Project Orpheus: A Tale of Blood and Feathers

Chapter 29: The Giga

When Orenda had said Sister was going to be their first target, Anise thought of something nice and small. Maybe a baby sauropod or some sort of paraave. Something manageable, at least. So when she found out it was the Giganotosaurus her jaw hit the floor.

"Wait what?! Sister is the Giga?" She asked.

"Yes. She's the most dangerous, so she's our top priority."

"I get that, but I was expecting something named Sister to be...y'know, smaller."

"Her full name is Sister Superior Aline West. I named her after one of the nuns that ran my school when I was a kid."

"Oh. Ooohh. That explains it. I'm so sorry."

Orenda gave a little smile, "it's fine. You couldn't have known."

The Jeep had a screen on the front, this one displaying a radar feed of the dinosaurs. They were approaching the large, flashing red dot labeled "SSAW"

"So what were you expecting, then?"

"I dunno, something small and cute?" Anise shrugged.

"Noh said that the escapees were the Deinonychus and Deinocherius, who you've met, and a Giganotosaurus. What among those do you think was going to be a small cuddly paraave, exactly?"

"I don't know!" Anise admitted, "I guess I was just hoping."

"You're an idiot."

"Never said I wasn't. I know things, I'm not smart."

Orenda smiled, "I am all too familiar with that."

The fresh jungle air made her happy. Having spent so long in the desert, a bit of humidity felt good. She leaned her head back, taking in the wind.

"So you said you were digging up a Therizinosaurs...isn't that in Mongolia?"

"Yeah. We've had a lot of trouble because of the war. But we've managed to survive, so that's good. There's also a bit of a blessing that the explosions can sometimes reveal hidden bones for us to dig up."

"God. I'm so sorry. I don't know what to say about any of that, but I hope you keep safe."

"Me too."

Anise adjusted herself in the seat, looking at Orenda. The braid of her hair laid across her shoulder, already looking a bit frayed from the stress of this whole situation. She was sure this was about to get a lot worse, but she was ready for it. Orenda was manning the Electro-whatsit turret, while Anise had a tranquilizer rifle.

"You know how to use that, right?" Orenda asked.

Anise nodded, realizing her eyes must have been on it for quite a while. "Yeah, actually. I used to go hunting with my dad when I was a little girl. Then when I started being a field archeologist it actually became a survival thing. Snakes and bears and other animals can get into the camp and if you can't get rid of them, people can die. It's also been helpful for hunting - sometimes it;s inconvenient to go back to a town for food and supplies when you can just hunt your own."

"Really? I used to go hunting with my dad too. Some of my favorite memories are from tracking down animals with him and then helping mom cook them."

"That sounds really nice." Anise said.

"It was."

The ground shook suddenly, as the Giga stomped from an open path in the forest and to the road, blocking the path.

"Holy shit!" Maddox screamed, twisting the wheel of the car hard. The car spun in a semicircle, so they were then moving away from the dinosaur. Anise found herself in awe of the thing, with its enormous head and powerful legs. It stomped after the car.

"Keep us at a matching speed!" Orenda called back to Maddox. "Too slow, she'll catch us, too fast and we won't be able to aim properly!"

"You got it!" Maddox said. He adjusted the speed appropriately.

Anise pressed the butt of the rifle against her shoulder and looked through its sight, taking aim. It looked like an ordinary rifle, except instead for some reason it looked like it was made of plastic. Although it wasn't - it felt cold in the same way metal did. She pulled the bolt to load a dart into the chamber and let it loose, hitting the Giga in the chest. Sister did not seem to like it. She stumbled on her feet for a moment, but let out another rumbling of the throat that caused the car to shake and actually picked up speed.

"What the hell!?" Anise asked.

"Sister has always needed a few shots. Keep the pressure on!"