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May. 19th, 2008 01:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gone_byebyeTheir radio was working, technically. Ray had to admit that. They could raise the pilot of their airplane back at the landing strip.
They had some capacity for self-defense. Dr. Ndebele had brought some conventional firearms along with his tranquilizer rifle, and Ray, while proton packless, had his lightsaber with him.
They even had a reasonably strategic location, in a clearing big enough to give them some warning of anything that might be coming at them out of the jungle in any given direction.
But Ray had been reading the Spates Catalog of Otherworldly Denizens and Designations aloud to Dr. Ndebele once he located an entry on lloigor lifted directly from Seaton's Congo notes, and Ndebele had been telling Ray all the details he could remember of the creature in the darkness, and their radio only really got through in fits and starts. Really, it was inevitable that when the trees in the distance started to crack and crash, the two men would freeze.
They drew straws to see who would leave the tent and see what it was. Ray lost. Ndebele readied his guns. It could, after all, just be an elephant in musth. It might even only be a true Mokele-mbembe. Either of those were dangerous enough without being horrors from beyond the stars. He waited at the tent entrance, tense and ready, and watched as Ray drew one of the meters from his belt. Its little electronic arms hung limply in midair, refusing to move; Ray thumped it with the heel of his hand.
The cracking drew closer. There was a great bellowing cry. Ray dropped the useless meter and reached for the cylinder hanging on his belt instead. Ndebele had just long enough to wonder why he was reaching for a flashlight when the green 'saber blade ignited.
Ahead of him, at the edge of the clearing, the upper trees began to part. Ndebele lifted his rifle, making ready to aim at whatever might emerge. Twin pinpoints of blue peered through the shadows of the trees, and something rumbled-
"!" said Ray, as nearly as Ndebele could tell- and dashed forward to meet the creature. Ndebele swore and ran out of the tent in time to see a monstrous thing that resembled a predatory dinosaur in the way that a tank might resemble an ankylosaurid peering down at the man.
"Dr. Stantz," called Ndebele quietly. "Dr. Stantz!"
The grey-sided thing (all armor plate and gleaming segments, its head as huge and terrible as he remembered it) turned to look his way.
Ndebele stood his ground. "Dr. Stantz, stop hugging the monster's leg."
The creature's blazing blue eyes narrowed as it turned to peer at Ray again, and it rumbled something that Ndebele recognized as very badly pronounced Baka. Ray looked up. "Thank you," he said, all the relief in the world in his voice.
"I didn't do any-"
"Not you, Dr. Ndebele," said Ray. "I'm talking to him." He backed away from the monstrous thing's leg and pointed to its head instead.
"…what." Judging by the look on the monster's face, it was entirely possible that it felt the same way.
"For not being a Cthulhian horror," Ray said, almost cheerfully. "Hey! Grimlock! Bah-weep-Graaaaagnah wheep ni ni bong!"
The creature lifted one forearm, exposing the shining bits of metal that lay under the armor plating, and did a very creditable imitation of a human dragging one hand over his face.
They had some capacity for self-defense. Dr. Ndebele had brought some conventional firearms along with his tranquilizer rifle, and Ray, while proton packless, had his lightsaber with him.
They even had a reasonably strategic location, in a clearing big enough to give them some warning of anything that might be coming at them out of the jungle in any given direction.
But Ray had been reading the Spates Catalog of Otherworldly Denizens and Designations aloud to Dr. Ndebele once he located an entry on lloigor lifted directly from Seaton's Congo notes, and Ndebele had been telling Ray all the details he could remember of the creature in the darkness, and their radio only really got through in fits and starts. Really, it was inevitable that when the trees in the distance started to crack and crash, the two men would freeze.
They drew straws to see who would leave the tent and see what it was. Ray lost. Ndebele readied his guns. It could, after all, just be an elephant in musth. It might even only be a true Mokele-mbembe. Either of those were dangerous enough without being horrors from beyond the stars. He waited at the tent entrance, tense and ready, and watched as Ray drew one of the meters from his belt. Its little electronic arms hung limply in midair, refusing to move; Ray thumped it with the heel of his hand.
The cracking drew closer. There was a great bellowing cry. Ray dropped the useless meter and reached for the cylinder hanging on his belt instead. Ndebele had just long enough to wonder why he was reaching for a flashlight when the green 'saber blade ignited.
Ahead of him, at the edge of the clearing, the upper trees began to part. Ndebele lifted his rifle, making ready to aim at whatever might emerge. Twin pinpoints of blue peered through the shadows of the trees, and something rumbled-
"!" said Ray, as nearly as Ndebele could tell- and dashed forward to meet the creature. Ndebele swore and ran out of the tent in time to see a monstrous thing that resembled a predatory dinosaur in the way that a tank might resemble an ankylosaurid peering down at the man.
"Dr. Stantz," called Ndebele quietly. "Dr. Stantz!"
The grey-sided thing (all armor plate and gleaming segments, its head as huge and terrible as he remembered it) turned to look his way.
Ndebele stood his ground. "Dr. Stantz, stop hugging the monster's leg."
The creature's blazing blue eyes narrowed as it turned to peer at Ray again, and it rumbled something that Ndebele recognized as very badly pronounced Baka. Ray looked up. "Thank you," he said, all the relief in the world in his voice.
"I didn't do any-"
"Not you, Dr. Ndebele," said Ray. "I'm talking to him." He backed away from the monstrous thing's leg and pointed to its head instead.
"…what." Judging by the look on the monster's face, it was entirely possible that it felt the same way.
"For not being a Cthulhian horror," Ray said, almost cheerfully. "Hey! Grimlock! Bah-weep-Graaaaagnah wheep ni ni bong!"
The creature lifted one forearm, exposing the shining bits of metal that lay under the armor plating, and did a very creditable imitation of a human dragging one hand over his face.
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Date: 2008-05-19 06:08 pm (UTC)*resumes laughing fuzzy ass off*]
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Date: 2008-05-19 06:13 pm (UTC)But it's all been a lead-in to "why funny-looking human holding onto Grimlock leg?" from the very start.]