Volume 7: Copal
Issue 16: Something Bigger
Florian Reyes Honeywell
By Roach
“Let’s go.” After saying the words, Archean stepped away from his Spinosaurus. He touched the sash on his chest, letting his hand rest on a large fang sewn into its fabric. The tooth was longer than my thumb.
An instant later, the Spinosaurus disintegrated in front of us. It was a bizarre sight. One moment, it stood there: still facing the direction the T-rex had walked off in, breathing heavily as it kept watch over the treeline. Then, the next, it crumbled away. Once solid, now its form started to collapse in on itself—sort of like a crumpling plastic bag. Before I could really process what I saw, the creature scattered like dust and vanished entirely. It all happened in a matter of seconds.
Archean moved his hand up the sash, tapping a different fossil. Just as quickly as the Spinosaurus had vanished, a new creature materialized in the muddy waters before us. It was a leviathan—like a hybrid of a crocodile and a whale—albeit not quite as large as the Spinosaurus. As most of its grayish body remained submerged, I couldn’t really see it too clearly. Its crocodilian head bobbed in the water, while its elongated back breached the surface.
Archean grinned as he surveyed our astonished faces. “Meet Mosasaurus,” he said. “Our ride.”
Without further ado, he leaped on top of the massive dinosaur. The Mosasaurus didn’t budge as he planted his feet onto its back, and gestured for us to follow.
Had this been three days ago, I imagined that at least some of us would have responded with more excitement about the prospects of riding a dinosaur. But now, after everything, we fell into an exhausted silence. Even Daniel—who had been lying down in a bed of horsetails—barely had the energy to sit up.
Jay was the first to say anything. “I didn’t think I would ever say this, but I hope I never see another dinosaur ever again.” They crossed their arms over their chest, staring down the Mosasaurus with a skeptical frown.
If the harshness of their words got to Archean, he didn’t show it. “Don’t worry about Mosasaurus,,” he said in a patient and reassuring tone. “Remember that my dinosaurs… They’re more like puppets than the real deal. This guy won’t do anything unless I say so.” He then pointed toward Hell Creek’s entrance, at the other side of the delta. “We just need to get up there. There’s a camp; it has food, water, first aid… There are people who will take care of you. You’ll be able to go home.”
I exchanged a look with Hannah. Her nervous, giddy grin from before had waned away, now replaced by a familiar tight-lipped expression—like she was already thinking about what’s next. She took a tentative step forward, then made the leap onto the Mosasaurus’ back.
I followed after her, jumping onto the empty spot behind her. Its skin felt surprisingly smooth underneath my feet, and I had to steady myself so as to not slip on the damp surface. But the massive creature didn’t waver under our weight. Camilo and Amber followed after me, and—gradually—we all formed a line along the creature’s spine.
Once we had all found a spot to sit down on, the Mosasaurus stirred to life. Its large fins paddled slowly through the muddy water, and it started to drift down a channel barely deep enough to carry its large form. Mud dredged up with each flap of its fin, like it was dragging itself along the riverbed. I had the impression that this was far from its top speed, but that the small waterways kept it from going any faster than a homemade raft.
But, as I looked out across the delta—at the Edmontosaurus chomping on ferns growing on the small islets, surrounded by the slow trickle of waterways—I didn’t mind going slow. With nothing else to hold onto, I hugged my knees up to my chest as I kept watching the herbivores in the distance.
Everyone else seemed to have fallen into a similar quiet introspection, as moments passed by in silence. After a while, Archean finally spoke up, “So, how have you guys been holding up?”
The question hovered over us as the past days ran through my head. Between the raging Triceratops, the powerfight between Archean and Dogwhistle, the stalking Dakotaraptors, and the Tyrannosaurus mother… It seemed like we had only run from one danger to another. There was no easy answer to the question.
“After we got split up from you, we tried to get back to the Expedition Center…” Camilo said. “The Dakotaraptors chased us, but we were able to shelter in…. this cave. It had like a door inside, but we couldn’t get through…”
“Dakotaraptors?” Archean said, alarm in his voice. “Did anyone get hurt?”
“Daniel,” Camilo said, “but that was later.”
Archean turned to look at Daniel, who sat quietly in the back of the group. “We’ll get you looked at as soon as we’re in camp,” he said, before looking at Camilo again. “What happened?”
“The first or the second time?” Camilo said.
“Just tell me everything.”
Camilo told him about how we had first lost the Dakotaraptors by crossing the river, and how they had found us again once we trekked back to the Expedition Center. As he told the story, others would chip in with their own additions—about the cave, about Fern, about trapping the Dakotaraptors in the meat freezer, about finding Gabriel, Jazmine, and Lewis in a tree, and, finally, about our encounter with the Tyrannosaurus on our way to the Hell Creek entrance.
Of course, leaving out how Camilo’s illusions pulled us through it.
Archean listened intently. With the skull mask concealing his expression, I really had no idea what he was thinking—did he even believe us?
When Camilo had finished explaining, Archean said, “I wish I had found you sooner, but it sounds like you handled yourselves out there.”
As the Mosasaurus drifted past the footbridges we had walked all those days ago, Hannah asked, “Where were you, exactly?”
“Right.” Archean nodded, as if in deep thought. “You probably know now that there was an… attack on the Extinction Refuge. They sabotaged the force field, cut power, and blocked communications… Completely disabled all the security measures we had. You saw it happen when the Triceratops left their exhibit. Somehow, they locked down Hell Creek… locked everyone out of the computers and made sure to keep the shield dome up for good measure. The cave you guys found; that’s why the door was locked. Usually, it would let staff get in and out of the exhibits for maintenance purposes. But no one was able to get in or out.”
The swarm churned uneasily inside of me, as I realized how truly trapped we had been. The irony of it all hit me; how the force field that was supposed to protect us turned against us, caging us just like the dinosaurs we had been running from.
Archean continued, “They only managed to circumvent it this morning, hack the system to get the entrance open again. We’ve set up a base camp there for extra security and to aid with the search and rescue. I’ve been looking for survivors ever since the attack started, bringing them back to the entrance.”
At that, several voices piped up at the same time. “Did you find Katie?” Gabriel and Jay asked simultaneously.
“Binh? Tyler?” Lewis chipped in.
“What about Jorge?” Daniel said.
“They all made it.” He smiled. “You guys were the only students left.”
Students. His choice of words seemed deliberate, and a new question rose to the surface of my mind. “What about Holly?” I said.
Archean looked down at the water. “I’m sorry,” he said. “Mrs. Porter is safe, but we haven’t found Holly yet.”
At least, that didn’t mean that she was dead—but it certainly didn’t mean she was still alive. My mind flashed back to the doppelgängers in Chapel High’s basement, and the image of Holly, Amber, and everyone else who had been wrapped into a web of slimy cocoons. Even miles and miles away from San Francisco, trouble seemed to find us…
I shook the image away. I didn’t want to think about Chapel and all the problems that waited for me there. Weird monsters and Dragon’s Teeth could wait—all I wanted was to go home. I felt a strange urge to sit in the greenhouse on the roof of my parents’ apartment, and idly look down at the busy streets around me.
Archean interrupted my thoughts, “Did you see any signs of her? Or anyone else?”
Hannah, who had been sitting quietly in front of me, spoke up now. “Just Dogwhistle,” she muttered, “but it looked like someone took care of him.”
The hero visibly tensed under her stare. There was an uncomfortable silence, filled in by the water stirring around the Mosasaurus and the occasional weed brushing against its body. “Right,” Archean finally said, regaining his composure again. “Then you’re aware that the First Way is behind this terrorist attack.”
“I have another question,” Hannah said.
“What is it?” Archean said, but he didn’t look at her—instead, casting his gaze out toward the Hell Creek entrance. We were much closer now, and I could see the tents more clearly. People traversed nonstop between them, and—even at this distance—it seemed busier than I would have thought.
“Earlier, you said that you don’t have anything that can stand up to a T-rex, except for that Spinosaurus…” Hannah continued. “I was just wondering, how come you don’t have a T-rex?”
The question piqued my curiosity. She had a point—what could stand up to a T-rex, if not another T-rex? A childhood spent flipping through dinosaur books had taught me that Tyrannosaurus fossils were relatively abundant. So, it didn’t seem like it should be too difficult to acquire one. At least, if you were someone like Archean.
“Oh.” Archean’s stare grew even more distant now, as he cleared his throat. “It just comes down to boring bureaucracy stuff,” he said, but the charismatic tone I had grown used to fell flat when he spoke. “It’s in my contract.”
“What, IMAGO won’t let you?” Hannah shifted in front of me, leaning forward as if intrigued by this piece of information.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
“None of my fossils are the same species as those present in Hell Creek, and vice versa,” he simply replied. Reading between the lines, I thought that meant IMAGO didn’t want Archean’s dinosaurs to interfere with the park experience in any way—to steal the Refuge’s thunder.
“That might not matter anymore,” Hannah scoffed. “Doesn’t look like there’s going to be a Hell Creek much longer.”
I knew that—whatever had prompted the First Way to attack—this was going to be a PR nightmare for IMAGO. Would this affect my mom’s job at all? Her pollinator work was far removed from the Extinction Refuge, but—even so—I couldn’t help but wonder how much damage this was going to cause. My parents had already lost their livelihood once, before IMAGO offered my mom a new research opportunity…
It almost felt silly to worry about my mom’s job after barely surviving this catastrophe, but the question sat in my mind like an annoying itch. While I hoped it didn’t come to that, I was too exhausted to contemplate the fate of the Refuge. We lapsed into another silence, as the Mosasaurus slowly ferried us through the deepest channels of the delta.
We neared the Edmontosaurus herd. A few of them glanced our way, while others remained undisturbed—their bills easily cutting through horsetails and ferns. I studied their awkward, hulking shapes, with forelimbs that seemed just slightly too short. Their brown and green scales glistened slightly, damp from the water around them.
“It’s beautiful.” Although he spoke softly, Archean’s voice was so sudden it almost startled me. For a moment I wasn’t really sure who he was talking to—was he responding to Hannah, speaking to all of us, or just talking to himself? He continued, “You know, they’re not monsters—just animals, lost to time.” He nodded toward the hadrosaurs. “Even if I wish the circumstances were different, I’m happy I’ve been able to see them like this.”
I followed his gaze over Hell Creek’s delta; over the herd of massive animals grazing on long extinct species of ferns. Their deep, low cries reverberated around the prehistoric wilderness—softly vibrating in my chest. A small Struthiomimus flock scurried along between the giants. They looked tiny beside Edmontosaurus, yet huge compared to any of us on Archean’s Mosasaurus.
Behind them—at the treeline a mile away—another shape stirred the forest. Familiar and massive, the Tyrannosaurus moved on the edge of the forest. Maybe it was my mind playing tricks on me, but I swore I could see a tiny figure scurrying alongside the predator’s feet. Another shape emerged from the forest in front of it—a second T-rex, just as huge as the first. They nuzzled each other as they met, their massive maws somehow transformed into gentle instruments of affection. Around the feet of the second Tyrannosaurus, I saw more movement… Was Fern reuniting with her lost brothers and sisters?
Archean’s words lingered with me when a shriek sounded from the skies, bringing me back to the present moment. I glanced up. While the silhouettes of two pterosaurs soared far above, I glimpsed something else beyond their huge shapes; a helicopter, hovering over the force field before darting out of sight again.
We arrived on shore. Once we had all dismounted the Mosasaurus, it disintegrated right in front of us—popping out of existence, just like the Spinosaurus had. Archean led us toward Hell Creek’s entrance. But, with all the tents and boxes strewn about, it was completely transformed from when I had seen it last.
The whole area was a flurry of activity. Box after box of supplies was carted through the entrance by an eclectic collection of people: soldiers in camouflage, IMAGO scientists, tour guides, shop workers… Paramedics fussed over people being pushed around in gurneys. A cacophony of voices shouted over each other, drowning out the dinosaur calls behind us. Most ominously, soldiers stood at attention alongside the camp’s edge—guns at the ready and eyes locked on the grazing herbivores in the delta.
“Archean, you’re back,” a woman in a clean black dress said, stepping up to us. She said it matter-of-factly, like Archean had just returned from getting coffee.
“I found some more survivors,” Archean said, jutting a thumb back at us. “Winners of our sweepstakes at Chapel High.”
“That’s great to hear,” the woman said without smiling.
Archean turned back to us. This is Sicily Anderson,” he said. The woman nodded in greeting. Archean continued, “She’ll show you guys out of camp… But Daniel, you’ll need to come with me first.”
Just ahead of me, Daniel tensed up.
“You’re not in trouble.” The hero offered a smile, and pointed toward a nearby tent. A red cross hung above it. “Let’s get you looked at.”
Archean left with Daniel, disappearing into the tent. Meanwhile, Sicily led us toward the tunnel we had entered through when all of this started. “We’ve anticipated your rescue,” Sicily said, maintaining her cool tone as we passed into the entrance tunnel. “You should all be evacuated from the area before nightfall.”
Sicily suddenly stepped to the side, and motioned for us to do the same. Three costumed individuals strode toward us, their gazes steely and focused.
I instantaneously recognized them as Starlight heroes. Sunglasses and bleached hair gave away the man in front as Solar Flare. And, behind him, walked a woman in a bright pink armored tracksuit—Neon-Racer’s signature wear. It was even more strange seeing her in person than Solar Flare, as I knew my bees had crossed paths with her before—back when I scouted Chapel after Mr. Howells’ passing. That seemed like an eon ago.
But, the most impressive hero followed behind the two of them. Thunderbolt—a man straight from my old comic books—strode through the tunnel, his old-fashioned blue cape billowing in the air as he walked. His face, lined with age, nonetheless softened as he saw us. While none of the heroes stopped on their path toward Hell Creek, Thunderbolt nodded to us as he passed by. “Good work,” he said to us with an earnest smile, his voice a commanding baritone.
In a flick of his cape, he had passed us by. The class exchanged wide and excited glances, and I couldn’t help but meet Amber and Camilo’s gaze. “A real life hero…” someone muttered behind me. Technically, we had already encountered a real life hero: Archean. But, somehow, Starlight was a different caliber. Only Hannah, who’s consternated gaze followed the departing heroes, seemed to be unimpressed.
“Come on, people. Let’s move!” Sicily said, pushing us onward. We rounded a final corner when a wave of frigid air suddenly washed over us, along with a blinding, pale light. I coughed on the air—cool and dry in my lungs, with an unmistakable acrid tinge of smoke. As my eyes adjusted to the light, I saw, spread before me, a shocking sight.
The area around Hell Creek’s entrance looked like it had been bombed. Buildings, sculptures, trees… all left in fractured, shattered pieces. In their place more tents had sprung up, which spread out radially down the pathways and trails that—only a few days ago—had been choked with tourists just like us. Now, they were crowded with countless soldiers, paramedics, doctors, men and women in suits, and I could even make out a few brightly costumed heroes in the crowd. However, on the stage that Archean had first announced Hell Creek’s existence, a wide space had been cleared. Helicopters—gunmetal gray—landed in this clearing. Soldiers scrambled over them, unloading scores of boxes from the whirring machines. As quickly as they arrived, the helicopters departed, roaring into the sky and back the way they came.
Above it all, a loud rumble drew my attention. I looked up as a fighter jet cut through the smoky clouds. It flew lower than I’d ever seen a military plane fly, and bristled with deadly looking missiles that gleamed as they caught the sun.
Then, in my moment of distraction, something hit my side with a force that took the air out of me.
At first, I was too stunned to realize what had happened. The swarm bristled inside of me, before I realized what it was. My mom had tackled me into a hug. But, even as I came to, the surrealness of the moment stayed with me.
It was really her.
“Oh, Florian,” she said, murmuring my name over and over again. A surprising, but welcome, relief welled through me.
“Where… Where did you come from?” I stammered.
“You’re okay,” she said. While she let me wriggle out of her embrace, she still grabbed onto my shoulders—as if she was scared to let go of me. After looking me up and down, she finally answered, “IMAGO let me come to pick you up. There’s a helicopter waiting,” she explained.
A helicopter? She had arrived in a helicopter?
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw three new people approach. I didn’t recognize them, but it seemed that Amber did—because she rushed past me, into a hug with the two I could only assume to be her parents. The woman had the same flaming, red hair as her, while the man’s high cheekbones and pointed nose reminded me of hers…
Meanwhile, Hannah approached the last of the three. He was a short man in a simple plaid button-up and slacks, who strolled with a casual confidence through the crowd of soldiers. His skin was an almost ochre tone, warm, and wrinkled around his eyes. He was almost entirely bald, with slight grayish-black fuzz on the back of his head. He smiled warmly at us, and Hannah’s eyes went wide as she saw him, her mouth slightly agape in surprise.
I had fully wriggled out of my mom’s grip. When Hannah noticed my look, she suddenly said, “Uh, Florian.” She motioned at the man. “This is Mr. Cho. Xusheng Cho. My badminton coach I told you about.” She grabbed at her sides, looking more uncomfortable than I had ever seen her.
Xusheng blinked twice in succession, before giving a slight nod. “Of course,” he said. “Hannah’s one of my star players.”
“M-Mr. Cho , how’d you get here?” she asked.
“My brother works for IMAGO,” he explained. “When I heard about the tragedy, I begged him to let me come. I had to make sure you were alright, especially given how close we are to the semifinals.”
“Oh, who’s your brother?” my mom asked. “I’m an employee as well.”
“Yong Cho. His field’s integumentary reengineering. I must admit that the science is beyond me…”
“Can’t say I’m familiar with him,” she replied.
“I’d be happy to introduce you, but perhaps under better circumstances,” Xusheng said. He reached out his hand to her, and she shook it. “I’m Xusheng,” he said.
“Dr. Reyes,” my mom replied.
Hannah’s badminton coach turned away from my mom and moved toward Amber and her family. He outstretched a hand Amber’s way “I hope my star player, Hannah, hasn’t been too much of a hassle.”
Amber glanced between Xusheng and Hannah—who was now looking away toward the helicopters, blushing furiously. A curious look passed over Amber’s face as she took Xusheng’s hand. “She’s been… interesting,” she said, smiling quizzically.
Xusheng turned to Amber’s parents, who quickly introduced themselves in practiced, clipped tones as Eleanor and Edward Wren.
“It is wonderful to meet you,” Xusheng said, smiling widely. “Do you also work for IMAGO, like the mother of that young man over there?” he asked them.
“Oh, no,” Edward laughed. “With all the hubbub, their stock price absolutely plummeted over the past few days.”
Eleanor smiled coldly at Xusheng, “We acquired a significant stake in the company for a pittance; anything that could get our little birdie out of this horrid little place quicker,” she said, patting Amber’s head.
“Moooommmm,” Amber said, trying to struggle out of her mom’s grasp.
“Birdie?” Camilo snickered from behind me. We exchanged a look before turning back to Amber, who desperately tried to avoid our gaze.
“It’s good to provide capital to the company in such desperate times,” Xusheng said, somberly. “I’m not so useful. Just pulling strings through my brother to ensure the safety of my players. I can’t help but to feel like a burden, taking a seat in the helicopters from someone who could be more helpful here.”
“Whatever you say,” Eleanor said, turning back to her daughter. “You’re a mess…” she said to Amber, their conversation falling into murmurs which I couldn’t make out among the chaos around us. With a shrug, Xusheng turned away from the Wrens and back to me and my mom. “Nice to meet you,” he said to me, reaching his hand out.
I took it. Instantly, I was taken aback by the warmth of his hand. Although there wasn’t a hint of sweat, it seemed strikingly warm on an otherwise cool day. His skin felt coarse and rough against my own.
“Florian,” I murmured.
He let go. “Friend of Hannah’s?” he said.
I nodded. He smiled at me, but didn’t say anything else.
Just then, one of the soldiers halted by our small gathering. “I don’t mean to interrupt your guys’ little reunion, but you need to get on that helicopter. We’re on a tight schedule here,” he said. Without waiting, he walked off—rushing toward whatever was next on his agenda.
“Come on, then,” my mom said, nudging my shoulder.
“What about…” I looked back at Camilo, who locked eyes with me. There was an unspoken sadness in his blank stare, but—before I could say any more—my mom interrupted me.
“Your friends?” she said, barely glancing back. “I’m sorry, but there’s no time.”
I bit my lip, hesitant to leave behind Camilo and the others as she started walking after Amber, the Wrens, Hannah, and her coach. I slowly trailed after them.
Even as we approached our ride, there was nonstop activity all around us. While our helicopter waited for us, another whirred far above. Soldiers marched between trucks and tents—like in a beehive, they were constantly on the move. And, the ones who weren’t, kept careful watch over everything—occasionally barking names or orders. When I looked back, Camilo and the others had already left with Sicily—and I could no longer see them.
“There is so much going on here,” I muttered to no one in particular. I caught Hannah’s glance in my direction. “It’s hard to believe that they did all of this for us. To get us out of Hell Creek,” I finished.
“Oh, sweetie.” My mom smiled wistfully as she grabbed my shoulder. “This whole thing is so much bigger than just you.”