Adam Brodie and the monster from the dark planet

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty

Adam was wearing a helmet, arm and shin guards and a heavy belt. It was the first lesson of the new week and Adam guessed it had something to do with the Maissaura.

He wore a light top and khaki shorts and boots as he had been told they were going outside the dome where the climate was tropical. An android had offered to spray all Adam's exposed surfaces of his skin with an aerosol.

"The spray will settle on your skin and form a barrier against ultra violet light which is fierce outside. It will also keep mosquitos and other pests away."

Adam thought about this and then nodded. He closed his eyes as the android sprayed his face and all bare surfaces of his skin. The spray was a little cold at first but that feeling vanished soon after application. Adam saw Malcolm arguing with an android and then finally agreeing and getting sprayed all over his unclothed surfaces.

Captain Trinity was among the students, directing them to a revolving door set in the wall of the transparent dome covering the Nexus.

"It makes sense," said George. "A revolving door would allow people to enter and leave the Nexus without changing the air pressure of the Nexus, or its temperature."

"Full of useless information aren't you?" said Adam.

"I don't consider anything I know to be useless, merely fascinating."

Eventually all the students of that class made it through the revolving door. George being two dimensional merely had to slide through the crack in the door and the wall to emerge out the other side.

As soon as Adam stepped out into the Cretaceous jungle he felt as though he had come up against a wall of heat. He started to perspire. His skin prickled against his clothes and he felt a tiny bead of sweat run down his back.

He could smell the jungle. It was rank and putrid but he could also smell the sweet scent of chlorophyll, like new mown grass. Tiny forms leapt and darted about the ferns and cycads, and the tops of the plants were full of twittering, brightly coloured birds.

Farther from within the jungle Adam could hear deep throaty growls. The hairs on the back of his neck rose and he knew without being told by anyone that were some very hungry beasts roaming the jungle.

Adam looked up and saw the huge disco of the sun. It was intense and he had to shade his eyes with his arm. The sun's heat struck his face like a slap. He had never experienced heat like this.

"You can lower a visor on your helmet," said a passing android.

Reaching out the android unclipped something on Adam's helmet and a tinted visor fell down over his eyes. The light became bearable.

"Thank you," said Adam.

"You're welcome," said the android, strolling off.

"Listen up," said Captain Trinity. "We are now going to participate in the school sport called Dinosaur Dash. Something amusing you Adam?"

"Not at all," said Adam, his hands behind his back and the fore and index fingers of both hands crossed. He nibbled the inside of his cheeks to stop himself grinning further.

"The object of the sport is to ride your mounts along a designated route," said Trinity. "First past the finishing line wins. It's an endurance race. There will be androids along the route to point the way. What is it Adam?"