A Planet Called Eden
Chapter 6: Terrible Lizards

Aboard the Collins, Angela pulled her floating body to the flight deck. Maazinhovered behind. His anxiety was palpable. His skin was pale and damp and hiseyes darted. He didn’t speak, but Angela could hear his rapid breathing. Shethought about reminding him of the dwindling life support, but then decidedthat adding to his nervous stress probably wasn’t going to help matters. Besides,the flight engineer knew their situation at least as well as she did.

Angela strapped herself into the pilot’sseat and checked the comm system. Everything showed green. It should beworking. As well as could be expected, anyway, given that the main antenna hadbeen shorn away in the wormhole.

She thumbed her mike. “Collins to landing party. Do you read?”Then, after a moment, “Collins tolanding party. Come in, please.”

Maazin looked over her shoulder. “Anything?”

Angela shook her head. She didn’t lookback; she didn’t want Maazin to see the worry in her eyes. No sense avoidingthe obvious truth, though. “We should have a signal by now.”

Maazin floated back to the sciencestation and tapped a few controls. “We’re going to be out of range soon.”

Angela didn’t bother to answer. Sheadjusted her controls again, waiting. “Collinsto landing party. Please respond.”

Finally, she heard a burst of digitalnoise, followed by Dominic’s voice, faint but unmistakable: “Come in, Collins, do you read?”

Angela looked back at Maazin, smiled, andwinked. She tapped the control that activated her mic. “I read you. You guysokay?”

“We’ve been inside a pyramid. We, uh,found some stuff.” The voice was Jack’s.

“Human remains,” said Kim. Her voice wasfainter than the others. Angela scowled. Were they losing the signal already? “DNAis consistent with late period Egyptian. And plant life—”

Angela and Maazin exchanged a glance.Angela shook her head. “Wait. Did you just say Egyptian?”

“Affirmative,” said Kim. “I’mtransmitting data.”

Angela checked her monitor. “Confirmed.I’m receiving.” The light blinked from green to yellow, and briefly back togreen before settling on red. “Wait, please resend. I don’t think we got thefull upload.”

Kim answered, but her reply was lost in aburst of digital static. Angela looked back at Maazin.

Maazin worked the controls at Dominic’sscience cluster. “I’m trying to boost.” He didn’t sound hopeful.

Angela hit her mics button. “Kim, explain.”No reply. “Specialist Chang, please respond.”

Nothing.

Angela looked back at Maazin. “I’m tryingto boost. Ah. Yes, here. I think I can give you another few seconds. Wait.Maybe.”

Angela sighed. “Hurry.”

# # #

Jack, Kim, and Dominic moved away fromthe Pyramid entrance, blinking in the late afternoon sun. Kim spoke into herwristband. “Collins, come in please.”Nothing. “Collins, this is MissionSpecialist Chang. Come in please.”

“It’s no good,” said Jack. “They’re probablyalready out of range.” He frowned. “I thought we’d have a few more seconds,though.”

“We’re not exactly on course,” saidDominic.

Kim nodded. She hesitated and knelt,fingering a plant. “Look. Cunninghamites,” she said. “Late Cretaceous flora.I’m sure of it.”

“Does any of that mean extinct earthplant?” asked Jack.

Kim and Dominic ignored him. Kim lookedat Dominic. “I’d say it should be impossible….”

“But we’ve covered that already, haven’twe?” said Dominic. “Parallel evolution?”

Kim raised her eyebrows. “You know whatthe odds of that are.”

“Long?” Jack guessed.

“Way long,” Kim agreed. “Like, prettymuch impossible long.”

“Alright then,” said Dominic. “What’syour theory?”

They heard a crackle over their wristspeakers. “Sounds like they’re still trying,” said Jack. “C’mon. Maybe we’ll dobetter away from the stones.”

Kim took a deep breath as she stood. Theystarted walking again. “Maybe Jack is right.”

“That is certainly not the case,” saidDominic.

“Thanks,” Jack muttered.

“That said, to what are you referring?”said Dominic.

They heard another crackle, then Angela’svoice again, fainter than before. “This is the Collins. We’re still reading you. Barely. Maazin says—” The restwas lost in a burst of digital noise.

Kim felt suddenly awkward. She wasn’tsure where to look, or what to do with her hands. “About the … you know.Ancient astronauts and all. Well, not that, not exactly. But … maybe … maybelife did begin here.” She looked up,first at Jack, and then at Dominic. “Maybe … maybe those beings that visitedearth … the ones that left the Saturn artifact and the wormhole gate … maybethey seeded the Earth with … with life.”Without thinking, Kim started fingering her necklace. “Maybe this … maybe thisplanet is where we come from. All of us.”

Angela spoke again, her voice from thecomm speaker was clear again. “Specialist Chang, what are you saying?”

Kim lifted her comm. “Life at home, itbegan out here. Maybe this planet … this is Eden.”

They stopped abruptly.

Before them, a large, heavy animalemerged slowly from the densest jungle. It was large, larger than an elephant. Abony plate surrounded its head, and twin horns extended from its skull, justabove the sockets of its round, dark eyes. A third, smaller horn extended fromthe center of the creature’s nose, right between its two gaping nostrals. Itstopped directly between them and the rover, munching contentedly on a patch oftender growth.

“Say, Dominic,” said Jack. “That life andmotion you were looking for? I think I found it.”

# # #

Angela pounded on her comm control. “Whatwas that? Come in!”

“I can’t boost any more—” said Maazin.

“Come in!” Angela knew that shoutingdidn’t help, but she did it anyway. She’d been sure she heard Kim gasping.

Finally, she heard Dominic voice. “Holy —Is that a dinosaur?”

Maazin launched himself forward, stoppingclose to Angela only when he collided with the instrument cluster. He had tograb the co-pilot’s seat to keep from shooting back aft. He met her gaze witheyes wide and mouth gaping. “Did he just say dinosaur?”

Angela shook her head and hit the mikecontrol again. “What was that? We didn’t copy.” Nothing. “Come in. Pleaserespond.”

Nothing again. Only static.

Maazin shook his head. “It’s no good.We’ve lost them till next orbit.”

Angela slammed her fist on the commcontrol. “Dammit!”

“Seriously,” said Maazin. “Did he just saydinosaur?”

# # #

The team stopped, standing utterly still.Kim swallowed. “Triceratops,” she said. She had to force the words out. “Maastrichtianstage of the Late Cretaceous Period. Uh, back on earth, anyway.”

“Or the late bloody present period onPlanet bloody Impossible!” said Dominic.

“Really,” said Kim, “that’s no moreimpossible than the extinct flora….”

“Okay, point,” Dominic conceded. “But youmust admit, as far as impossible goes, that’s pretty impressive.”

Kim raised her holo display and startedrecording.

“So,” said Jack, “is that thing comin’after us?”

Kim shook her head. “It’s a plant eater.”

“So not my question,” said Jack.

“As long as we’re careful, it shouldn’tbother us,” said Dominic.

“Tell that to those horns,” said Jack.

Dominic nodded. “That said, taking thelong way ’round might be the ticket. Lets approach the rover from the far side,shall we?”

They moved carefully, circling widethrough the crumbling stone buildings and ruined courtyards to give thetriceratops plenty of room. The triceratops ignored them.

“So you really think it’s possible?” Jacksaid, whispering. “Life on earth began out here?”

Dominic shook his head. “That can’t be.The fossil record on earth is quite clear.”

Jack pointed at the triceratops. “That’sa frickin’ dinosaur! In space!”

Dominic shrugged. “I see your point.Please tell me that thing didn’t built the sodding pyramids.”

“Dominic, no,” Kim began. “We—”

“I’m joking, Kim,” said Dominic.

The triceratops looked up and watchedthem with idle disinterest.

“It’s true,” Kim said softly. “This isEden.”

“Either that,” said Dominic, “or God hasa shockingly limited imagination.”

They were close to the rover. Kim feltherself relaxing. She was breathing easier.

“Yeah, okay,” said Jack. “It’s all speed.We’re gonna make it. Big boy there’s just gonna keep munching those bushes—”

Jack didn’t finish. A great roarshattered the still afternoon. Kim turned, saw, and screamed.

Another great beast burst through thetrees. It was tall — nearly as tall as the tallest tress. It stood on massivelegs rippling with power. A great and sweeping tail gave it balance. Itsforearms were small, with a coat of feathers that made them look almost liketiny wings. Its lightly feathered body was brown, and its head was scarlet red,beautiful and terrible. The beast’s teeth were long and dagger-sharp. It roaredagain, and the ground shook.

Kim knew the creature at once. It was a tyrannosaurusrex.

“Run!” said Jack.

They sprinted. From behind them came the poundingof staccato thunder, shaking the very ground and the trees around them. Kimdidn’t look back, but she didn’t have to.

The tyrannosaurus was gaining, step bygiant step.

It would be on them in seconds.

Jack and Dominic came to an abrupt stop,and Kim nearly collided with them. A fallen pillar blocked the way — too tallto scramble over. The tyrannosaurus roared. Its breath was a sudden hot windthat stank of rancid meat.

Dominic pointed to a place where thepillar was broken, just a few meters to their right. “This way!”

Kim looked back as she ran. The tyrannosaurus’sjaws opened, the head flashed down, ready to snap. Kim screamed again.

Dominic slid through the break in thepillar with the others close behind. Kim leapt through, landing hard on herbelly.

The tyrannosaurus struck — but it clampedits jaws on stone and it staggered back.

Jack pulled Kim to her feet and pushedher forward. They ran. She reached the rover first. Dominic scrambled in afterher. Jack was the last. He dove in, rolled to his feet, and hit the controlthat closed the hatch, seconds ahead of the mighty jaws.

Dominic and Jack raced for the controls.Kim pushed her face against the window by the hatch. The tyrannosaurus struck withits mighty hind leg. The rover reeled. Kim choked down another scream. Thecreature was trying to crack the rover like a giant walnut.

The tyrannosaurus rocked the rover againand Kim tumbled, landing hard enough to knock the breath out of her. It wasworse than an earthquake.

She staggered back to her feet and turned.

Jack hit the throttle and the rover leaptforward. Kim fell again and slid back.

“If this is Eden,” Dominic muttered, “that’sone hell of a serpent.”

Kim pulled herself up again and lookedback through the rear window. The tyrannosaurus was giving chase, its predatoryinstinct following anything that moved quickly. She closed her eyes and triedto pray silently, but no words came to her.

The ground was uneven. Rubble from theruins made the terrain an obstacle course. “Advantage, T-Rex,” Dominic mumbled.

Jack steered for open ground … a pavedcourtyard surrounded by a number of flat, two-story buildings of gray stone.The tyrannosaurus was gaining, but now Jack could open the throttle.Unfortunately, he had nowhere to go. In the courtyard, the ruins and fallenpillars had them boxed in.

“It’s a dead end!” said Kim.

“Don’t say dead,” said Jack.

“There’s no way out….” said Dominic.“Careful, Jack. For God’s sake, don’t crash us again.”

Jack turned long enough to give Dominic aglare. “How ’bout I frickin’ save usagain, huh?”

Kim found a seat at the back of the roverand strapped herself in. “I’d be good with that.”

The tyrannosaurus was closer. It roaredagain, and Kim could feel the noise thrilling through her body. It bent downagain, ready to snap. She held on to her seat tightly.

Jack shoved the rover into reverse,shooting back between the giant beast’s legs. Then he spun the rover and gunnedit, but the tyrannosaurus struck with its tail. The blow caught the rover on itsside, sending it tumbling end over end.

Kim held on for dear life as her seatbelt strained to hold her. Her knuckles on the armrests were white. She turnedaround and saw Jacks hands flying over the controls — he was using the rover’sarm to tip them back over. The rover swayed, spun, and landed on its tires. Jackopened the throttle and sped away, steering around a fallen pillar, just as thetyrannosaurus struck again.

The tyrannosaurus roared. More thunder,pounding like some colossal drum that shook Kim’s bones; the creature was afterthem again.

From the rear window, Kim saw an opening.She turned her seat toward Jack and Dominic and pointed back. “There!”

“I see it,” said Jack.

Jack spun the rover again, but as hesteered to avoid the tyrannosaurus, the beast swiped a pillar with its tail,knocking it over. The way was blocked.

Jack turned back toward the pyramid.

“This is the wrong way!” Dominic shouted.“What the hell are you doing?”

“Getting us a little help,” said Jack.

Jack corned and corner, and Kim saw hisgoal. The triceratops waited just ahead, still munching the brush. It looked upand spotted the tyrannosaurus.

The tyrannosaurus stopped and roaredagain. When it moved again, it headed for the triceratops.

The triceratops made a noise of its own,a sort of snort, lowered its head, and charged. The two massive creatures movedfaster than Kim had expected, given their size and mass, and when they met nearthe entrance to the pyramid, the ground trembled.

The tyrannosaurus stuck at the triceratops’sbony plate.

The triceratops stabbed at the tyrannosaurus’sbelly with its horns. Kim saw dark blood oozing from the tips of those horns.

“Oh my God…!” said Kim.

The creatures fought, and for a longmoment, the astronauts watched with stunned awe, wide-eyed and slack-jawed.

Finally, Dominic spoke. “You know, Idon’t feel a special need to see how this ends, really.”

Jack nodded once. “Yeah, I think you’reright.” He steered the rover away, moving slowly and deliberately. “That’sright, beasties, just ignore little ol’ us….”

At the end of the courtyard, Jack usedthe rover’s arm to push the shattered column away. When they were clear of thepavement and the last crumbling relics of the lost city at last, Jack pusheddown on the throttle. Behind them, tyrannosaurus roared again.

Kim watched as they sped away, until thejungle swallowed the creatures and the ruins behind them.

“Well,” Dominic said at last, “at leastnow we know what the people in that tomb meant by the Sons of Sobek.”

Kim moved forward and sat down behindJack and Dominic. She shook her head. “I don’t think so.”

Jack looked back at her and frowned. “What’d’yamean?”

“The hieroglyphs referred specifically toflashing weapons,” Kim pointed out. “Those dinosaurs weren’t exactly packin’heat.” She took a deep breath. “There’s something else out there, guys.” Shefrowned. “Uh, did I say that right? Packin’ heat?”

“I sure as hell hope not,” Jack muttered.