Death From Above

   As Lance sat at the desk waiting for the video chat to load he could hear his brother getting settled in. After a few shuffles of paperwork and the squeak of the worn office chair, Dane appeared, the disappointment clear on his face.

“So how did the meeting go?” Lance asked. Dane tried to keep his composure, shifting in his seat, then looking into the distance, searching for the best reply. The ticking of the clock loud in Lances ear, his eyes wide, lips pursed. “Well? Will they meet with us or not?” he urged.

“They laughed me out of the conference room! After telling me that it was one of the most ridiculous ideas they had ever heard.” Dane replied. Staring down at his desk, shaking his head in defeat. “I told you they wouldn’t even entertain the idea. These academics are all the same. Follow the science, that’s the rule. This defies everything they’ve claimed to know about dinosaurs.” He added.

Lance sat holding his chin in his hand thinking, his Grey eyes piercing into the screen. “Well, we’re going to have to get creative to get their attention.”

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Lowering himself down from the vent Lance looked right and left, mocking concern that someone may see him. He knew the museum was empty, he watched everyone leave the building from across the street. He had to get the evidence needed to prove what they had discovered. The tricky part would be getting the bones detached without collapsing the entire skeleton. The T-Rex was almost twelve feet to the top of its skull. Lance would fortunately need to get just below the shoulder and remove one arm and the connecting dorsal bones, according to Dane. He didn’t like breaking the law but this was worth this risk, he reasoned. The two were on the verge of disproving the assumption that the T-Rex was bound to the land. The world deserved to know the truth.

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Hundreds of miles away Dane was lining up the press to ensure the report was shown on national television. This was huge, and they both knew it. The only question was if they would be arrested immediately for the theft. Or would there be some discussion by the members of the SVP on how to handle it. Perhaps avoiding the embarrassment of the oversight.

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A podium full of microphones awaited it’s speaker in the dry dusty air. The sun high in the sky blazed into the vast valley. A buzz of curiosity among the media, many of whom weren’t completely sure why they were there. The large projection screen only added to speculation. Cameras were lined above the large canvased cavern. Five major new stations among them hung boom mics, and jutted camera cranes above their news vans. The big reveal would take place when Dane had completed his display, and uploaded it onto a secure computer for protection. There was no telling what the SVP would do to stop this information from being disclosed.

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Finally Dane and Lance emerged from behind the giant canvas that covered their discovery. As the media became aware of their presence the crowd of reporters began to quiet.

Dane cleared his throat and began.

“Ladies and gentlemen we are glad so many of you came. We called you here, to share the discovery of a lifetime with the world. For many years it was believed that the Tyrannosaurus Rex was bound to land. We are here to disprove that theory today. Behind me, you will see the remains we found that turn the assumption on it’s head.”

As the display screen illuminated all heads and cameras turned towards it. An image of the skeletal structure of T-Rex appears in full display. Cameras began to snap photos and the hum among the media members grew until it almost overcame Danes’ voice when he began to speak.

“You’ll notice a distinct feature marked on the monitor. The arm and the related dorsal bones removed from a fossil displayed at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. There is evidence that proves a spar was overlooked upon the initial discovery. Behind this canvas, I will now share the indisputable proof that the Tyrannosaurus Rex was a Dragon!”

The laughs in the crowd spread, many calling out names at the Paleontologist. Waving their arm in dismissal, and beginning to yell, “Show us the Dragon.” Followed by more laughter and heckling. Dane looked at Lance, as smiles crept across both their faces. With a wave of his hand, Dane gave the signal and the canvas fell.

A gasp came from the crowd. A perfectly preserved T-Rex, entombed in the red clay displayed before them. Attached to it, a fully intact wing. The wing spread wide as if in full flight. The forearm and fingers perfectly aligned with the giant beasts body. The gazes of the stunned media jutting from the digital display back to the fossil was almost comical. Lance mouthed to Dane, “High Five.”

As they watched their guests in amusement, the animation began to play. A forty-foot long, twenty-foot tall dragon soared above the very canyon they stood in.

“Ladies and gentlemen I present, Death Stoker!” Lance blasted.

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One Year Later…

The spot lights whirled in the sky, their beams bouncing off the early evening clouds. A red carpet welcomed the VIPs exiting limousines, there for the big event. Cameras flashed as many celebrities mingled on the steps, among them the head of the SVP. He approached Dane and Lance, a sly grin on his face. “You boys really went for it didn’t you? I mean that spectacle in the desert, you left us no choice.”

“That was the point.” Dane said.”

“After the committee laughed me out of the conference, it was the only way to get your attention and prove we were right. It wouldn’t be long before the police tracked down the bones, I mean I’m not hard to find-I work there.”

The three laughed as cameras captured the moment, that would be frozen in history.

Head of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology among many whom celebrated the grand opening of, The Museum of Drake.

The End