“Then let’s give them hell.”
“You can’t just walk into my planet and demand action.”
“I didn’t walk in; I was grabbed, and I sure as hell can when my life is on the line. And those kids. They must know what you do and hide from you.”
“Children that young need supervision.”
“A little girl kicked a monster’s ass and threatened you.”
Doom ran a hand over his face. “I take good care of my people.”
Clarity rose to stand before him. “
Your
people, yeah. It’s time to take care of business.”
“That bomb you spoke of, will it really kill as many of the hybrids at once as you say it will?”
“Yes. Doom, you can’t let those hybrids get a hold of me. If they are learning by advancing somehow they will understand what I do. It will be your people being bombed. They will figure out space flight. Then they’ll bomb
my
planet.”
Doom had already thought of that. “The things you look for, can you find them?”
“Yes. I also know of a few distractions.”
“Clarity,” Doom’s mind was racing. “There is one way to keep the hybrids from breeding with you, or taking you, but it may want them to kill you.”
“Don’t say it.” Her gaze narrowed onto him. “I’m not going to get pregnant with you.”
“You could choose another.”
“I’m not choosing anyone. Before we go jumping to conclusions, we need to try to find out what those hybrids want. We aren’t certain what exactly it is they want. They might even want a pregnant human.”
“A pregnant woman has never been sacrificed. Then again, no human has ever come here carrying. You could tell me what to look for out there, and I can find the materials you need.”
“There are certain components. Look I know you’re not stupid, the things I need may be child’s play in my world, but not yours. Doom, how is it you saw the T-rex so fast? It was camouflaged in the trees.”
“I was called color blind by a human. I see what for you isn’t there. All of our leaders are like that.”
Clarity nodded. “Menace, too?”
“Yes.”
Clarity traced a few of his tattoos. “Maybe one day you can tell me their story.”
Doom decided he would. He only hoped he would never be telling another person Clarity’s story. He had wished for warriors to save his people, and humans. Here she was—a female. She gave him hope, real hope for the first time in—forever, since Alice was taken. A dangerous female he could lose his heart to—possibly his life.
****
Doom had no choice but to take Clarity out of the safety of the village circle, again. She knew the other warriors frowned on the idea. Humans weren’t supposed to go anywhere. Clarity wasn’t a sheep or a lamb; she was a tiger, a fighter. Clarity gave him the description of what she needed but sat back waiting, knowing his attempt would be futile. He was colorblind. He had no idea what she needed, compounded with the fact she was evasive and a bit misleading.
A whole lot misleading.
They were in a large cave where Clarity set up a small experiment. She wanted to make certain until all the villagers were on board with her idea to fight back she kept her experiments secret. Doom agreed. He was gazing with curiosity, and some skepticism, rocking from foot to foot. The components to make her distractions when necessary were easy enough in small amounts. All she needed was to capture his attention, then super-size her efforts when it came to the hybrids. That would take teamwork. She set up NH4Cr207 with HgSCN and lit a match. Doom jumped back as small tentacles wormed their way out of the substance, serpent-like.
“Damn, that’s amazing.” Doom squatted down twisting his neck this way and that. “Creepy, too. Can you imagine the chaos if this was bigger?” Doom stood up fast and gaped at her.
Clarity smiled. “Now you’re getting it.”
“I think an entire area creeping with this would make me need new pants.”
Clarity laughed. “It’s simple really. Even small amounts will capture their attention. What we want is for the hybrids to be freaked out. Soon they’ll start looking for our distractions, instead of us. That’s the time to strike.”
“With what?”
“The material I mentioned before. You have what I need for bombs. We only need a few of your people to help bring what I need back in large quantities. If we can find the hybrids’ homes in your area we can strike. If they live in caves, we can seal the entrances and exits and cause cave-ins. Next, we need to find or make swords and sharper arrows to penetrate those hides of theirs. We need carbon and alloys of iron.”
He looked lost. She knew he didn’t understand anything she said. Clarity reached out to hold his hand. There was nothing stupid about Doom. A multitude of emotion flickered across his features.
“I’m sure you and your people can think up distractions,” she said. “Have any of your women ever left an egg on too long, had the water evaporate, and the egg explode?”
“Hell, yeah, made one little guy piss himself. Geez, I haven’t thought about that in years.” He was smiling.
“Why don’t we go search that cave you thought I might find other things I need.” Using a stick she kicked apart the evidence.
Doom led her out of the small cave, keeping her close. Clarity didn’t mind he kept her inches from his side. His world was intriguing and deadly. Bushes rattled, and when the wind whistled she would stop dead in her tracks. Doom never laughed at her, never belittled her fears. To Clarity, that was the intelligence of a real man. Accepting failings with grace. He wasn’t a bully or a hypocrite.
At a sweet-smelling tree Doom picked two pieces of fruit, handing her one. The taste was delicious, the juice dribbled from her chin. Doom reached to dry her off. They gazed at one another in silence. The ancient depth of his gaze compelled her to move toward him. Doom let his fruit fall to the ground. He lifted his hands about to place them on her shoulders then stopped.
“You are a dangerous woman,” he muttered.
“Perhaps, but I think I see hope in your eyes.”
“I’ve seen more things to give me hope in the last few days than I’ve seen in my entire life. How can one tiny female change lives so fast? Change my life so fast?”
“I’ve spent my life being devoted to a task and seeing it through. Life is a journey of battles. The hurdles get higher but the prize is bigger. Never stop believing in hope, Doom. Never surrender to fear.”
He gave a curt nod and began walking. She watched his shoulders straighten. His stride was no longer the movement of a beaten man. Something was going on in that mind of his. When Doom stopped moving, she bumped into him, almost losing her footing. She peered around him and turned cold. The dinosaur was twelve feet tall sporting the fangs of a carnivore. The rush of draining emptiness in her face let her know she had gone white. Goose bumps dotted her arms and she dared not breathe.
Clarity had no idea what kind of hybrid this was. The dinosaur was completely black with white eyes, unblinking. Its head was in proportion with its massive body. The back of its head narrowed to a sharp edge resembling ebony ivory. The body hunched over, standing on two clawed feet. It weaved back and forth sizing them up. Its gaze settled on Clarity. The smaller of the two.
Clawed arms raised for battle, it cocked its head and hissed. Doom’s muscles bunched and he used a hand to guide her further behind him, but she had seen what it looked like. It stood erect on three-toed talons for feet. The beast swung around. Doom lifted Clarity into his arms and jumped high, avoiding the tail. Three-inch quills poked from ass to tail tip. The beast split a tree, the trunk exploded and the tree toppled to the ground with a hard
thump.
In one quick motion, Doom dropped Clarity and sprang forward with his spear as the beast’s belly was exposed. Doom watched her the night before trying to lift his weapon of choice; it was the first real smile she had seen. The spear was taller than Doom and almost too heavy for her to lift. The thickness was that of a young tree trunk. Doom hefted it easily; Clarity couldn’t get her fingers around it.
The dinosaur attacked. Doom kept the beast between him and her. Clarity realized she was the intended victim. The beast clawed the air, missing Doom by inches. Doom stabbed up and sunk the spear into the underbelly thrusting up with a hard jerk. The beast roared then silenced, crumpling. The sharp end pierced its heart. Doom, with lightning speed, grabbed for the dagger on his belt and slit the animal’s throat. Then stepped back. He hadn’t broken a sweat.
“Nasty little piece of work these things.”
Clarity knew her mouth was open and she was gaping up at him. “Let me get this straight. You can kill King Kong in a heartbeat but can’t take out a hybrid?”
“Hybrids know hand to hand combat. They are skilled. Their weapons, all they need, are on their body. They think. The dinosaur looks at you and me and its only thought is, ‘oh look, tiny tasty prey’.”
“Because we’re smaller it thinks we have no defense?”
“Yes. Why would it think anything else? When a feline hunts the mouse, there is no fear, there is no caution.”
“You have the element of surprise.”
“Perceptive.”
“Help.”
Both Clarity and Doom started at a man’s call. Doom ripped the spear out of the dinosaur and grabbed Clarity’s hand pulling her to her feet. His pace was too fast for her and when her foot left the ground, she was yanked farther faster, flying over rough terrain.
Not far from them was a man grappling with Muffin. The bulwark had firmly been told to stay behind, but the desire for treats from Clarity was too much to keep the animal at the village. Her gaze searching Clarity wondered if Bubble-gum was still with Flight. The boy adored the dog, all of the village children did.
“Muffin,” Clarity called.
The beast was standing over and on the man. He was unhurt but his face was red when Doom shoved Muffin off. The man jumped to his feet; he was filthy, his clothing torn, his eyes wild. He looked as though he had been running circles of terror. Clarity, seeing the fury on Doom’s face, raced over to drape an arm across the beast’s shoulders.
“Nice catch, Muffin.”
Doom glared at her and the beast. The man was jumping around, all nervous excitement. Clarity could see his pulse pounding in his throat.
“My name is Clarity.” She stuck her hand out to the man.
For a second he stared at her, then gripped her hand fast and let it go. “Heath, ma’am.”
“Clarity. You call me ma’am again, and I’ll let Muffin finish you.”
“Where the hell am I?” Heath demanded in a Texas no-nonsense way.
“A planet like Earth might have been if the meteor didn’t hit and didn’t have an ice age, or volcanoes, or tsunamis, or pretty much all of that other wacky weather crap.”
Heath eyed Clarity and then Doom. He was gorgeous, wisps of darkish hair curled at his ears. His brown eyes were expressive. He stood at least six-two. Well built. Decidedly lost as hell. The jeans, boots, and shirt he wore screamed cowboy. All he needed was a Stetson. Clarity grinned wondering if Doom was going to get his hands on the boots, she doubted it. A cowboy and his boots were like a woman and her purse.
“Damned if I didn’t see a chicken with a tail. Funny lookin’. Five of ’em. Looked at me as if I might be lunch.”
“Compsognathus.” Heath stared at Clarity when she spoke. “It’s about the size of a chicken. I’ve seen a few running around. Don’t get cornered by a group of them.”
“Ya think?” His sarcasm wasn’t lost on Clarity. “Death by chicken would be a certain kinda irony. I ate enough of them.”
“I think we should get back,” Doom said. “Those clothes of his will draw a bigger crowd of curious carnivores. He needs to change and get washed in our own soaps. Humans wear too much perfume and cologne. He smells like he wants a date with a raptor.”
Clarity laughed at the man’s indignant expression, but Doom had a point. Heath smelled like he was hunting, but she imagined dinosaurs were the furthest thing from his mind. Except he was disheveled. His hair was tousled, his hands filthy as the rest of him. His ride from a sinkhole was no doubt eventful. They followed Doom. Heath stayed beside Clarity, away from Muffin.
“Rough trip?” she asked.
“Holy hell, I’ve ridden sweeter bulls. Been tossed far enough into the air to think I could fly, but droppin’ down the rabbit hole was no trip to wonderland.”
“Did you fall straight down or were you pulled in a different direction?”
“Dropped down.”
Clarity checked him out as they walked. Was he from her Earth? How could she find out?
“Wait,” Doom said, snapping the word. He held his spear ready.
Another creature melted from the bushes in their path with a low growl. This beast was covered in tufts of fur. Scars riddled its body. Fangs dripped saliva from a massive head, a bear mix of sorts it seemed to Clarity, but none she ever imagined. Black soulless eyes took in everyone at once. It was ready for a fight. Muffin’s hackles rose and she flipped Clarity down and under her. The underside of a stinky part-wolverine’s belly was no place to be. Clarity plugged her nose. She couldn’t see anything. She heard enough to make her skin crawl.
Doom was bellowing, Heath added his howls. Muffin swung long claws. They battled more than one it seemed. Something else crashed through the underbrush. Tufts of fur dropped, gray flesh dropped, plopping near her face. Clarity gagged. From ground level she saw moccasins, more bulwark feet, cowboy boots, and dog paws. Bubble-gum was loose and pissed. War was being waged.
A scream sounded, human or dinosaur or beast, she wasn’t certain. When the bulwark let Clarity climb out from under her, she stumbled to her feet. Blood was everywhere. Dinosaur limbs littered the ground. The bear creature was on its back, all four legs in the air, its belly ripped open. Doom and Menace were breathing hard as was Edge. Heath was down. The other three bulwarks had come to their aid.
“I don’t know how, but that damned dog knew something was up. He bolted into the forest. Flight went after him until I tossed the boy to his mother. That child has no fear,” Edge said.
Clarity wasn’t certain if his tone was prideful or exasperation, or both. “I promised I’d bring him back. But for cripe’s sake can you change the mutt’s name? A grown man running through a jungle yelling for invisible goo sounds stupid.”