to the stack in the back of the helicopter. He buckled me into the seat and handed me a headset. As soon as he was buckled in the pilot took off. When we were off the ground and headed for Dahlonega I heard Lt Johnson's voice in my ear. "Ms. Oaks, the pilot is Major Mann."
"'ello Ma'am," Maj Mann said.
"Hi, Major."
Lt Johnson started filling me in on the situation. "Hal wanted us to fill you in because he was busy. About an hour ago someone called the police saying they'd seen a T-Rex headed for the Wal-Mart. The police sent a car around, and sure enough, there was a pink and purple dino smashing the old Movie Gallery and making a beeline for the Wal-Mart. Anyway, back-up, and more back-up was called. The officers couldn't do anything because they didn't have a gun that could get through its hide.
"There was talk of calling the National Guard unit, or an Army Reserve unit, but since they live in town, it didn't make a lot of sense to make a bunch of guys cross town, and the T-Rex's path, to gear up, then go back out to fight the dino. Instead, they called the Rangers at Camp Merrill," Lt Johnson finished.
"Wait, I thought those guys were in training?" I asked. Camp Merrill in Dahlonega was where the Army Rangers completed the mountain phase of their training.
"Well, all of those guys had their Army training before they started Ranger school. Also, they were already gathered in one place, easily armed, and ready to roll out in groups. The problem was the Rangers couldn't hurt the T-Rex, but they did a great job at making it mad. At that point Hal and some Ranger witches figured there was magic in the beast. That's when he got the ok to send us down to get you."
"Anyhow, Ol'Rex has trashed the empty Movie Gallery, half the Wal-Mart, the tourist gold mine, a CVS, Chick-fil-A, and last I heard it was working on a gas station."
"And they thought it was a good idea to let it linger there?" A gas station. What could go wrong?
"Like I said, they weren't having much luck containing it. Its twelve feet tall and thirty feet long."
"Anything else I need to know?" I was still having a hard time getting my brain around the idea of a real, live, T-Rex stomping through a town. Not to mention, I didn't think they were naturally pink and purple. Anything they could tell me was a clue as to what I was dealing with, other than thirty feet of angry reptile.
"You know everything I do," Lt Johnson answered.
"Alright. Where are we landing?"
"Not sure," Maj Mann rumbled. "I'm waiting to hear if there's a safe zone close by. I'm not risking the chopper."
Maj Mann stopped talking to me and listened to someone on his headset. He answered a few of their questions, and then answered mine. "There's a post office up the road from the gas station. We'll set down and let you out. King has a car and some guys meeting you there."
Before I could ask another question, the helicopter slowed down and landed. Lt Johnson jumped out, handed me one duffel, took the other two, and headed to a black, crew cab pickup.
"Pickup truck?" I asked.
"Yah, it belongs to the county. They wanted you in it in case you needed to go off road to avoid the T-Rex." Three guys, two in uniform, and one in jeans and a long sleeve shirt, jumped out of the truck. Johnson set down the duffels and double-timed it back to the helicopter.
"Ms. Oaks?" A short guy in uniform asked.
"Yes, but please call me Michelle."
"I'm Sergeant Cooper, this is Specialist Trent," the thin uniformed guy tipped the brim of his hat. "And, this is Middleton." Middleton was five-ten, with short brown hair, and big bulging muscles. "We are your physical protection and ride. I've worked with witches before. What do you need us to do?"
"I can't be sure until I get a feel for the dinosaur, but I need a good view and easy access to my duffels. Other than that I'll trust your judgment. I haven't even seen this thing yet." I slid my wand out of the duffel I'd been carrying.
"We
"'ello Ma'am," Maj Mann said.
"Hi, Major."
Lt Johnson started filling me in on the situation. "Hal wanted us to fill you in because he was busy. About an hour ago someone called the police saying they'd seen a T-Rex headed for the Wal-Mart. The police sent a car around, and sure enough, there was a pink and purple dino smashing the old Movie Gallery and making a beeline for the Wal-Mart. Anyway, back-up, and more back-up was called. The officers couldn't do anything because they didn't have a gun that could get through its hide.
"There was talk of calling the National Guard unit, or an Army Reserve unit, but since they live in town, it didn't make a lot of sense to make a bunch of guys cross town, and the T-Rex's path, to gear up, then go back out to fight the dino. Instead, they called the Rangers at Camp Merrill," Lt Johnson finished.
"Wait, I thought those guys were in training?" I asked. Camp Merrill in Dahlonega was where the Army Rangers completed the mountain phase of their training.
"Well, all of those guys had their Army training before they started Ranger school. Also, they were already gathered in one place, easily armed, and ready to roll out in groups. The problem was the Rangers couldn't hurt the T-Rex, but they did a great job at making it mad. At that point Hal and some Ranger witches figured there was magic in the beast. That's when he got the ok to send us down to get you."
"Anyhow, Ol'Rex has trashed the empty Movie Gallery, half the Wal-Mart, the tourist gold mine, a CVS, Chick-fil-A, and last I heard it was working on a gas station."
"And they thought it was a good idea to let it linger there?" A gas station. What could go wrong?
"Like I said, they weren't having much luck containing it. Its twelve feet tall and thirty feet long."
"Anything else I need to know?" I was still having a hard time getting my brain around the idea of a real, live, T-Rex stomping through a town. Not to mention, I didn't think they were naturally pink and purple. Anything they could tell me was a clue as to what I was dealing with, other than thirty feet of angry reptile.
"You know everything I do," Lt Johnson answered.
"Alright. Where are we landing?"
"Not sure," Maj Mann rumbled. "I'm waiting to hear if there's a safe zone close by. I'm not risking the chopper."
Maj Mann stopped talking to me and listened to someone on his headset. He answered a few of their questions, and then answered mine. "There's a post office up the road from the gas station. We'll set down and let you out. King has a car and some guys meeting you there."
Before I could ask another question, the helicopter slowed down and landed. Lt Johnson jumped out, handed me one duffel, took the other two, and headed to a black, crew cab pickup.
"Pickup truck?" I asked.
"Yah, it belongs to the county. They wanted you in it in case you needed to go off road to avoid the T-Rex." Three guys, two in uniform, and one in jeans and a long sleeve shirt, jumped out of the truck. Johnson set down the duffels and double-timed it back to the helicopter.
"Ms. Oaks?" A short guy in uniform asked.
"Yes, but please call me Michelle."
"I'm Sergeant Cooper, this is Specialist Trent," the thin uniformed guy tipped the brim of his hat. "And, this is Middleton." Middleton was five-ten, with short brown hair, and big bulging muscles. "We are your physical protection and ride. I've worked with witches before. What do you need us to do?"
"I can't be sure until I get a feel for the dinosaur, but I need a good view and easy access to my duffels. Other than that I'll trust your judgment. I haven't even seen this thing yet." I slid my wand out of the duffel I'd been carrying.
"We
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