At his request, I brought up the detailed and comprehensive contour map I had made, showing the location of Site 1, the position of the lake, the coastal plain, the forest, the volcanoes, and the slopes.
Then I moved it up a few miles north, showing Site 2, where Dieter and I landed. I showed them the shale slope and cliff, warning them to avoid this area. I showed them the route Dieter and I had taken and the position of the compound and we went back to the tapes and superimposed the buildings, cages, pods, fence, generators, and power sources. We speculated about the big structure in the middle. I showed them the direction from which the stampede had come, estimated where we’d gone over the cliff, and we added the dinosaur run and arena. At the end, we had a reasonable idea of the layout.
Major Guthrie asked me to describe conditions.
‘It’s hot and wet. The rainfall is like vertical water. The humidity is very, very high. It stinks. The smell will make our eyes water. We will sweat continually. It doesn’t get much cooler at night and it’s certainly no safer. Most of the predators seem to operate on a twenty-four-hour basis. Their night vision is far superior to ours. Their sense of smell is acute. I recommend a thorough dowsing of cabbage spray and insect repellent.
‘It’s rough underfoot. As well as loose shale higher up, there are swamps lower down. Things live in the swamps. Rotting tree trunks, branches, tree roots, and boulders are everywhere. The few paths made by animals going down to drink are monitored by predators. What seems the easiest way will not be the safest. We need to watch our footing. Progress will be very slow. I advise operating in pairs at least. No one should go anywhere alone. We should watch our backs at all times. A T-rex standing motionless among dappled trees is completely invisible until it’s too late. Raptors move faster than you can possibly imagine and they come at you from all directions, including above. We must always remember this is their world. We are their prey. They won’t know the difference between us and the other lot and they certainly won’t care. The inadvisability of underestimating any dinosaur cannot be emphasised enough. And we need to do it quickly. The longer we’re there the less chance we have of getting out successfully.’
I didn’t like the pause.
‘We?’ said the Boss.
I couldn’t believe they were thinking of leaving me behind. I drew a breath. ‘I think that undertaking this – enterprise without the only person in this unit who has spent three months on-site would be inadvisable, sir.’
‘You can barely walk. What would you bring to this – enterprise?’
‘Knowledge, experience, expertise, you name it, sir, I’ve got it. I’m the third most experienced historian in this unit. Even if I just pilot the pod, I’m freeing up another body.’
Another pause.
‘Thank you, Miss Maxwell. That will be all for now.’
To say I fretted for the rest of the day would be an understatement. I didn’t bother going back to Sick Bay, but spent the day in my room, walking off my stiffness and frustration. At 1800, I attended the briefing in the Hall.
Present were us three historians, most of the security section, and a few techies. The Boss attended, but Major Guthrie presided. We were divided into three teams with three pods, piloted by Kal, Peterson, and me. My main anxiety relieved, I began to pay attention. I got Murdoch, Whissell, Evans, and the irrepressible Markham. He grinned at me. I grinned back. Always nice to see someone who’s even more of a disaster magnet than I am.
‘Maybe we’ll cancel each other out,’ he whispered. ‘Like white noise.’