Read Online Landing Party: A Dinosaur Thriller by Rick Chesler - Free Book Online
Authors: Rick Chesler
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accent.
“Any sign of George?” Richard swam over to Ethan, and the two of them looked around until they heard another voice, a little farther away from Ethan than Richard had been.
“Over here!” They spun in the direction of the words. Just visible through the mist were a pair of waving arms.
“George?” Ethan called.
“Yes, it’s me.” George started swimming and soon disappeared into the fog.
“Wrong way, George. Turn around,” Ethan said.
The geologist, disoriented in the misty vapor, spun around until he was looking in the right direction. Richard activated a waterproof flashlight, and then George homed in on that with ungainly, splashy kicks. While they waited for him to reach them, Ethan and Richard looked around at their surroundings. They were far from the shore of the lake on all sides, near the middle. George reached them, and they asked one another if they were okay. All had cuts and bruises but nothing major; thankfully, all three were able to swim.
Richard, still wearing his pack, removed it and took from it a two-way radio. “Glad we sprung for the waterproof model now, right, mates?” Ethan nodded, but George looked around briefly. “I lost my pack. I wasn’t wearing it when the ground fell through.”
“Don’t worry about that right now. You’re still alive. I’m sure Kai would like to be in your position, precarious as it may be at the moment.” Richard pulled the radio from a compartment of his pack. “Ah, here we are. Let’s see if we can raise our Boat Team, perhaps we can arrange to be picked up. They must be putting about in here somewhere, right?”
Ethan spun about in a slow circle. “I don’t see or hear them…” Then he cupped his hands together and yelled through the vapors. “Skylar? Anita? Lara? Joystna?”
They waited a moment for the echoes to die down, but when no reply was forthcoming, Richard held up the radio. “Let’s give this a try, shall we?” He depressed the Talk button and spoke into the radio’s microphone. “Slope Team to Boat, Slope Team to Boat, do you read, over?”
A few seconds passed during which nothing, not even static, was heard. “You on channel 22?” Ethan asked.
Richard nodded. “Affirmative, I’m on 22. That’s what they should be on.” He tried the radio again, telling boat team they had fallen into the lake, lest they think the reason for the call was routine and were ignoring it. But still no response came.
“Why can’t we reach them? Shouldn’t they be in the lake? That’s where we dropped them, right?” George’s voice sounded as though he was on the verge of panic.
Richard leveled a stare at him. “Lots of reasons why it might not work. Signal could be bouncing all around down here, maybe they entered a cave along the shore, who knows?”
Richard shook his head as he clipped the radio off to a shoulder strap on his pack. “I’ll leave it on, but I think we’re going to have to take matters into our own hands at this point.”
All three of them once again surveyed the lake. “You mean swim for shore, right?” George asked.
Richard laughed. “Uh, yeah, unless you have some magical way out of here, or you know how to fly or something.”
“Hey, no need to be an ass about it, I was just—”
“Take it easy, mates.” Ethan tried to sound upbeat. “We’re all in this together, and we’re all going to get out of this together. So let’s figure out which way the shore is closest, then we’ll start our little power swim, okay?”
Richard shone his light beam straight toward the shore in the direction he faced. “You gentlemen still have your lights?”
Ethan felt around the outside of his pack until he found his. He unclipped it and then flicked it on, leveling the beam in the opposite direction from Richard.
“I don’t have a light. It was in my pack.” George sounded downbeat.
“I’m guessing about a quarter-mile in this direction.” Richard waved his light against the lava rock
“Any sign of George?” Richard swam over to Ethan, and the two of them looked around until they heard another voice, a little farther away from Ethan than Richard had been.
“Over here!” They spun in the direction of the words. Just visible through the mist were a pair of waving arms.
“George?” Ethan called.
“Yes, it’s me.” George started swimming and soon disappeared into the fog.
“Wrong way, George. Turn around,” Ethan said.
The geologist, disoriented in the misty vapor, spun around until he was looking in the right direction. Richard activated a waterproof flashlight, and then George homed in on that with ungainly, splashy kicks. While they waited for him to reach them, Ethan and Richard looked around at their surroundings. They were far from the shore of the lake on all sides, near the middle. George reached them, and they asked one another if they were okay. All had cuts and bruises but nothing major; thankfully, all three were able to swim.
Richard, still wearing his pack, removed it and took from it a two-way radio. “Glad we sprung for the waterproof model now, right, mates?” Ethan nodded, but George looked around briefly. “I lost my pack. I wasn’t wearing it when the ground fell through.”
“Don’t worry about that right now. You’re still alive. I’m sure Kai would like to be in your position, precarious as it may be at the moment.” Richard pulled the radio from a compartment of his pack. “Ah, here we are. Let’s see if we can raise our Boat Team, perhaps we can arrange to be picked up. They must be putting about in here somewhere, right?”
Ethan spun about in a slow circle. “I don’t see or hear them…” Then he cupped his hands together and yelled through the vapors. “Skylar? Anita? Lara? Joystna?”
They waited a moment for the echoes to die down, but when no reply was forthcoming, Richard held up the radio. “Let’s give this a try, shall we?” He depressed the Talk button and spoke into the radio’s microphone. “Slope Team to Boat, Slope Team to Boat, do you read, over?”
A few seconds passed during which nothing, not even static, was heard. “You on channel 22?” Ethan asked.
Richard nodded. “Affirmative, I’m on 22. That’s what they should be on.” He tried the radio again, telling boat team they had fallen into the lake, lest they think the reason for the call was routine and were ignoring it. But still no response came.
“Why can’t we reach them? Shouldn’t they be in the lake? That’s where we dropped them, right?” George’s voice sounded as though he was on the verge of panic.
Richard leveled a stare at him. “Lots of reasons why it might not work. Signal could be bouncing all around down here, maybe they entered a cave along the shore, who knows?”
Richard shook his head as he clipped the radio off to a shoulder strap on his pack. “I’ll leave it on, but I think we’re going to have to take matters into our own hands at this point.”
All three of them once again surveyed the lake. “You mean swim for shore, right?” George asked.
Richard laughed. “Uh, yeah, unless you have some magical way out of here, or you know how to fly or something.”
“Hey, no need to be an ass about it, I was just—”
“Take it easy, mates.” Ethan tried to sound upbeat. “We’re all in this together, and we’re all going to get out of this together. So let’s figure out which way the shore is closest, then we’ll start our little power swim, okay?”
Richard shone his light beam straight toward the shore in the direction he faced. “You gentlemen still have your lights?”
Ethan felt around the outside of his pack until he found his. He unclipped it and then flicked it on, leveling the beam in the opposite direction from Richard.
“I don’t have a light. It was in my pack.” George sounded downbeat.
“I’m guessing about a quarter-mile in this direction.” Richard waved his light against the lava rock
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