fallen asleep.  He did not
remember the covers being this organized when they finished, so he
figured that Lynn had gotten up at some point during the night and
straightened up.  He gently pulled her close, and she came readily,
never stirring in her sleep.
 
    It was disconcerting to him that they had so quickly
repeated their encounter.  It wasn't that he didn't want her, he just
didn't know what she wanted from him.
 
    As he caressed her body, Lynn began to stir from her
slumber.  Soon, she opened her eyes and saw him watching her.
 
    "Hi," she said quietly.  He leaned down and gave her a soft
kiss, which he made sure to keep gentle, rather than building.  He was
too confused to go at it again.
 
    Lynn knew that he was disturbed, and she had no intention
of asking more of him.  She snuggled against him and lay there quietly,
letting herself wake up slowly.  It was a luxury she wasn't used to
having, and it was very nice to be allowed to wake up in the arms of a
man at her own pace.
 
    Tim stroked her hair softly while he thought about things,
and she managed to get her thoughts marching in a row.  Finally, she
did move against him, and he let her up.
 
    Lynn leaned up and kissed him again.  The kiss was
passionate, but brief.  He looked into her eyes and saw an indefinable
emotion.
 
    "You know," she said softly, "I guess I should say that you
do have a choice of girls here."
 
    "Huh?" Tim asked, utterly confused.
 
    Lynn giggled.  "I told her you didn't know.  She didn't
believe me."
 
    "What are you talking about?"
 
    "Sloan is sweet on you."
 
    Tim arched his eyebrows, and then closed his eyes, rubbing
them with his free hand.  Finally, he opened them and looked at her. 
"You're right; I didn't know.  You're not teasing, are you?"
 
    Lynn shook her head.  "Sloan and I are close.  I've been
advising her all year on college things, life, boys... the usual
stuff.  Her home life is pretty crappy, I gather.  She told me a few
months ago that she liked you, but she just couldn't bring herself to
say anything."
 
    "You shouldn't be telling me this, should you?" Tim said.
 
    Lynn shrugged.  "If we're going to be stuck here, I don't
want her to be miserable.  I don't think she's ever going to tell you
how she feels."
 
    "But... wouldn't you be miserable?  *If* we're stuck here,
and I picked her instead?"
 
    "Well, I don't think I'd be happy about it.  Maybe we could
share you!" Lynn giggled.  "We could alternate days!"
 
    Tim chuckled.  "I'm not sure she'd go for it.  But then I
clearly don't know her as well as I should."
 
    "No, you don't.  That's why I told you.  No one else here
really likes her that much.  Oh, some, like Steven, are nice to her,
but he doesn't associate with her.  I saw you two in the kitchen
yesterday.  No one else would have done that for her."
 
    Tim shrugged, blushing.  "I was just trying to..."
 
    "To be her friend.  Yes, I know.  That's my point.  Just
think about it, okay?"
 
    "Okay."  He kissed her softly again.  "Want me to wash your
back again?"
 
    "Along with the rest of me, yes."
 
 
 
-----
 
 
 
    As Tim came out of Lynn's room, he heard something clang
against the wall next to him.  He turned abruptly to see what that
was.  Sloan soon followed the tray that had been thrown out the door,
and then closed it.
 
    "What the hell?" Tim asked.
 
    "It's Kevin.  I can't get him to eat anything.  He hasn't
washed, he looks horrible... Can you talk to him?"
 
    Tim shook his head.  "I wouldn't even know what to say to
him, Sloan.  Sorry.  I never even knew my dad."
 
    "Deserted you and your mom?" she asked softly.
 
    Tim shook his head.  "Killed in the Mars Rebellion when I
was two.  Mom never remarried."
 
    "I'm so sorry," Sloan said, touching his arm.  Tim smiled,
remembering what Lynn had just told him.
 
    "It's okay.  It doesn't bother me.  But I sure don't know
what to tell Kevin."
 
    "Okay.  I just... worry."
 
    "Nothing wrong with worrying."
 
    "So long as it's kept in moderation," Lynn said, suddenly
appearing in her doorway.  "Good morning, you two," she said.  Both of
them greeted her good morning, and they went back out to the lounge to
eat their own breakfasts.
 
 
 
-----
 
 
 
    The day wore on slowly, and everyone was either irritable
or bored.  At lunch, Sloan and Lynn both tried to coax Kevin out of his
room, only to be cursed at and told to leave.  They knew that something
had to turn around for Kevin, or he would suffer some kind of breakdown.
 
    "If he already hasn't," Steven said.
 
    Lynn nodded sadly, having to accede the point.
 
    Tim was doodling in the dirt, listening to their
conversation, but not participating in it.  Jane was in the observation
dome tanning herself again, and Laura was still in her room.  Tim
looked up, to watch Sloan and Aly picking nuts off a nearby tree.  He
watched Sloan intently, thinking about the way she'd acted around him
for the last few months.  He was too dense, obviously, to see the
signs, even now.
 
    And he was also missing another sign.  The signs he was
missing now were important ones.  By the time Tim recognized what he
saw, it was too late.
 
    The troodon sprang from the forest, pushing Sloan to the
ground, and landing on top of her.  Aly screamed and ran away from the
beast.  It had already slashed Sloan's abdomen, but not deeply.  It was
about to strike its fatal blow.
 
    Both Steven and Tim rose, screaming at the beast as they
ran forward.  The animal, unused to such noise, looked up in
startlement, its head jerking back to look at them.  Tim was slower and
warier than Steven, because he didn't really know what to do with the
creature.  Steven, on the other hand, was running flat out.
 
    Though he wasn't on any sports teams, Steven was still in
good shape.  He lowered his shoulder, and barreled into the dinosaur at
full speed, grasping it around the midsection and tackling it.  The two
tumbled off Sloan, and they rolled twice before coming to a stop. 
Steven was able to stop them with him on the bottom.  The troodon's
feet waved in the air, its arms wriggling in fury.  It screeched and
hissed at them, making an awful noise, but Steven held on tightly.  His
arms got scratched, but he refused to let go.
 
    "Would someone kill this damned thing?" he screamed.
 
    Tim had watched his friend assault the dinosaur with a
mixture of awe and incredulity.  It had never occurred to Tim that,
since the dino weighed less than the people did, attacking it head-on
was viable... except that it had claws and teeth.
 
    Thinking quickly, Tim turned and grabbed the spear that
Steven had been working on.  He rushed over... but he had no idea how
to use the weapon.  The animal was thrashing about, trying to kick
anything it could.
 
    On the way over, Tim had seen Sloan holding her stomach. 
The sight had angered him.  He grabbed the end of the spear and used it
as a club.
 
    "Stop," he screamed at the dinosaur as the spear came down
and hit it in the head, "trying," another hit, "to eat," a third hit,
which cut the animal's face, "my friends!" he screamed, swinging
sideways and catching the animal in the side of the head, causing it to
jerk violently, and Steven couldn't keep hold.  The animal rolled to
its feet, and Steven was in no position to do anything at all.
 
    Tim had no idea what he was doing, he was acting on
instinct.  He changed his grip on the spear, holding it like a baseball
bat.  He began swinging it back and forth in the air, and the troodon
backed up.
 
    "Ya!  Go on, Scarface!  Get the hell out of here!  Go on,
Ya!"
 
    The animal hissed one last time, but the blood was dripping
off its snout, and into its mouth.  The dino knew it was injured, and
it dropped its head, then bounded off into the jungle.
 
    Tim dropped the spear instantly, and then he looked down at
Steven.
 
    "You okay?" he asked.
 
    "Yeah," Steven gasped.  "Why the fuck didn't you *stab* it?"
 
    "What the hell do I know about killing dinosaurs?"  He
turned his attention immediately to Sloan, who was groaning in pain. 
He knelt beside her and put his hand on her cheek.
 
    Lynn was there in seconds.  "Let me see, Sloan," she said,
gently prying Sloan's hands away.  To keep her hand occupied - or at
least, that's what he told himself - Tim took hold of Sloan's hand and
squeezed.  She looked up at him with tears of pain in her eyes.  He
knew she was grateful for his presence; he didn't need to see her smile.
 
    Tim averted his gaze, because the rip in Sloan's shirt was
very close to exposing her breasts.  He kept his eyes locked on her
face, and she kept hers locked on his gaze.
 
    "How bad is it?" she asked him.  This was silly, because he
had no idea.
 
    "You hang in there," he said quietly.
 
    "It doesn't look too bad," Lynn said after a minute. 
"You're going to need a couple stitches, and that's going to hurt like
hell, because we don't have any anesthetic, but I know how to do them. 
It's a slash mark, and a puncture wound from that damned claw, but
nothing deep.  Alcohol to clean it out and sterilize it, and then some
stitches and bandaging, and you'll be all right.  We were very lucky."
 
    "Yeah, we were," Tim said, still not looking away from
Sloan's eyes.
 
 
 
-----
 
 
 
    Sloan was certain that the people in her own time had heard
her scream as she'd had alcohol poured into her wound to clean it out. 
The pain of the stitches afterward was barely noticeable,
comparatively.  She had spent her night sitting on the couch, which was
far more comfortable than sitting on a log outside.  Someone else had
cooked dinner, and Lynn and Tim had sat with her to eat.  She was
grateful for Lynn's presence.  She was more so for Tim's.
 
    After dinner, Tim, Steven and Aly had asked her to play
cards with them.  Tim sat next to her and made sure she remained
comfortable.  The four made the evening pass by quickly with cards and
stories.
 
    The night soon ended, and Steven and Aly headed for bed.
 
    "I need to go to the bathroom," Sloan said.
 
    "Let me help you up," Tim said quickly.  Once standing, it
was clear that Sloan would have trouble walking by herself.
 
    "Can you help me?  Everyone else is in bed..."
 
    "Okay, sure," he said softly.  They grabbed the necessary
accoutrements on the way out the door, and walked around to the back of
the pod.  No one really wanted to go near the trees now, but some
things were unavoidable.  Tim kept his gaze up and out, looking for
danger, so that he would not accidentally see anything that he wasn't
supposed to.
 
    Soon enough, Sloan was done.  Tim made quick work of his
own bodily functions, and then he took hold of Sloan to help her back
to the pod.  He helped her to her room after closing up the pod, and
laid her down on her bed.
 
    "I..." Sloan started.
 
    "What's the matter?" Tim asked.
 
    "I really can't bend very well.  Could you get Miss
Sheffield to help me undress?  I don't want to embarrass you..."
 
    "I think Miss Sheffield is already asleep," Tim said
truthfully.  "I'll help, if you want me to."
 
    "Thank you."  She unfastened her jeans while Tim removed
her shoes and socks.  He was *very* careful about pulling her jeans
down; he didn't want to accidentally pull her panties off with them. 
After that, he helped her sit up.
 
    "Has that got it?" he asked gently.  "Do you need
anything?  Drink of water?  Another blanket?"
 
    "No, thank you," she said with a smile that was part
wince.  He knew she was in pain, and he put his hand on her arm to show
support.
 
    Sloan pushed past her fear and wrapped her arms around
him.  She was happy that he didn't even flinch, but put his arms around
her and gave her a tender hug.  She held him as long as she thought she
could get away with, then released him.
 
    "Thanks so much," she said quietly.
 
    "No problem," Tim replied.  "I'll see you in the morning...
um...  I'll remind Miss Sheffield to help you in the morning, okay?  So
you can get cleaned up and such..."
 
    "Thanks, Tim.  Good night."
 
    As Tim left, Sloan struggled to remove her shirt.  It hurt
like hell, and she dropped the shirt on the floor.  She was not wearing
a bra, thankfully, so she didn't have to struggle in that manner.
 
    As she lay down and pull the covers over her, she thought,
*I'd just as soon your hands were running over my naked body, Tim...* 

    With that thought, she drifted off to sleep.
 
 
 
...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---...
 
 
 
Friday
 
 
 
    Tim grumbled slightly as he was jostled in his bed.  He
slowly came awake as he felt someone softly stroking his ear.  He
twitched; it tickled.  Finally, his mind surrendered to the fact that
he was going to have to wake up.
 
    Upon opening his eyes, he was not surprised, but immensely
pleased, to see Lynn staring at him.  She had gone to bed well before
he had, and so he'd slept alone in his own bed the night before.  She
snuggled close to him.
 
    "I missed you last night," she said in the cutest pout.
 
    "Sorry," he said, and kissed her to keep her from pouting
some more.
 
    After they separated, she said, "Get up.  I need help
making breakfast."
 
    "I can't cook," he objected.
 
    "Neither can I.  Hopefully we'll cancel each other out and
produce something good."
 
    Tim laughed, but he nodded.  "Okay."
 
    Stretching, he sat up, and twisted his body around, trying
to get out all the kinks and cricks.  Finally, he rose from the bed and
got his clothes.  He noticed Lynn watching him the entire time.  He
tried not to blush, but he didn't succeed.
 
    "All right, *madame*," Tim said, pushing her gently up
against the wall and kissing her.  "What shall we make for breakfast?"
 
    "Beats me.  Food, of some kind, I suppose."
 
    Tim laughed, and then they went out to inspect the pantry.
 
 
 
-----
 
 
 
    Making breakfast had been an exercise in futility. 
Ultimately, they'd ended up with scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast, but
only on the third try.  Cooking wasn't too hard.  Making a fire wasn't
too hard.  Cooking on the fire was nearly impossible for either of them.
 
    They'd gotten the job done, and fed themselves, and both
Steven and Aly, who had risen.  Just as they were finishing up, Jane
came out.  Laura followed shortly thereafter, her surly mood unimproved
from the day before.  She sat and began her breakfast without so much
as a word.
 
    Tim was fixing another plate when she stared at him.  "You
already ate."
 
    "It's not for me, if it's any of your business."
 
    "Why waste food on Kevin?  He's just going to throw it at
you," Laura mocked.
 
    "If Kevin wants food, he can damned well come out and get
it," Tim said.  "His legs ain't broke."
 
    At that, Tim walked away.
 
    "So who the fuck is he taking food to?" she asked no one in
particular.  Nobody bothered to answer her.  The fact that she
completely ignored the one person not mentioned and not present annoyed
all of them.
 
    Tim took the tray down the hall and knocked on the door. 
He opened it just a crack so he could hear the reply.
 
    "Sloan?" he said, when he didn't hear an answer.
 
    "C'mon in," she said quietly.  He opened the door, and he
was shocked to see the look of pain on her face.
 
    "Are you okay?" he asked, rushing to her side.  He set the
tray down on the built-in nightstand, and sat next to her on the bed. 
He put his hand on her forehead, checking for a fever.  She didn't have
one, but she was sweating profusely.
 
    "It's been hurting all night," she said through gritted
teeth.  "I didn't sleep more than an hour at a time."
 
    "Aw, shit... Sloan, I... I don't know what to do.  Did you
try to take some Tylevil?"
 
    She shook her head back and forth.  "I can't even stand up,
Tim... it hurts so bad..."
 
    Tim's heart went out to her, and he brushed her damp hair
out of her face.
 
    "Let me go get you a painkiller, and I'll be right back."
 
    She nodded, and he hurried out to the lounge.  First, he
called for Lynn to come in, and then he walked over to the first aid
kit.
 
    "What's the matter?" she asked.
 
    "She's in massive amounts of pain.  How much of this can
she take safely?"
 
    Lynn read the bottle.  "Three.  Is it an infection?"
 
    "She doesn't have a fever... or at least, her forehead's
not hot.  Let me take the thermometer in, too.  Or... should you do it?"
 
    "She'll feel better if you do it, Tim," Lynn assured him.
 
    "Okay.  Three of these... she needs to eat with these,
right?"
 
    "Yes."
 
    "I'm not going to be much help today, I guess.  I want to
stay with her."
 
    "That's fine, Tim," Lynn said with a soft smile.  He took
the things back as Lynn went back outside.
 
    Sloan didn't look any better when he came back into the
room.  He closed the door, and then he sat on the bed.  He put his hand
on her shoulder, and rubbed his thumb gently across her skin.
 
    "I need to take your temperature before I give you the
medicine."
 
    "Why?"
 
    "To make sure you don't have a fever.  That could mean an
infection."
 
    "Shit, not after what she did to me!"
 
    "Humor me?"
 
    Sloan let him slip the manual thermometer - who the hell
used a *manual* thermometer anymore, he wondered - into her mouth.  In
another minute, he pulled it out, and checked it.
 
    "Okay, that's normal... actually, a little low."
 
    "I normally am a little low."
 
    "Okay.  Take these."  He handed her the pills, and the
water.  She worked to swallow them, finally managing it.  She handed
him the glass back.
 
    "You need to eat something, or the pills will come right
back up."  Tim grabbed the tray, and set it in front of her, handing
her a fork.
 
    "Who made this?" she asked.  It was hardly a "proper"
breakfast, by her standards.
 
    "I did," he said, figuring to take the blame for it, rather
than having her hate Lynn.
 
    "Thank you," she said.  She very slowly and deliberately
ate the food.  Tim could see the agony on her face, but she toughed it
out.
 
    Finally, the food was gone, and Tim took the tray and set
it on the nightstand again.  He took a wash cloth, and wet it in her
water basin.  Then he wiped her face off.  The cool water felt good to
her.  He wiped her face again, and then he did her arms and hands,
before setting the cloth back on the stand.  He sat back down and
looked at her with concern.
 
    "Are you feeling any better?" he asked.
 
    "Some," she admitted.  "The pain isn't so bad... kind of a
dull ache, instead of the sharp pangs I was having."
 
    "That's good," he said.
 
    "Are you leaving now?" she asked.  He could see the worry
in her eyes.  Even he wasn't dense enough to miss that.
 
    Taking a chance, he turned his body and sat back against
the headboard, like she was doing.  He put his arm around her shoulder,
and squeezed.
 
    "No, I'm not leaving.  I told Miss Sheffield that I was
going to look after you today."
 
    Sloan leaned against him.  Despite the pain, having him
hold her felt good.  She felt a little dopey, probably from the
medication.
 
    "Thank you," she murmured.  Tim raised his hand from her
shoulder to stroke her hair, but he didn't say anything.  In just a few
short minutes, she was asleep.
 
 
 
-----
 
 
 
    Steven and Aly were sitting in the observation dome.  Jane
was taking a break from sunbathing; she didn't want to get burned.  The
two were sitting on the floor, looking out at the dinosaurs.  The para
herd was in the distance, munching on the low vegetation.
 
    Aly said, "I still can't believe Mr. Miller's dead."
 
    "Yeah.  It's kind of hard to wrap my mind around.  Still,
we've got to move on."
 
    "I don't think Kevin can."
 
    Steven kept his peace about that.
 
    "What do you plan to do when you get home?" she asked.
 
    Steven stumbled over his answer to that.  Like Tim, he was
reasonably sure he wasn't getting home.  Finally, he said, "Why do you
ask?"
 
    "Just wondering.  I don't really talk to any of my school
friends over the summer.  Really, I don't think I have any friends..."
 
    "Oh, c'mon now, that can't be true.  You're a very nice
person."
 
    Aly blushed.  "Thank you," she said quietly.
 
    "Isn't there anyone you talk to from home?"
 
    She shook her head.  "Not since Mom and I moved out of our
old house."
 
    "You mentioned the divorce."
 
    "Yeah, Mom took me and our stuff and we just left.  I still
don't know exactly what was going on, and I'm supposed to tell the
judge on Tuesday which of my parents I want to go with.  How the hell
should I know?  I don't know why they split up."
 
    "Well, most kids like one parent more than the other..."
 
    Aly shrugged.  "My parents... they tried, really, but they
never understood me.  They're not the brightest people on the planet."
 
    "How in the world did they have you, then?" he asked,
hoping to get a smile.
 
    Aly blushed, and then shrugged.  "Dunno.  All I know is
they sort of distanced themselves from me over the years.  They let me
do whatever I wanted, not that I wanted to do much."
 
    Steven had an impulse, and ran with it.  He reached out and
took Aly's hand, squeezing it gently.
 
    "I'm sorry your life hasn't been happy," he said softly.
 
    Aly looked down at her hand in surprise, and then she
smiled very softly.  She scooted a little closer to Steven.
 
    "It's not your fault.  Things could be a lot worse, I
suppose."
 
    *Yeah, you could be stuck seventy million years in the
fucking past,* Steven told himself sarcastically.
 
    "What about you?  What is your family like?"
 
    Steven shrugged.  "Two parents, a brother, younger than
me.  Two dogs, a cat, and a bird.  They're like a freakin' picture
postcard."
 
    "A what?"
 
    "A... um... a snap-vid-mail."
 
    "Oh.  That bad?"
 
    "My mom likes to play the role of perfect mom.  Dad is less
of a pain, except when Mom is on his case.  Mostly, they just want to
keep up with the neighbors.  You know, the new hovercar every two
years, the pool in the back yard... it gets old.  They don't seem to
have any *real* dreams or goals."
 
    "Maybe that was their dream."
 
    Steven shuddered.  "God, I hope not."
 
    "Not your kind of thing?"
 
    "No.  I want to be able to say I've done something no one
else has, when I die."
 
    "No one else has been to see dinosaurs..." Aly offered.
 
    "Sure they have.  You're here with me."  He squeezed her
hand again, and this time she giggled.  It was a sound that trilled
sweetly in his ears.
 
 
 
-----
 
 
 
    Around lunch time, Tim awoke.  He'd fallen asleep next to
Sloan, who was just now coming awake, as well.
 
    "Hi there," he said softly.
 
    "Hi," she replied.  She winced in pain.
 
    "Is it bad?" he asked immediately.
 
    She shook her head.  "No, just... it's there constantly."
 
    "I'm sorry," he said.  He stroked her hair gently.
 
    "You don't have to stay here all day, you know," she
offered.
 
    Tim ignored the statement.  "I wonder what they'll make for
lunch."
 
    Sloan smiled, realizing he had heard her just fine.  She
turned her head to face him, and she said, "Why are you being so nice
to me?"
 
    "Because someone has to look after you... and I like you."
 
    Sloan blushed, but she smiled.  That lasted for a second
before a look of doubt crossed her face.
 
    "What's the matter?" he asked.
 
    "I'm not very pretty," she said.
 
    "Says who?" he challenged, a little too strongly.  She
looked up at him, and he realized he needed to soften his tone.  "I
think you look just fine, Sloan."
 
    "But I'm fat," she objected.
 
    He shrugged.  "I don't look at you that way, I guess."
 
    Sloan tried to indicate as best she could what she wanted
with her eyes.  Only because he'd seen the look in Lynn's eyes already
did he recognize it.  He leaned in and very softly, their lips
connected.  The kiss was tender, and electric.  It lasted for a long
moment, and they embraced carefully, because of her injuries.  Only the
sudden noise outside jolted their quiet moment together.
 
    Tim's head jerked, luckily not causing Sloan any
discomfort.  He let go of her, and he walked to the door, opening it. 
Across the hall, in Kevin's room, Steven was standing over him with a
bucket of water.
 
    "I've had it with you!" Steven screamed.  Lynn was about to
enter the room, but Tim stepped forward, stopping her.  She looked at
him crossly, but he just shook his head.  He didn't think this would be
effective, but he didn't want Lynn to get hurt by getting in the middle
of it.
 
    "Mind your own fucking business!" Kevin howled, his pain
evident in his voice.
 
    Steven took the bucket and dumped it over Kevin's head.
 
    "If you won't wash yourself, I will wash you!  You can sit
in here and sulk for the rest of your life, or you can try to *honor*
your father by living the best life you can!  You think he'd want you
sitting in here like a freakin' lab specimen?"
 
    "Get the fuck away from me!" Kevin howled again.
 
    Steven snarled.  "You are fucking *worthless*!"  Steven
turned and stomped out of the room, moving past the others.  Tim looked
at Kevin, who was staring into oblivion, now that the direct threat to
his solitary hell was gone.
 
    When Lynn made to enter the room, Tim stopped her again. 
"You can't help him," Tim said.  "He won't even accept your advice."
 
    "Chauvinist?" she asked.
 
    Tim shook his head.  "He doesn't know you.  Kevin is very
picky about who he listens to.  You'd only make things worse.  He'd try
to do exactly the opposite of what you told him to.  Unless you tried
reverse psychology.  He'd see through that, and hate you for thinking
he was stupid."
 
    Lynn frowned.  "We have to do something."
 
    "He'll come around.  I hope."
 
    "Okay."  Changing gears, she asked, "How is Sloan?"  She
tried not to grin when she saw Tim suck on his lip.  She already had
her answer.
 
    "She's doing a little better," he said unnecessarily.  "She
still needs to rest, though."
 
    "Okay.  You keep an eye on her, and I'll try to handle
whatever happens out here."
 
    "'K.  Holler if you need anything."
 
    Tim closed the door and returned to the bed.  He decided,
since Sloan was sitting fairly close to the edge, that he would crawl
up on the bed, so as to be between her and the wall.
 
    "I could have moved," she whined.
 
    "You're hurt.  I'm not.  Easier for me to move."
 
    She turned and laid her head on his shoulder.  He put his
arm around her and squeezed, then kissed the top of her head.
 
    She looked up and said, "That's not where I want to be
kissed."
 
    He smiled, and then he kissed the spot she wanted him to.
 
 
 
...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---...
 
 
 
Saturday
 
 
 
    Tim awoke with a crick in his neck.  He twisted his head
back and forth before he even opened his eyes, trying to get the pain
to go away.  When it was more or less gone, he focused on the other
things his body was feeling, like the soft body of the girl next to him.
 
    Tim had not left Sloan's side for more than five minutes
all day.  They had eaten together, and he had fallen asleep lying next
to her.  As he woke up, he found that his hand had fallen from her side
down across her abdomen.  He worried about that; he didn't want to
cause her any pain.  She was sleeping peacefully, however, so he
guessed that she was comfortable.
 
    As he watched her sleep, he considered his options.  *Lynn
is sweet, and kind, and she's really good in bed... or at least, I
think she is... how would I know?  She might be terrible in bed!*  He
grinned to himself.  *But if that's terrible, I don't think I can
handle good, so... we'll say she's good in bed.*
 
*    Sloan is very smart, and she's just as sweet as Lynn. 
Don't know if she's any good in bed, though... I should make up my mind
who I'm going to be with before we go that far, though.  Not fair to
her otherwise.*
 
    As Tim was thinking these things over, Sloan began to
stir.  She felt Tim's presence, and she felt his hand resting gently on
her stomach, just below her breasts.  She sighed softly, enjoying the
pleasant sensation.  Her wounds were burning, but it wasn't really
painful, just uncomfortable.  She could live with it, if Tim would just
stay by her side and hold her.
 
    Eventually, she turned, rolling onto her back.  Her move
dropped her body slightly, and Tim's hand brushed the bottom swell of
her tit.  He blushed, and went to move his hand, but she reached up and
took his hand gently in hers.  She held onto him for a minute, and then
looked up into his eyes.  He leaned down and delivered the requested
kiss, pressing his lips softly to hers.
 
    He was a little startled when she pressed his hand to her
breast, holding it there.  He gently massaged her tit as they continued
to kiss, their tongues soon dancing with each other.  They stayed like
that for a long time.
 
    Finally, Tim leaned back, but Sloan wouldn't let go of his
hand.
 
    "I'm not quite ready to do more than this," she said
softly.  Tim immediately nodded his understanding, and she continued,
"But I like it when you touch me."
 
    Tim leaned down and kissed her again.  She let her hand
slide off his, but he kept his hand in place, softly caressing her
breast.
 
    Breaking their kiss, Tim sat up.  He helped her sit up, as
well, and then he slid in behind her.  He pulled her back against him,
and then let his hands rub her sides.  They ended up cupping her tits
softly, and she sighed happily as he nibbled on her neck.
 
    They stayed that way for some amount of time that neither
of them cared to measure.  Finally, Sloan knew she had to let him in on
her little secret.
 
    "I know about you and Miss Sheffield," she said.  She felt
his entire body stiffen, so his words were hollow.
 
    "What do you mean?"
 
    "I mean that I know you've slept in her room twice this
week.  I can only assume that you were doing... something other than
sleeping."
 
    Tim shivered.  Sloan smiled, and wriggled against him.
 
    "Well," he said, "don't get too upset.  She's the one who
told me you liked me."
 
    Sloan paled.  "So you're here because she told you to come
here?"  Her voice clearly indicated hurt.
 
    Tim squeezed - very gently, since he was still cupping her
breasts.  "No.  She told me you liked me.  She didn't tell me what to
do about it.  I'm here because I like you, too."
 
    "Oh," Sloan said, and then snuggled back against him
again.  She could feel his cock, pressing against her ass.  She was
intrigued by that, but too nervous to do anything about it.
 
    "So, what were you and Miss Sheffield doing?" she asked
coyly.
 
    "What is it you think we were doing?" Tim teased.
 
    "I think you were screwing her brains out," she admitted.
 
    Tim chuckled.  "Well, more like the other way around..." 
Tim moved his hands from her breasts, only so that he could embrace her
more strongly.  "Does that bother you?"
 
    Sloan shook her head.  "Not really.  It's not like I had a
claim to you.  And she did help me out.  She's really a good friend of
mine."
 
    "She said that you two had talked a lot."
 
    Sloan nodded.  "This last year would have been very hard
without her."
 
    "I'm sorry.  Are things really that bad for you?" Tim
asked, kissing her softly on the neck.
 
    Sloan mewled, and then she said, "They can be, but I don't
want to talk about it just now.  Ask me again sometime."
 
    "'K," he said, and kissed her again.  Their conversation
lapsed at that point, and they simply sat together in silence.
 
 
 
-----
 
 
 
    Jane looked in on Kevin, but she didn't say anything.  He
had cleaned himself up after the previous day's dousing, and he had
changed the sheets on his bed.  She wished there was something she
could do for him, but really couldn't think of anything.  She moved out
to the lounge, and grabbed some of the biscuits that had been prepared
by Lynn.
 
    "Where is everybody?" she asked Aly.
 
    "Steven and Miss Sheffield are outside with breakfast.  The
rest are still in their rooms, I guess."
 
    "Tim's not in his room..."
 
    "No, he's in Sloan's."
 
    "Are they..." Jane whispered.
 
    Aly shrugged.  "He's been taking care of her.  Beyond that,
I don't know anything."
 
    Jane thought about it for a moment.  "Well... if they
are... good for them."
 
    Aly didn't offer an opinion.  She curled in on herself on
the couch.  Jane had seen that behavior from her before, and knew to
leave her be.
 
    "I'm gonna get breakfast."  She walked out the door.
 
    Aly sat and wondered what it would be like to be close,
truly close, to someone.  She didn't think it would ever happen, though.
 
    *What about Steven?* she thought.  Her body tingled at the
thought of him, but she didn't know if he liked her that way or not.
 
    *How do I find out?*
 
 
 
-----
 
 
 
    Tim and Sloan finally emerged well after breakfast was
over.  They'd talked some more, but not about anything critical.  He
helped her out to the latrine area, and they both took care of things. 
Then they went back into the pod.  No one was straying far from it
today.
 
    In fact, when they came back in, Lynn said, "Tim, would you
shut the door, just in case?"
 
    Tim nodded, with a sigh, then turned and closed the door.
 
    "What's the matter?" Sloan asked.
 
    Tim looked around.  Everyone was pretty much in the room,
so he shook his head.
 
    "I think I'm going into the dome to watch the dinosaurs for
a while," he told Lynn, who nodded.  He looked at Sloan and said,
"Wanna come?"
 
    "Sure... but you'll have to help me on the ladder."
 
    The two made it up to the observation dome without a lot of
difficulty, though it had meant embarrassment for Tim, since he'd had
to put his hand on her butt to make sure she wouldn't fall off.  She'd
loved it, though.
 
    Once they were settled upstairs, and sitting on the floor
together as they had been on the bed, she asked, "So what's wrong?"
 
    "Lynn is... I mean, Miss Sheffield is trying to play it
cool.  Maybe she doesn't believe me."
 
    "About what?"
 
    "Promise not to scream?"  Sloan nodded.  "We're not getting
out of here."
 
    Sloan got a confused look on her face.  "What do you mean?"
 
    "I mean that the device that allows them to know where we
are, so that they can pull us back... is electronic.  And it's not
functioning, either."
 
    "You mean..."
 
    "We're stuck here."  He felt her shiver, and so he gripped
her more tightly.  He realized that was a bad idea when she gasped, and
he immediately released her.  "Sorry."
 
    She shook her head to indicate it wasn't a problem, because
she couldn't talk just then.  She felt the tears start, and she
couldn't stop them.  Tim was watching her expression, and he saw that. 
He moved, and she immediately feared that he couldn't handle her
emotions.  He shifted his position, and he took her back into his arms,
laying her head on his shoulder and rubbing her back.  She cried more
openly then, letting him support her.
 
    "I want to go home," she whispered.
 
    "We all want to go home," he replied.  "We can do this...
together."
 
    She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed, heedless of
the discomfort it caused herself.  They stayed like that for a long
moment.
 
    "Why haven't you told anyone?" she asked when she was done
crying, and had pulled back from him a little.
 
    He pulled his hankie out of his pocket and began to wipe
her face as he answered her.  "What good would it do?  Jane would
panic, Kevin was in no shape to hear it, and Laura wouldn't believe
me.  I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to worry until I was
sure.  I told Steven because I needed him to help me look for the
device, and I half-told Lynn, mostly by accident.  She still doesn't
believe it, I don't think."
 
    Sloan laid her head on his shoulder again, this time
hugging him more gently.  She sat quietly, shivering in fear.
 
    "What are we going to do?" she finally asked.
 
    "We're going to survive," he said strongly, trying to give
her hope for her future.
 
    "I don't think I can," she said.
 
    "I'll help you... if you want me to," he said, insecurity
slipping in.  He wasn't sure she wanted him to think of her that way.
 
    She leaned up and kissed him in answer.
 
 
 
 
 
-----
 
    

    The team sat quietly, in their own groups, chatting and
playing cards as the day wore on.  It was only as the sun was about an
hour before setting that someone finally said something.
 
    "It's not going to happen," Steven said to Tim.  Tim and
Sloan had come down to join the others a couple hours before.
 
    "No, it isn't," he agreed.
 
    "What do you mean?" Aly asked.  Steven took her hand.
 
    "Tim?  Is this what you were trying to tell me about?" Lynn
asked.
 
    Tim nodded.  "Guys... A couple days ago, it occurred to me
that the gadget that they use to keep track of us on these time
trips... it's *electronic*.  Steven and I looked for it and found it. 
It wasn't working.  I don't think they can find us now.  We're not
going home."
 
    "You're saying we're stuck here," Lynn said, shivering.
 
    "We're *stranded*?" Aly asked incredulously.  Tim nodded,
and Steven squeezed her hand more tightly.  Aly moved closer to him on
the couch, and he wrapped his arm around her.
 
    "Oh, this is such bullshit," Laura said.  "They're just
late."
 
    "Laura... no, Steven, *you* explain to her why there's no
such thing as being late under these circumstances."
 
    "Laura, they picked a time that they said they'd pick us
up.  What you have to understand is that they have *years* to fulfill
that.  They should have picked us up at the exact *second* they said
they would have, regardless of any problems or delays at their end."
 
    "Is it possible that we so changed the future by being here
that there's nobody around to bring us back?" Jane asked.
 
    Tim shrugged.  "I hadn't really thought of that, and I
don't know."
 
    Laura got up.  "This is bullshit.  I'm going to go talk to
Kevin.  At least he wasn't full of crap."  She rose and moved down the
hallway, into Kevin's room.
 
    Lynn asked, "What do we do now?"
 
    Tim's voice grew less sure of itself.  "I guess we learn
how to survive in the Late Cretaceous."
 
 
 
-----
 
 
 
    Laura had not stayed in Kevin's room long, and she had
slammed the door shut on her own room.  Jane had noticed.  After about
twenty minutes, she went and knocked on Kevin's door.  She didn't
expect a response, and so she went in, and closed the door behind her.
 
    "Are you here to offer the same deal Laura did?" Kevin said
snidely.
 
    Jane was confused, so she said, "What deal?"
 
    "She told me if I got off my ass and... 'cheered up and got
with the program,' that she'd give me a blowjob."
 
    Jane blushed.  "Uh... no, I'm not here for that."
 
    Kevin sat back.  "Too bad.  From you, I might have said
yes."
 
    Jane blushed even darker this time, but she let it slide. 
"Did she tell you?"
 
    "That we're stuck here?  Yeah.  Fucking wonderful trip this
turned out to be."
 
    Jane moved onto the bed with Kevin.  "It's not your fault,
you know."
 
    "Why not?  Mine was the deciding vote."
 
    "Not really.  Tim's was the *deciding* vote, since he
ultimately controlled two votes."
 
    "Maybe."
 
    "We need you, Kevin."
 
    "For what?"
 
    "What do you mean, for what?  We're stuck in the dinosaur
age!  We need everyone.  There are just eight people on the planet now,
and we're them."
 
    "What good am I?  I couldn't even save my dad."
 
    "Kevin," Jane said, moving closer to him.  She felt drawn
to him, as she always had, but she'd had no reason to get this close to
him before.  "It was an accident.  Nobody could have done anything
about it."
 
    "You weren't even there!"
 
    "Tim told us what happened.  You were all the way on the
other end of the line from your dad.  You couldn't have saved him."
 
    "I should have been there for him!"
 
    "Then you might be dead, too."
 
    "That would be preferable."
 
    "Not to me," she said.  She moved over and snuggled as
close as she could to him.  She hadn't intended this to go this way,
but his... suggestion... had given her thoughts.
 
    "Why do you care?" he asked, not entirely unkindly.
 
    Jane decided to just go for it.  She leaned in and kissed
him, full on the lips.  Kevin leaned back until he was sitting against
the wall, and she followed, continuing to kiss him.  As they kissed,
her hand slid across his chest, and down his abdomen.  She began to rub
her hand over the crotch of his pajamas - he had never gotten dressed -
causing him to moan.
 
    Jane reached in and she felt his hard cock.  She withdrew
it from his PJs, and stroked it gently, causing him to moan again.
 
    As Jane broke their kiss, she rubbed the head of his dick
with her fingers.
 
    "Now," she cooed, "If you cheer up and get with the
program," she said, teasingly, "I'll do this..."
 
    She moved down his body, and her tongue licked along his
shaft.  Kevin closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the
wall.  As her fingers and tongue danced over his prick, he could feel
his whole body tensing.
 
    Jane moved her mouth to the tip of his cock, and then it
descended, taking his shaft between her lips.  She got half of him in,
and then she began to suck in earnest, bobbing her head on his dick. 
Her hand tickled his balls, and she could feel his body building to its
climax.  He was groaning above her as her tongue and lips moved along
his prick.
 
    In only a minute, he grunted loudly in warning, and began
to come.  Jane swallowed every last drop as he came, grunting
repeatedly.  As she swallowed his come, she unfastened her jeans and
pushed them and her panties down off her hips.  It was a tricky
maneuver, but she managed, and soon enough, the clothing was free of
her body.  She continued to lick and suck at Kevin's cock, keeping it
as hard as she could.  It didn't take long before he was once again at
full mast.
 
    Jane let his cock loose, and then she straddled his waist. 
His dick was trapped between his stomach and hers, nestled in her pussy
fur.  She looked into his confused, distraught eyes, and kissed him
again.  This time, he kissed back more energetically, and she rubbed
her hands over his chest.
 
    Breaking their kiss, she said, "And if you're a really good
boy and eat all your veggies, I'll show you these."  With that, she
pulled off her top.  She hadn't worn a bra that day, and her tits
bounced invitingly.  Kevin looked down at them with a hungry grin.  His
hands ran up her sides and cupped her breasts, squeezing and molding
them in his strong fingers.
 
    Jane moaned, and let her head fall back for a moment, just
enjoying his touch.  Then, she tilted her head back forward, and kissed
him passionately, rubbing her crotch against his dick.
 
    When she broke their kiss again, she was beginning to pant
in her own arousal.
 
    "And if you promise to help us make this whole thing work
out," she said, raising herself up, and then reaching down to take his
cock in hand, "I'll let you fuck me."
 
    Saying so, she plunged herself down onto his cock.  Kevin
groaned as he felt her pussy encase his stiff rod.  Jane sighed as she
felt the fullness of her body.
 
    She gave him no time to rest, but instead, she began to
slide up and down on him immediately.  His hands were fondling her
tits, his fingers rubbing her nipples, as she rode his dick.  She was
grunting and crying out, and he was thrusting his hips up into her in
time with her moves.
 
    After only a few minutes, she screamed, and came, her body
twisting in her orgasm.  He held onto her tightly as she shivered for
many moments.  As he felt the young woman in his arms, and he realized
that he was not alone, was not completely abandoned, his mind opened,
and he knew that he *did* want to live, *did* need to survive, and
*did* need to rejoin society.
 
    When Jane finally settled from her climax, he kissed her
passionately, and then he rolled, so that she was lying on the bed, and
he was above her, his hard cock still inside of her.
 
    "But... now why should I do all those things," he said with
a slight smile, "When you've already given me the reward?"
 
    "You wouldn't want to feel guilty, would you?" she said
with a grin.  "Otherwise, I'll have given you all that for nothing!"
 
    "Hmmm," he said.  "Well, I'll do what I can, Jane. 
Including this," he said, as his hips began to move again.
 
    "Ohh," she responded.
 
    They missed dinner.
 
 
 
-----
 
 
 
    Tim was sitting up in the observation dome, looking up at
the stars.  He had left dinner early, because he'd wanted to think
about things.  Unfortunately, his mind simply couldn't come to grips
with the "now what?" that he was presented with.
 
    Sloan knew where to find him.  She had discussed a couple
of things with Lynn after they had finished up dinner.  Now, she
climbed the ladder, carefully, and came to sit beside him.  Tim slid
his arm around her waist automatically, and she leaned against him with
a soft sigh.
 
    "Whatcha thinkin' about?" she asked.
 
    "You.  Lynn.  Us.  This place.  The future."
 
    "That's a lot to think about all at once," she said lightly.
 
    "Yeah, I know," he said, leaning his head back.  He was
sitting against the pillar that held up the utterly useless electronic
scope they were supposed to have used in the dome.
 
    Sloan saw Lynn peek her head through the hatchway, and
motioned her up.
 
    "Maybe I can reduce the number of things you're worrying
about," Sloan offered.
 
    "How? I- Ly...uh, Miss Sheffield..."
 
    Lynn slipped down next to him, and she put her head on his
shoulder.  Tim looked from one to the other, now very confused.  Lynn
did not help matters when she leaned up and kissed him, full on the
mouth.  He returned the kiss, but was very nonplussed.
 
    "Did I mention that my grandfather was a polygamist?" Sloan
asked.
 
    "Uh... no, I think you left that part out," he said, still
trying to adjust to having both women hugging him at once.
 
    "It was right after they passed the national law legalizing
it.  Stupid; all fifty-three states had legalized it at least thirty
years before, but, anyway...  Yeah, he had three wives, though one of
them he didn't see very often, because she was always going on
scientific expeditions.  They were all very happy... or at least, they
seemed so, to me."
 
    Lynn picked up.  "I told you that you should ask her if
she'd be willing to share."  She smiled at his discomfiture.  "I've
never known a teenager to look after someone the way you looked after
Sloan yesterday.  You're very special to me."
 
    Tim blushed.  Sloan said, "I don't want Miss Sheffield-"
 
    "Lynn," she offered.  "I'm not a teacher anymore."
 
    "I don't want *Lynn* to be unhappy, either.  We've been
very close for a while now.  We've shared good times and bad times... I
don't see any reason we can't share a boyfriend."
 
    "I think he's a little overwhelmed," Lynn said.
 
    "No, I'm a fucking *lot* overwhelmed," he said.  He took a
deep breath.  "Thank you.  Both of you."  Tim kissed each of them
softly, and then they sat and looked up at the stars.
 
    "Now what are you thinking about?" Sloan asked.
 
    "The future.  Which looks a little better than it did a few
minutes ago."
 
 
 
 
 
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