By Pamela Love
The sauropod swung her head on its immensely long neck from side to side, careful to keep her young in sight. Two of her hatchlings were feeding on new leaves and tender shoots, but the youngest was forging his way through the bushes surrounding their family. She took a step toward him, intending to head him off before he strayed too far. When predators might be on the prowl nearby, her small son should not go exploring.
Suddenly, she spotted a buzzing object gleaming in the sunlight. Her heart began pounding harder as this unfamiliar thing hovered over her little one.
“Baby dinosaurs! Finally!” Hanover gave a fist pump. “Leo, get this on our feed immediately.”
“It’s streaming now,” said Leo, beaming at the hatchlings. The closer one lifted her head, momentarily distracted from breakfast as she investigated this shiny wonder. “Hey there, sweetie.”
“I only see two.” Hanover wrinkled his nose. “That Brontosaurus is big enough to have two dozen.”
Leo opened his mouth to explain that the sauropod was probably an Alamosaurus, and definitely not a Brontosaurus, which went extinct before the Cretaceous period. But he closed it. “Some of her young may not have survived.”
Hanover snorted. “Big Mama there looks like she could protect them.”
To himself, Leo admitted Hanover had a point. Based on the data the time drone was transmitting, the Alamosaurus measured close to thirty meters long, roughly a third of which was a swaying tail—potentially a powerful weapon. He wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of her wrath. She seemed to be ignoring the time drone, however. He hoped she would continue to do so, but wondered why. Her hatchlings appeared to be vocalizing, although he couldn’t be sure since the time drone didn’t transmit sound. It was possible their voices didn’t alert her to danger. “Maybe more hatchlings are on her other side.”
“You mean she’s blocking my view?” Hanover waved an arm impatiently. “Don’t make me spell it out. Fly over her!”
Leo gripped the joystick and guided the time drone over the mountainous back of the sauropod. “Sorry, sir. Yes, down there in the bushes, there’s another—”
“What’s that?” Hanover bent over the viewscreen, spattering it with spittle.
Leo bit his lip. “It’s a third Alamo—I mean, a third dinosaur baby.”
Hanover rolled his eyes. “Not that! The other time drone—the one over its head. What is it doing here?”
Well, that would explain why the sauropod is ignoring us. Instead, she trampled bushes on her way to separate and shield her son from the other device.
“I paid big money for exclusive time drone rights in this period. Somebody’s poaching my footage!” Hanover threw his—fortunately empty—coffee mug on the floor.
Leo flinched as the crockery shattered. “We’ll file a protest.”
“Bah! Who knows how long that drone has been here? So much for my exclusive. Bet half the hemisphere’s seen it. We’re not filing anything. We’re going to act.” He slammed his fist on the desk. “Knock it out of the sky!”
Leo blinked. “What? How?”
Hanover gritted his teeth. “Ram it.”
“That would destroy your drone’s camera!” Leo tightened his grip on the joystick. “Mr. Hanover, it’s a privilege to study dinosaurs this way—”
“A privilege I paid for!”
“Besides, Big Mama may take it down for you. She doesn’t look happy.” Leo gestured toward the sauropod’s lashing tail. Then his eyes widened. “Sir, I don’t think that’s a drone. The configuration—”
“I make the decisions around here. Ram it, I said!” Shoving Leo off the chair, Hanover seized the joystick, sending his time drone rocketing toward the trespasser. At the last second, he twisted the controls, swerving the drone 180 degrees to protect the camera’s lens, then reversed it, hard, into the interloper. The device fell to the ground. “Ha! And see, the camera works fine. There’s the Brontosaurus’s tail.”
Indeed it was. Broadcast live for a worldwide audience, the enraged mother’s tail slammed into the time drone like a whip swung by a giant. For a split second, tiny bits of shrapnel went flying in the last bit of feed before Hanover’s drone crashed.
“It’s an Alamosaurus.” Leo stood up, brushing bits of crockery off his shirt. “And I quit.”
Back in the Cretaceous, two curious hatchlings nudged Hanover’s time drone with their feet. The third was about to prod the other metal object when a tiny door opened. He tilted his head with curiosity as two very annoyed extraterrestrials climbed out, chattering and pointing at the time drone. One went over and banged on it with a tentacle, shrieking a challenge.
To his great disappointment, no occupant came out.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A very punchable character and a great twist. Nice!
Thanks! I enjoy writing stories with twist endings.
This was delightful! Drones, aliens, dinosaurs. Who could ask for more? Loved your ending!
Glad to hear it! I appreciate your compliment.
What a fun dinosaur story! I would read it again and again!
Thanks so much! It’s the third in the series after “Priorities” and “Promises”.