Dinosaur Thunder (46 page)
Authors: James F. David
“Thank you, Madam President,” Nick said.
John stood to leave, helping Nick up and getting his crutches.
“I hear you are spending a lot of time in Florida,” President Brown said.
“I’m going back for the weekend,” Nick said.
“Has there been any change?” President Brown asked.
“Nothing perceptible,” Nick said.
“I see,” President Brown said, putting her hand on Nick’s shoulder.
“There is one more thing,” Nick said, leaning on John and taking one last paper from his briefcase. “If you would grant security clearance for another visitor, I would appreciate it.”
President Brown read the cover letter and then gave a sad smile. “Does he understand the situation?” President Brown asked.
“Yes,” Nick said. “As well as we could explain it to someone with his security clearance.”
“Then, if he wants it,” President Brown said, and signed the form.
58
Love Is Patient
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
—I Corinthians 13:4-7
Present Time
Mills Ranch
Fannie and Marty Mills had the old barn torn down and replaced with a small guesthouse, with two bedrooms, two baths, kitchen, living room, and the room where Nick now sat. A wide paving-stone path now connected the guesthouse with the main house. Nick had dinner with the Millses, eating shrimp on the deck and enjoying the evening and their company. After dinner, Nick excused himself, taking the new path to the guesthouse, more confident now on his crutches. Nick would stay the weekend, and then fly back to Washington, D.C., for a few days, to do things in person he could not do digitally. He would fly back Wednesday night, to keep his vigil.
Nick had a stack of newspapers and, one by one, was reading them out loud. Elizabeth was a news junkie, and followed politics like men did football, so he read every editorial, which he seldom did for himself. Nick had finished with the
USA Today,
and had just picked up
The Washington Times,
when the doorbell rang. Nick was expecting the caller, and used his crutches to get to the door. Deputy Les Wilson was there, wearing shorts, sandals, and a University of Florida T-shirt. He was carrying two pieces of cheesecake on china plates with forks.
“The woman—Fanny—she made me bring these.”
“Come on in,” Nick said.
Nick and the deputy sat at the breakfast bar, eating the dessert, Nick explaining what the young man was about to see. Nick gave him details about how Elizabeth and Jeanette spent their last few hours, and how heroic they were, including saving Nick’s life. Then, when Fanny’s cheesecake was gone, Nick had the young man take two beers from the well-stocked refrigerator and led the way. Just as Nick had been, the young man was shocked by what he saw. There in the room were Elizabeth, Jeanette, and a velociraptor. Another velociraptor looked over Jeanette’s shoulder.
“Are you sure they’re alive?” Deputy Wilson asked.
“Watch them closely,” Nick said.
“They’re moving,” Wilson said after a minute.
“Yes, and I think they might be aware that we’re here,” Nick said, “or at least they will be as their time and ours come closer together. That’s why I spend as much time as I can with them.”
Nick let Deputy Wilson study the women, who were dirty and trapped in a slow-motion run. Deputy Wilson walked close, trying to touch them, but finding he could get close, but not quite reach them.
“Sit down,” Nick said.
There were two recliners in the room, a table between them, and a wicker lamp. Deputy Wilson sat, and handed Nick one of the bottles of beer.
“You didn’t know Jeanette for very long,” Nick said.
“Long enough to fall in love with her,” Wilson said. “I met her when the department busted a meth lab on the farm next to hers. She was beautiful, and funny, and interesting, and I acted like a fool every time I was around her. We didn’t spend a lot of time together, but I couldn’t stop thinking about her, even on the job. I kept finding reasons to stop by and check on her. I wasn’t fooling her. She knew why I was coming to see her, but she didn’t tell me to stop, so I kept coming.”
Nick smiled, sipping his beer. “Sounds like love,” Nick said.
“What about you?”
“Elizabeth and I are past the falling-in-love stage,” Nick said. “We are … comfortable together.”
“That sounds good,” Wilson said.
“It is, and it isn’t. It wasn’t until I lost her that I realized how much she meant to me. I was taking her for granted, when she deserved better. She was there when I needed her, but I’m not sure I was there when she needed me. Now that she’s out of reach, I’ve had time to think about how I treated her, and honestly, I have no idea whether I was meeting her needs or not. She didn’t complain, but what does that mean? Probably nothing. She wasn’t the complaining type. She should have been the center of my life, not an appendage. Now, I can only hope I get a second chance.”
They were silent now, watching the women and the velociraptors in their endless slow-motion run.
“How long will they be like this?” Wilson asked.
“Maybe forever,” Nick said, “but there is reason to believe they will get free someday.”
Nick looked at Deputy Wilson, wondering if he had misjudged the young man. Wilson had learned of Jeanette’s plight from Carson Wills, when the deputy persisted in looking for Jeanette. When Carson did not produce Jeanette, Deputy Wilson suspected Carson had killed her. Carson spilled the story just to get Wilson off his back. When Wilson showed up at the Mills Ranch, he had been turned away, and then referred to Nick, who discovered the deputy knew more than he should. Touched by the deputy’s feelings for Jeanette, Nick eventually explained Jeanette’s situation, then at Wilson’s insistence, got him permission to visit. Now, the deputy seemed impatient, already asking about how long he might have to wait. It suggested he lacked the kind of commitment he had expressed to Nick.
“Someday?” Wilson asked. “Like days from now? Or are we talking weeks or years?”
“I have a friend who is studying this,” Nick said. “He thinks it will be between one and three years. I can’t give you details, but we sent something toward the sun. Sometime after it’s destroyed, they could be free.”
“Oh, thanks,” Wilson said.
“You don’t have to stay. I know you’re disappointed.”
“It’s not that,” Wilson said. “I was just thinking about how to arrange my vacation days so I can spend time here.”
“There’s no guarantee,” Nick said. “It could be longer, or it could never happen. The only thing I know for sure is that it’s going to be a long wait.”
“Yeah,” Deputy Wilson said, his eyes on Jeanette, “but some things are worth waiting for.”
“Yes, they are,” Nick said.
Personae Dramatis
Florida
Dr. Norman “Norm” Gah—Paleobiologist, Ocala Dinosaur Preserve
Jeanette Johns—Office manager, Dinosaur Wrangler
Fanny Mills—Married to Marty Mills
Marty Mills—Married to Fanny Mills, owner of a weekend hobby farm
Emmett Puglisi—Special Consultant to the Office of Strategic Science
Carson Wills—Owner, Dinosaur Wrangler
Les Wilson—Deputy sheriff
Carmen Wynooski—Senior dinosaur ranger, Ocala Dinosaur Preserve
Florida Dinosaur Wranglers
Lymon Norris
Robby Bryson
Nate Simpson
Doris Melton
Marines
Melvin Kelton—Private, personal security detail for Nick Paulson
Michael Kwan—Sergeant, personal security detail for Nick Paulson
Nash Sampson—Private, security detail, Mills Ranch
Lance Snead—Private, personal security detail for Nick Paulson
Afa Tafua—Private, personal security detail for Nick Paulson
Toby Washburne—Private, personal security detail for Nick Paulson
Sam Weller—Lieutenant, personal security detail for Nick Paulson
NASA/Astronauts
Sarasa Chandra—Mission specialist
Rick Maven—Mission specialist
Rosa Perez-Roberts—Aurora pilot, married to John Roberts
Mike Watson—Mission commander
Connie West—Deputy flight director
Neverland
Betty Brown—Member of Reverend’s Community, wife of Lincoln Brown
Lincoln Brown—Member of Reverend’s Community, husband of Betty Brown
Crazy Michael Kramer—Member of Reverend’s Community
Jacob Lewinski—Member of Reverend’s Community, husband of Leah Lewinski
Leah Lewinski—Member of Reverend’s Community, wife of Jacob Lewinski, mother of Beatrice (six years old) and Bonnie (three years old)
Grandma Reilly—Sewing master for Reverend’s Community
Reverend—Leader of the “Community”
Jack Williams—Youngest son of Willy Williams
Mel Williams—Butcher for Reverend’s Community, oldest son of Willy Williams
Willy Williams—Master hunter for Reverend’s Community
Orlando
Kris Conyers—Officer, Orlando Mounted Patrol
Morgan Nara—Officer, Orlando Mounted Patrol
Washington, D.C.
Wilamina Brown—President of the United States
Elizabeth Hawthorne—Former White House Chief of Staff, defense lobbyist for Weinert and Goldfarb, wife of Nick Paulson
Kaylee Kemper—Nick Paulson’s administrative assistant, Office of Strategic Science
Nick Paulson—Director, Office of Strategic Science, husband of Elizabeth Hawthorne
John Roberts—Director of Field Operations, Office of Strategic Science, married to Rosa Perez-Roberts
Mike Stott—Deputy Director of Field Operations, Office of Strategic Science
Also by James F. David
Footprints of Thunder
Fragments
Ship of the Damned
Before the Cradle Falls
Judgment Day
The Book of Summer
Thunder of Time
About the Author
James F. David has a Ph.D. from Ohio State University and is currently dean of the School of Behavioral and Health Sciences at George Fox University in Newberg, Oregon. He is the author of the dinosaur adventures series that includes
Footprints of Thunder
and
Thunder of Time
, the thrillers
Ship of the Damned
and
Before the Cradle Falls,
and the Christian rapture series that begins with
Judgment Day
. He lives with his wife in Tigard, Oregon.
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
DINOSAUR THUNDER
Copyright © 2012 by James F. David
All rights reserved.
Cover art by Paul Youll
A Forge Book
Published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC
175 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10010
Forge® is a registered trademark of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.
The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
David, James F.
Dinosaur thunder / James F. David.— 1st ed.
p. cm.
“A Tom Doherty Associates book.”
ISBN 978-0-7653-2378-1 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-4299-4872-2 (e-book)
1. Time travel—Fiction. 2. Dinosaurs—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3554.A9155D56 2012
813'.54—dc23
2012024907
e-ISBN 9781429948722
First Edition: December 2012
