“What are you looking for?” she said.
“The Explorer,” Thorne said.
She clicked the screen. The image zoomed up. “Got it,” she said.
Levine said, “You do?” He sounded surprised.
Kelly looked at him and said, “Yeah, I do.”
The two men came and stared at the screen over her shoulder. They could see the Explorer, on a shaded road. They could see the pachycephalosaurs, lots of them, milling around the car. The animals were poking at the tires and the front fender.
But they didn’t see Sarah anywhere. “Where is she?” Thorne said.
Sarah Harding was underneath the car, lying on her face in the mud.
She had crawled there after she fell – it was the only place to go – and now she was staring out at the animals’ feet milling all around her. She said, “Doc. Are you there? Doc? Doc.” But the damned radio wasn’t working again. The pachys were stamping and snorting, trying to get at her tinder the car.
Then she remembered that Thorne had said something about screwing down the battery pack. She reached behind her back, and found the pack, and twisted the cover shut tight.
Immediately, her earpiece began to crackle with static.
“Doc,” she said.
“Where are you?” Thorne said.
“I’m under the car.”
“Why? Did you already try it?”
“Try what?”
“Try to start it. To start the car.”
“No,” she said, “I didn’t try to start it, I fell.”
“Well, as long as you’re under there, you can check the breakers,” Thorne said.
“The breakers are under the car?”
“Some of them. Look up by the front wheels.”
She twisted her body, sliding in the mud. “Okay. I’m looking.”
“There’s a box right behind the front bumper. Over on the left.”
“I see it.”
“Can you open it?”
“I think so.” She crawled forward, and pulled at the latch. The lid came down. She was staring at three black switches. “I see three switches and they are all pointing up.”
“Up?”
“Toward the front of the car.”
“Hmmm,” Thorne said. “That doesn’t make sense. Can you read the writing?”
“Yes. It says ’15 VV’ and then ’02 R.”‘
“Okay,” he said. “That explains it.”
“What?”
“The box is in backward. Flip all the switches the other way. Are you dry?”
“No, Doc. I’m soaking wet, lying in the damn mud.”
“Well then, use your shirtsleeve or something.”
Harding pulled herself forward, approaching the bumper. The nearest pachys snorted and banged on the bumper. They leaned down and twisted their heads, trying to get to her. “They have very bad breath,” she said.
“Say again?”
“Never mind.” She flipped the switches, one after another. She heard a hum, from the car above her. “Okay. I did it. The car is making a noise.
“That’s fine,” Thorne said.
“What do I do now?”
“Nothing. You better wait.”
She lay back in the mud, looking at the feet of the pachys. They were moving, tramping all around her.
“How much time left?” she said.
“About ten minutes.”
She said, “Well, I’m stuck under here, Doc.”
“I know.”
She looked at the animals. They were on all sides of the car. If anything, they seemed to be growing more active and excited. They stamped their feet and snuffled impatiently. Why were they so worked up? she wondered. And then, suddenly, they all thundered off. They ran toward the front of the car, and away, up the road. She twisted her body and watched them go.
There was silence.
“Doc?” she said.
“Yeah.”
“Why’d they leave?”
“Stay under the car,” Thorne said.
“Doc?”
“Don’t talk.” The radio clicked off.
She waited, not sure what was happening. She had heard the tension in Thorne’s voice. She didn’t know why. But now she heard a soft scuffling sound, and looking over, saw two feet standing by the driver’s side of the car.
Two feet in muddy boots.
Men’s boots.
Harding frowned. She recognized the boots. She recognized the khaki trousers, even though they were now caked with mud.
It was Dodgson.
The man’s boots turned to face the door. She heard the door latch click. Dodgson was getting in the car.
Harding acted so swiftly, she was not aware of thinking. Grunting, she swung her body around sideways, reached out with her arms, grabbed both ankles, and pulled hard. Dodgson fell, giving a yell of surprise. He landed on his back, and turned, his face dark and angry.