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  PRIMORDIAL ISLAND

  Rick Poldark

  www.severedpress.com

  This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, events, and dialogues either are the products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real, or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2020 by Rick Poldark

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  Acknowledgements

  Thank you, Alan Basso, for lending me your eyes, brain, and insights. Your feedback on early drafts was crucial and is greatly appreciated. Thank you to Severed Press for publishing this adventure. Finally, thank you to all the readers who made the first book a success. I hope you enjoy this installment.

  Part I

  Ghosts, Guilt, and Burdens

  Chapter 1

  Dr. Tracey Moran bit her lip as she waited in front of her house for the limousine to arrive. It was a nervous habit she had developed as a teenager that always raged when she was under stress. David Lennox hadn’t sounded surprised when he answered her call, and he was in some hot bother to get her to Poseidon Tech immediately. She barely had time to pack a bag.

  Her mother was watching from inside the house from the bay window, but her father was standing next to her on the curb. He looked as if he wanted to hug her or put his arm around her, but he didn’t. “We’re proud of you, honey. I think it’s a good thing, you getting this job. You’ve been sulking in the house for too long.”

  Tracey had told him she was being flown to a new dig site. She didn’t have the heart to tell him where she was really going…to a trans-dimensional island filled with murderous dinosaurs, indigenous tribes, and Death Lords. And then there was the NDA she signed. “Thanks, Dad.”

  “Maybe you can patch things up with Peter.”

  Tracey frowned at the mention of his name. “Yeah, hopefully.”

  “Whatever happened between you two can be patched up, I’m sure.” Her father knew the two were like bookends. When he inquired about Peter and why she wasn’t talking to him anymore, she had to tell him something. She indicated a falling out and kept it vague, and her father respected her privacy enough not to pry.

  A black limousine turned onto the block. Tracey looked at her watch. That was fast. He’s not messing around. It pulled to the curb where Tracey stood and parked. The back door opened, and David Lennox hopped out wearing a ten-thousand-dollar suit and his patented phony grin.

  Tracey turned to her father and hugged him. “Bye.”

  Her dad squeezed her. “Knock ‘em dead, honey.”

  A driver stepped out and came around to take her bag. Lennox stepped forward, extending his hand to Tracey. She shook it.

  He guided her into the limo as her father waved from the curb. Tracey was immediately enveloped in recycled, cooled air. When Lennox closed the door, he tapped on the glass divider.

  Tracey waved at her father one last time as the limo pulled away, but she knew he couldn’t see her through the heavily tinted glass. He waved back anyway, guessing correctly that she was waving at him.

  “I’m so glad you changed your mind,” said Lennox. “If you don’t mind me asking, what did make you change your mind?”

  Tracey glared at him. “You know what it was.”

  Lennox smiled, but it was genuine, or at least it tried to appear so. “He’s still there, you know. We just received a transmission this morning. It looks like they’re all there—Peter, Jason, Susan.”

  “Mary?”

  Lennox cocked his head at her tone. “Yes, Dr. Tambini is there, too. They’re all alive.”

  “Those other lifeforms in the photos you showed me…what are they?”

  Lennox shook his head. “We don’t know. They appear bipedal…”

  “But not human.”

  He shrugged. “The photos are inconclusive.”

  “I want a better security team this time. Better armed.”

  He nodded. “Done and done. I think you’ll be pleased with the expedition we’ve put together.”

  This time Tracey cocked her head.

  Lennox looked amused. “What? What is it?”

  “Funny, last time you called this a salvage operation. This time you used a different word…expedition.”

  Unflummoxed, he shrugged his shoulders again. “Well, we recovered the flight recorder, which was extremely helpful. Now we intend to recover our people…your friend, which is why time is of the essence.”

  Tracey sized him up. “That’s never it with you people. The last time you didn’t tell us there was another salvage operation before us.”

  Lennox extended his hands, palms up. “I’m an open book. Nothing held back this time.”

  Tracey leaned forward and narrowed her eyes. “Yeah? Why should I believe you?”

  “Because you signed an iron-clad nondisclosure agreement. You leak any detail about these operations, the island, or our company, and we’ll sue you into oblivion. Is that honest enough for you?”

  She eyed him for a moment and then sat back, folding her arms. “What about the team? Who are the other consultants?”

  “There are no other consultants this time, other than you. The last time they were a liability.”

  Tracey glared at the Poseidon Tech rep again. “A liability? People died. People with families.”

  “From the data we’ve gathered, it wouldn’t appear so. At least not all of them.”

  “So, who’s on the team?”

  “Our staff…and a much bigger security team.”

  Tracey stared ahead of her, breathing in the stale air. “Your last one didn’t fare so well.”

  Lennox shook his head emphatically. “This group has RPGs, grenades, and choppers. Lots of high-tech gadgets and gizmos.” He leaned in, as if imparting a secret. “They have fabrics that bend light. Camouflage. Like in that movie, with the alien that runs around killing those soldiers.”

  “I just want to get Peter and bring him back. I mean, his parents and sister think he’s dead. He’s got a niece and nephew who wonder where the heck he is.”

  “We’re going to bring him back,” assured Lennox, flashing his smarmy grin again.

  Tracey’s eyes lit up. “Oh…really...I didn’t realize you’d be joining us.”

  Lennox laughed. It was a hollow sound. “No, no. I won’t be going.”

  Tracey smirked. “Oh, I see. I guess that makes you a liability.” He offered no reaction. The dig rolled off him like water off a duck’s back. “So, I’m an asset, not a liability?”

  “You’re the only one who’s been on the island. You know what it’s like…what to expect.”

  Tracey stabbed a finger into the air. “You mean I’m the only one crazy enough to have been there and return.”

  Lennox nodded.

  “Where are we going now?”

  He looked relieved the conversation was going in a different direction now. “Straight to the airport. We’re flying you out to the off-shore oil rig. There you’ll meet the new team and be debriefed.”

  Tracey decided to end the chit chat, as there was nothing more to discuss that was substantive or relevant with Mr. Lennox. He was the salesman, and he’d been effective in his pitch. He’d served his only purpose. Now it was time to meet with operations.

  She used the rest of the car ride to the airport to mull over her conversations with Bill Gibso
n and Allison McGary. She had called them right after Lennox had left her house several days earlier. Bill chastised her for even entertaining his visit, let alone considering returning to the island. Regarding Peter, Bill had said that there was nothing to be done, it wasn’t her fault, and there were plenty of fish in the sea.

  Her conversation with Allison, however, had gone much differently.

  “Allie, I was paid a visit by David Lennox yesterday.”

  Allison was silent for a moment. “He visited me last week.”

  “You’re not considering…”

  “No, I’m not,” said Allison, almost snapping at Tracey. “I have a family. Apparently, you are considering going back.”

  Tracey sighed. “I think I might have to.”

  “Peter.”

  “Yes. I can’t just…leave him there.”

  “Did Lennox show you the pictures?”

  “He did. They look real. I know he’s still alive. I feel it.”

  “You really care for him.”

  “Of course I do. We’ve worked so closely together.”

  “Oh, come on. What is it with young people today? Too chicken to say when they love someone.”

  “I have to go back, Allie.”

  “I know, hun.”

  This time it was Tracey that was silent. “I didn’t expect you to agree with me. Bill sure didn’t.”

  “If you were in Bill’s shoes, you’d say the same. Tracey, Bill and I found our soul mates. We built a life with them, and we won’t do anything to jeopardize that. Not again. We’ve moved on. But you…you are still finding that someone, and you’re still building your life, your career. You need to come to terms with your feelings about what happened on that island, with your feelings for Peter, or you’ll never move on. You’ll still be stuck on that island, reliving it over and over in your own personal hell.”

  Allison was right. Tracey was still stuck on the island. She still woke in the middle of the night in cold sweats. She had been experiencing recurring nightmares, vivid ones, very lifelike. There was one recurring monster that haunted her in each and every one—the T. rex without the feathers. Sometimes, within the nightmare, he morphed into the feathered tyrannosaur.

  He even appeared in nightmares that didn’t feature the island. The other night she had dreamed that she and Peter had gone to a diner. She had forgotten her purse and excused herself to retrieve it from the car. In her dream, she had crossed the parking lot to her car. She opened the door, pulled it out, and when she turned around, it was standing right there, waiting for her, growling through its teeth, its mouth closed, dark eyes glaring at her from underneath sharp cranial ridges.

  In another dream, she was at the beach, sitting on a blanket, watching Peter dip his feet in the water. Her eyes had drifted off to the left, where she saw down the shoreline the Tyrannosaurus stomping towards him. She stood and cried out to him, jumping up and down and waving her arms, but Peter couldn’t hear her.

  But it did. The T. rex lowered its head and bounded for her. She turned to run as fast as her legs would take her, but each time she looked over her shoulder, it was gaining on her, outpacing her with every thunderous footfall.

  Every nightmare ended with it getting her, but right before it sunk its teeth into her body, she awoke, heart racing and drenched in sweat. She hadn’t gotten a proper night’s sleep without the aid of a glass of wine, which turned into cocktails and even pills. That monster was killing her in her real, waking life, and she knew she wouldn’t find peace until she confronted her fears and returned to that primordial island.

  She had seen a psychologist at one point, at the recommendation of her physician and the prodding of her parents. He was a patient man with a kind bedside manner. When she related her nightmares to him, he had inquired about Peter, and through some feat in mental gymnastics had identified the T. rex as her fear of commitment. That was the last time she entertained psychotherapy, but even now she knew that she was the one engaging in mental gymnastics.

  She knew what she had to do, and she was ready to do it. She only hoped she’d return in one piece and with Peter.

  * * *

  On the Island

  Date and Time Unknown

  “Are you sure this is a good idea?” Jason bit his lip, eyeing his comrade, as they hid with several tribal warriors in the bushes about one hundred feet from the temple entrance.

  “I have to,” said Peter. “I woke them up. I have no idea why they’re attacking us.”

  “They’re not attacking you,” said Jason. “You’re their god.”

  Peter grimaced at the label. “I hate it when you call me that.”

  Mary placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Well, to them you are. Tell them to stop. Tell them we can all coexist on this island.”

  Peter wiped the sweat from his brow, which was in part due to the humidity and in part to the fact that he was terrified. “Man, talk about the law of unintended consequences. I was just trying to do the right thing, but by slaying one monster, I created another.”

  Jason swatted a mosquito feasting on his neck. “Yeah, and this one’s worse.”

  Peter sighed. There was something even worse yet on this island—the something that had manipulated Mike Deluca. Peter caught a glimpse of it—or was it more of a feeling? Either way, he gleaned it was much older than this race of lizard men he woke up, and very evil. Peter didn’t think these lizard men were evil; he believed they were acting according to their nature.

  Then again, so was this other entity, whatever it was. Peter knew it was trying to get off the island. He was relieved when the island had phased out of his home dimension, trapping it here.

  Jason elbowed him in his side. “Come on, mate. We need your head in the game.”

  Peter cleared his head. “Yes. Right. So, here’s the plan. They won’t attack me. I’m going to walk right into the temple and demand to speak to their chieftain.”

  “What are you going to say?” pressed Jason.

  “I’ll explain what Mary just said, that we can all coexist. I’ll tell their chief. If I can make him understand, maybe he’ll back off.”

  “And if that doesn’t work?”

  Mary leaned in and spoke softly into Peter’s ear. “You know what you have to do.”

  “I know. I know,” said Peter. He knew what she meant—using the death orb to wipe them out wholesale. “I…I just feel funny about it. I brought them back.”

  “And you can send them back into extinction,” said Mary.

  Jason shot Peter a sideways glance. “You act like they’re your children or something. They’re freaking lizards, man. Pests. Stamp them out if they won’t listen.”

  Peter knew there was a better than average chance that his appeal would fall on deaf ears. When the lizard men raided the Umazoa village (that’s what Peter called them, because the word they used to reference themselves as a group sounded like ‘Umazoa’), Peter had tried to talk to them, to forbid them from ravaging a people that had become his friends. However, they had just ignored him, slaughtering men, women, and children in brutal fashion.

  “They want access to the river,” explained Peter. “They can have it, peacefully. If only I could explain it clearly. We can share it.”

  Mary leveled her gaze at Peter. “We’re low on ammunition, and there’s no more coming. Food is scarce because they won’t let us hunt. The dinosaurs are starting to figure out how to access the plateau, likely with the help of the lizard men. Something’s got to give, or we’re not going to survive.”

  “I’ll see to it that we all do,” snapped Peter.

  “Not if we’re eaten,” said Jason. “Even you can’t do that with your…powers.”

  Peter took a deep breath, steeling himself. He knew they were right. He also knew he bore the responsibility for bringing this down upon the Umazoa. “Then I guess I can’t fail, can I?”

  Mary and Jason both shook their heads.

  The tribal warriors listened intently, t
rying to follow the conversation. In their time together, Peter and the Juwai (what the Umazoa called those from the other dimension) had learned some of the tribal language, and the Umazoa had learned some English.

  Peter stood up. “Okay. Here I go. If I don’t come back out, go back to the village and begin preparations to evacuate.” When Jason shot him a look, he said, “If I don’t return, it’ll be your only option.”

  Mary stood up and kissed him sweetly on the lips. “Then you make sure you return.”

  Peter nodded.

  “Are you sure you don’t want me to come in with you?” asked Jason.

  Peter shook his head. “No. If this doesn’t work, you’d never make it out in one piece, and I can’t risk that.”

  Jason pulled his handgun and handed it to Peter, who shook his head, waving it away. “I won’t need that.” Even he found his sureness to be strange. His newfound power had transformed him and was continuing to change him in ways he couldn’t comprehend. He knew things at certain times with an uncanny certainty.

  Jason nodded. “We’ll be waiting for you right here.”

  Peter looked up at the sun, now low in the sky. While he sensed the lizard men were warm-blooded, for some reason they returned to their subterranean realm during the night. “Watch your backs. There may be some stragglers returning home.”

  “That’s why I think we should wait till nightfall,” said Jason.

  “No,” said Peter, “I’m counting on running into a few of them returning.” There was a roar in the distance. “Watch out for dinosaurs. Remember, if I’m not back in a couple of hours…”

  “Head back to the village,” said Mary. “We got it.”

  Satisfied, Peter turned away from his friends and began to cross the clearing to the Umazoan temple. He wished Mary and Jason hadn’t come along, but there was no dissuading them. As he approached the temple entrance, he looked at the posts driven into the ground once used for human sacrifice. However, since the lizard men started attacking the Umazoa, all worship and rituals had ceased.