The Lost World - Michael Crichton [69]
He slowed the bike.
“Take it easy,” Levine said, shaking his head. His face was ashen, frightened. “You’re a terrible driver, do you know that? You ought to take some lessons. You almost got us killed there.”
“He was attacking us,” Thorne said angrily. He was familiar with Levine’s critical manner, but right now—
“That’s absurd,” Levine said. “He wasn’t attacking at all.”
“It sure as hell looked like it,” Thorne said.
“No, no, no,” Levine said. “He wasn’t attacking us. The rex was defending his nest. There’s a big difference.”
“I didn’t see any difference,” Thorne said. He pulled the bike to a stop, and glared at Levine.
“In point of fact,” Levine said, “if the rex had decided to chase you, we’d be dead right now. But he stopped almost immediately.”
“He did?” Thorne said.
“There’s no question about it,” Levine said, in his pedantic manner. “The rex only intended to scare us off, and defend his territory. He’d never leave the nest unguarded, unless we took something, or disrupted the nest. I’m sure he’s back there with his mate right now, hovering over the eggs, not going anywhere.”
“Then I guess we’re lucky he’s a good parent,” Thorne said, gunning the motor.
“Of course he’s a good parent,” Levine continued. “Any fool could tell that. Didn’t you see how thin he was? He’s been neglecting his own nourishment to feed his offspring. Probably been doing it for weeks. A Tyrannosaurus rex is a complex animal, with complex hunting behavior. And he has complex childrearing behavior as well. I wouldn’t be surprised if adult tyrannosaurs have an extended parenting role that lasts for months. He may teach his offspring to hunt, for example. Start by bringing in small wounded animals, and letting the youngsters finish them off. That kind of thing. It’ll be interesting to find out exactly what he does. Why are we waiting here?”
Through Thorne’s earpiece, the radio crackled. Malcolm said, “It would never occur to him to thank you for saving his life.”
Thorne grunted. “Evidently not,” he said.
Levine said, “Who are you talking to? Is it Malcolm? Is he here?”
“Yes,” Thorne said.
“He’s agreeing with me, isn’t he,” Levine said.
“Not exactly,” Thorne said, shaking his head.
“Look, Doc,” Levine said, “I’m sorry if you got upset. But there was no reason for it. The truth is, we were never in danger—except from your bad driving.”
“Fine. That’s fine.” Thorne’s heart was still pounding in his chest. He took a deep breath, swung the bike to the left, and headed down a wider path, back toward their camp.
Sitting behind him, Levine said, “I’m very glad to see you, Doc. I really am.”
Thorne didn’t answer. He followed the path downward, through foliage. They descended to the valley, picking up speed. Soon they saw the trailers in the clearing below. Levine said, “Good. You brought everything. And the equipment’s working? Everything in good condition?”
“It all seems to be fine.”
“Perfect,” Levine said. “Then this is just perfect.”
“Maybe not,” Thorne said.
Through the back window of the trailer, Kelly and Arby were waving cheerfully through the glass.
“You’re kidding,” Levine said.
FOURTH CONFIGURATION
“Approaching the chaotic edge, elements show internal conflict. An unstable and potentially lethal region.”
IAN MALCOLM
Levine
They came running across the clearing, shouting, “Dr. Levine! Dr. Levine! You’re safe!” They hugged Levine, who smiled despite himself. He turned to Thorne.
“Doc,” Levine said. “This was very unwise.”
“Why don’t you explain that to them?” Thorne said. “They’re your students.”
Kelly said, “Don’t be mad, Dr. Levine.”
“It was our decision,” Arby explained to Levine. “We came on our own.”
“On your own?” Levine said.
“We thought you’d need help,” Arby said. “And you did.” He turned to Thorne.
Thorne nodded. “Yes. They’ve helped us.”
“And we promise, we won’t get in the way,” Kelly said. “You go ahead and do whatever you have to do, and we will just—”
“The kids were worried about you,” Malcolm said, coming up to Levine. “Because they thought you were in