The Reunion (2 page)

“There are several possible scenarios.  Number one, I can control the MAV and drive to their location and pick them up and bring them back.  Number two, you can go along and acquire an abandoned vehicle in their vicinity. Number three, you can drive the first MAV and I can drive the other MAV or one of the other vehicles.  Are these acceptable solutions?” Jocelyn asked.

Marcus rolled these options over and over in his mind and then asked, “What are the chances for success for the options?”

Statistically, Jocelyn quipped, “First scenario: twenty-five percent. Second scenario: fifty percent and third scenario: sixty percent.”

Curious Marcus asked, “Why is the third scenario option so low?  I would expect that the chances of success would be greater with two MAVs.”

Jocelyn answered, “I just ran an internal diagnostic on the second MAV and several errors were detected.  After an analysis of the problem, it appears that the solar collector is malfunctioning.  This may correct on its own because it hasn’t been in use or it could completely cease functioning.  My recommendation would be a replacement for the solar collector.  You will have to return to the Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville for a possible replacement.”

Looking over at Wynd, Marcus asked, “Do you have any ideas?”

Shaking her head, Wynd said, “Not that I can think of… well what about taking one of the pickups.  I can drive it…”

Marcus stopped her in mid-sentence, “No.  I won’t put you in harm’s way.  If nothing else, I’ll drive the pickup and Jocelyn can drive the MAV.  The pickups don’t have shields, but if I stay close enough to the MAV maybe I can extend the shield to cover the pickup too…  What about that, Jocelyn?”

“Statistically, this only has a fifty percent chance of success,” she stated.

“What? Why so low?” Marcus asked.

“Extending the shield to cover the pickup would substantially drain power from the MAV. If the day wasn’t bright enough, the MAV may not have enough power to make the trip,” she said.

An idea finally came to Marcus that he thought would work.

“What about the MAV and one of my Solar Force dirt bikes.  They are made to attach to the back of the MAV.  I could ride the motorcycle back and it’s small enough that I could get close to the MAV anytime there was any danger.  It shouldn’t take that much power to extend the shield over the bike too,” said Marcus excitedly.

“Based on that scenario, without any other problems, there is a ninety percent chance of success,” she stated.

Marcus turned and looked at Wynd and said, “That’ll work.  Let’s get started.”  It took about an hour for Marcus to get dressed and load up everything. He included about twenty meals in the back because he knew they would be hungry.

As they got everything prepared for Marcus to leave, he decided to ask Jocelyn about something he had been thinking about.

“Jocelyn, would there be any use for the extra drone I brought back on my last trip to Chattanooga?” he asked. “It could come in handy with more range.”

“Yes” she replied.  “The drone is actually a military grade drone.  The army had too many of them made and decided to add a chip to them to limit their capability and sell them to the public.  For all intents and purposes, it is a military drone.”

“Can you use it as it is?” asked Marcus.

“We just have to make a slight modification. Bring the drone to the dining table and I’ll walk you through the process,” she said.

Marcus brought the drone down and following Jocelyn’s directions, he was able to remove the chip that limited the capabilities of the drone. 

“Now that I have removed the chip, what are the capabilities of the drone?” he asked.

“As you see, the drone is powered by a Solar Force engine.  Functioning properly, the drone should be able to stay in the air without a break for approximately four weeks and even then the only reason to bring it down is for general maintenance.  It can reach speeds of up to one hundred miles per hour and has an active range of five hundred miles.  If I boost my signal, you can increase its range to one thousand miles.  It is mounted with an ultra HD telephoto camera.  It has a small grappling hook with a hundred feet of three hundred pound test line.  There is an optional machine gun that can be retrofitted to it if you had it.  The closest one that is still listed on the Army’s inventory is also at the Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama.  It has a ceiling height of five thousand feet,” she said.

“Well, we won’t have time to get the machine gun, but I’m going to put that on my priority list as soon as I get back,” he said.  Marcus picked up the drone and took it to the MAV.  He still marveled at its capabilities and yet, it was extremely light.  He wasn’t sure what material it was made out of but it was very light and very strong.  As he finished loading, he noted that the rear of the MAV was almost full.  It was about time to hit the road.

Chapter Four

It was around noon as Kim watched the allosaurs move around in front of the complex.  They were the same two monsters that had killed Tom. She would love to take them out if she could.  They were huge beasts.  Not quite as large as a tyrannosaurus but still big with a nasty temper and appetite.  She knew it was only a matter of time before they would try to breach the complex’s entrance and come after them. 

Based on Marcus’ calculations, he should be here today or possibly tomorrow at the latest.  She hoped it would be soon.  She wondered how Marcus was going to handle the beasts.  When she called back to warn him of them, he seemed confident that they wouldn’t be a problem.  She slowly walked back and forth around the observation deck and looked at the beautifully painted mountains dressed in the brilliant colors of fall.  The leaves were just starting to fall. 

Suddenly, she noticed one of the allosaurs stop, lift up its head, and roar.  She glanced up to see two thin lines of slight smoke streak toward the two dinosaurs.  It happened in an instant.  Two small missiles struck the dinosaurs and exploded with a terrifying boom.  The twin explosions rocked the complex.  Kim ducked down behind the concrete wall and then slowly moved up until she could see over the edge.  What was left of the two dinosaurs was unidentifiable. Kim brought her hands to her mouth and looked toward the end of the clearing.   A black military type SUV with a motorcycle mounted to the rear slowly made its way into the clearing.  Grinning, she understood now why he had been confident.  The SUV pulled up to the front entrance of the complex and rolled to a stop.  The driver’s side door opened up and a tall good looking young man dressed in full camouflage got out and looked up at her.

He yelled up at her, “You gonna stand there all day?  This area has been officially cleared.  Ain’t you going to give your little brother a hug?”

Kim took off from the observation deck as fast as she could.  She ran down the ramp, then through the front door which Virginia had graciously opened for her and into her little brother’s arms.  He picked her up and swung her around and around.  She was light as a feather.  She started crying as soon as they embraced.  The relief was overwhelming. 

“Hey, sis; it’s okay.  I… I uh-h…. Just need a little air.” He said as he pretended to be gasping for air.  They both started laughing then and he let her down. 

Wiping her eyes, she said, “I don’t think ‘little brother’ quite fits you now. Goodness, you were a foot and a half shorter and a lot smaller the last time I saw you.”  Kim was tall compared to most women.  She was almost about 5’10” and about five inches taller than him when she last saw him. 

“Yeah, well… a lot can happen in five years especially when you are just hitting puberty and the planet dies. I still can’t believe it’s you,” he said as he grabbed her again and squeezed her so hard she was gasping for air. 

He finally set her down and she led him over to the rest of her group.

“I would like you to meet everyone,” she said motioning them over. “This is Danielle and this is her son, Timmy.” A young lady who looked to be in her upper teens or maybe early twenties and a little boy came over and shook hands with Marcus.

“This is Lauren and her boys, Johnnie and Ronnie,” she said motioning the next ones over.  A lady in her late twenties or slightly older and two identical twin boys about nine or ten stepped over. He shook her hand but had each of the boys to give him ‘five’.  This brought a smile out of them.

Finally, Kim motioned for the last older lady to come over.  “And this is Virginia or as some of us has started calling her… Virg,” she said smiling.  Virginia stepped forward and shook his hand. 

“Well, Ms. Virginia… are you ready for one more little trip?” asked Marcus as he was shaking her hand. 

“Please call me Virginia or Virg.  I’m not as old as I look,” she said smiling.  “I’m only 52.”

“Yes ma’am… I mean Vi.. Vir..Virginia,” said Marcus stuttering.  They all laughed a little. Kim could see that Virginia was doing her best even though she was still in a state of shock from losing her husband.

Chapter Five

“Is everyone packed and ready to leave?” asked Marcus.

“Everyone packed up as soon as I told them you were coming.  They were all anxious to leave.  Let’s get out of here,” Kim said as they all started to grab their gear.  It took about thirty minutes to get everything ready and packed in the MAV.  While they were packing, Marcus took the motorcycle off the custom mounted rack at the rear of the MAV.  This dirt bike was fast and almost silent as it ran.  With its Solar Force engine and batteries, it had enough power to run almost two days without any sunlight.  Marcus was looking forward to riding it.  It had been awhile since he had been on any extended trip with the bike.  He put his helmet on and strapped the chinstrap into place.  Then he started running the diagnostics on the bike. 

Checking his ear piece, he said, “Jocelyn, do you read me?”

“Loud and clear, boss,” she shot back. 

Jocelyn was still working on her attitude it seemed.  Marcus walked over after everyone was loaded except for Kim. 

“Don’t worry about anything with the driving.  Jocelyn will handle all of that.  I have a direct com into the MAV so I can hear everything y’all are saying and can communicate with you.  Jocelyn also will be scanning the area for any potential threats.  If she detects anything, I will be riding close so I can be under the safety of the shield of the MAV.  Do you have any questions?” he asked.

Grinning she said, “Nope.  Let’s ride.  I’m looking forward to seeing my new home.”

Kim climbed in the driver’s side door of the MAV, while Marcus hopped onto the dirt bike.  As he turned the motorcycle on and closed his face shield, he said, “Jocelyn, send out the drone and have it keep a perimeter of thirty miles.  I want to have time to react to whatever we might end up facing.”

A small drone lifted off from the front of the roof of the MAV where Marcus had placed it.  It was quiet as a whisper.  It rose and shot out above the trees and was out of sight within a minute.

Marcus spoke again, “Jocelyn, drone video please.”

To the left side of the face shield of his helmet, a small video window appeared and Marcus could see the trees the drone was flying over.

“Full screen, Jocelyn” he said.  Immediately the entire face shield was filled with the video and it gave Marcus the sensation of flying.  He was flying over the beautiful fall foliage that decorated the mountain and valley.  It was absolutely breathtaking.

Satisfied it was functioning properly, Marcus said, “Video off”.  Immediately the screen went back to showing his field of vision.  He pulled his motorcycle over to the driver’s side window of the MAV, raised his face shield, and waited until Kim had lowered the window.

“Kim, I don’t think we will run into any problems that Jocelyn and the MAV can’t handle.  As I said before, Jocelyn has the controls and will handle the driving and the shield.  As far as firing the Korak or any other offensive maneuver… she will ask your permission to do so.  I would only use that as a last option.  I will stay close so we should be good,” said Marcus.

“Sounds great.  I’m looking forward to going home and being able to relax for a while,” she said smiling.

“Okay, let’s roll,” he said as he lowered the face shield and rode the bike around the MAV in a large circle.  The MAV moved out and headed toward the road.  Marcus fell in line behind the MAV and they were on their way.  

They reached the turnoff at Newfound Gap and turned toward Cherokee.  Cherokee was located in the valley just on the edge of the Nantahala National Forest. Marcus figured it would probably take them at least a couple of hours to get off the mountain, through Cherokee, and into the Nantahala National Forest.   There were several obstacles that would still take time to go around.  It would probably have been a lot quicker to go through Knoxville, but it also gave them a better chance of running into trouble from some of the ‘human’ elements.  Marcus had decided that humans were more dangerous than the dinosaurs.  You never knew what they were going to do.  At least with the dinosaurs, he pretty much knew what was on their mind.

Chapter Six

Jocelyn spoke into his ear piece, “Marcus, the drone has picked up a human cry and has visually confirmed the source.  A young girl has been attacked by a small pack of allosaurs.  She has crashed her motorcycle and is currently hiding at one of the waterfalls in the valley.  The allosaurs won’t be able to get to her where she is located but they aren’t leaving.  She is in great distress.”

Hearing that, Marcus said, “Video. Full screen.  Show me the girl.”  Instantly, he was flying above the trees.  He was seeing the road and the crashed motorcycle of the girl.  He recognized where she was located immediately.  He had seen old video footage of his great grandparents traveling to Cades Cove plus he had been there many times himself. She was at one of the many waterfalls located in this area.  The falls were called ‘The Sinks’.  As the drone hovered above, Marcus could see her hid under the bridge that went above the falls.  She had picked a good spot.  Most dinosaurs seem to be intimidated by white water.  Marcus hoped that the allosaurs didn’t get over that intimidation any time soon.