Kingdom of Monsters by John Schneider (microsoft ebook reader .TXT) 📗

the compound,” Shanna replied.  “This island is dangerous.”

Kate glanced over her shoulder, where Congo loped along behind them.

The gravel road had taken a dramatic slope upward.  As they emerged through the umbrella of foliage, breaking through into daylight, they came up along the canyon wall, and the road continued up into the highlands.

Kate estimated the entire island was no more than five-miles across – a lava plug that had once bubbled over the top of the mountain – a post-eruption regurgitation that had cooled and sealed the volcanic mouth.

It also seemed to have spent the last few thousand years breaking apart.  The flat plateau was split by canyons, creating segregated valleys of wetlands, inundated by brush.

And as they circled the cliff, they got their first view of one of the triangulated valleys below.

Kate recognized the view – it was from the video clip that had been e-mailed to her.

Maverick let out a long slow whistle.  Betty leaned over Kate's shoulder.  Cameron held up his camera.

Monster Island.  If the Nevada Desert was Area 51, this was Area 65,000,000 B.C..

These were the beasts on the video.

Even from the hilltop, looking down, the sight was majestic.

Prehistoric monsters, resurrected through genetics, just like the urban legends claimed.

Long-necked sauropods dominated the living diorama below, like elephants might lord over an African waterhole, except some of these creatures approached a hundred tons.

Smaller, but no less formidable, were herds of elephant-sized ceratopsians – mutated reptilian-rhinos in battle-armor.

A bevy of other plated and spiked denizens milled together, in what seemed an over-congested gathering – a lounge-spot where the falls cascaded down from the cliff, feeding the river on its way out to the ocean.

Since she'd first received the video, Kate had been reviewing her dinosaur species.

“These animals aren't just large,” she said, “they're all the largest of their kind.  Those aren't just sauropods, those are titanosaurs.  And Triceratops is the largest of the ceratopsians.”

Shanna said nothing, reluctant to speak, as Kate pointed out several other examples, all from different eras, all the culmination of their evolutionary lines.

“And what are those evil-looking critters?” Maverick asked, indicating a troop of decidedly non-herbivorous beasts lounging in the shade, stretched out like a pride of lions.

“Predators,” Shanna said, “are mostly inactive during the day.  Those are Giganotosaurus – a carcharodont-carnosaur.”

“Largest of theropods,” Kate said, nodding.  “So?  No T. rex, then?”

Shanna glanced at her in the mirror.

“We keep the T. rex sequestered,” she said, “rival predators tend to fight.”

There was a sudden, startled screech from the back seat.  Otto had crept up on Betty's ear, darting a quick tongue in-and-out, prompting a frenzied response, her hands flailing as if slapping at a spider.

Otto hopped back over the seat.

“Leave her alone, Otto,” Shanna chastised.

The little lizard ducked out of sight.  Maverick grinned at Betty.

“I think he likes you,”

Casting Maverick an evil eye, Betty turned her attention back to the creatures down in the valley.

“These animals are too big for this island,” she said. “There isn't enough biomass.”

“We have automation,” Shanna said, “that sends feed out to the island.  We also have heavy vitamin content pumped into the water, saturating grazing fields, as well as hybridized vegetation.  The sort that could feed the world if it were mass-produced.”

“Why isn't it?” Betty asked.

“Because,” Shanna said stiffly, “we don't exist.”

They had reached the summit and could now see several structures built on the crest of the falls, right at the point where the plateau split – a hydro-power set-up, obviously, but unlike any Kate had ever seen.

Congo, who had been keeping pace at a galloping dog-trot, suddenly fell back.

“Your monkey friend's taking a powder,” Maverick said.

“Yes,” Shanna said.  “We have a guest in camp right now, and they don't get along.”

Kate wondered what manner of guest could drive off an eight-ton gorilla.

The compound was mounted so as to overlook the valley – a series of buildings, most utilitarian, but with living quarters perched at the top, and massive fencing built anywhere that wasn't protected by sheer drop-off.

Below the main compound, carved into the cliff so as to allow direct access to the road, there were several enclosures, constructed on stair-stepping levels, like a zoo built into a steep hillside.

Heavy-duty construction, Kate noted.  Sort of like what you saw on elephant cages, or aquarium tanks containing whales.

Shanna slowed to a stop, parking the Jeep, and led them on foot to the main gate.  The road looked down on the enclosures – they were all empty, except for the one immediately below.

“This,” Shanna said, “is our guest.”

The tyrannosaur was immense.

It lay in the enclosure, curled up like a big cat – or rather more like a big duck, with its nose tucked tight under one shoulder.  It seemed to be sleeping, its huge nostrils flaring with deep rhythmic snores that might have echoed out of a bear's cave.

“He's huge,” Betty said.

Shanna nodded.

“Yes.  By weight, he's the biggest meat-eater on the island.”  She pushed open the gate that led to the enclosures.  “Wait here a moment.”

Shanna made her way down the steep stairway to the rex-pen.

The foursome watching from the road above drew a collective breath as she pulled the lock and stepped inside.

“Is she crazy?” Maverick whispered, lest his voice rouse the beast.

Cameron glanced wide-eyed at Kate, who motioned to keep his camera rolling.

Kate wasn't sure what she was seeing.  Fascinated in spite of herself, she had barely processed the reality of a T. rex as a living animal in a cage, but was already assigning acceptable protocol.  What she saw below reminded her of animal handlers who got careless around large predators in their care – until one day, the predator suddenly remembered itself.

Shanna paused at the gate, producing what looked like a pneumatic-injector needle, of the type used on large livestock, before stepping fully into the enclosure and marching purposefully towards the sleeping giant.

Maverick nodded to Cameron.

“If she sticks that thing, make sure you got that camera on, because I'll want to see the replay.”

His voice carried.  Shanna looked up from the enclosure, smiling as she felt