Return To Primordial Island, Rick Poldark [top non fiction books of all time .TXT] 📗

RETURN

TO

PRIMORDIAL ISLAND

Rick Poldark

www.severedpress.com

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, events, and dialogues either are the products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real, or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2020 by Rick Poldark

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Acknowledgements

Thank you, Alan Basso, for lending me your eyes, brain, and insights. Your feedback on early drafts was crucial and is greatly appreciated. Thank you to Severed Press for publishing this adventure. Finally, thank you to all the readers who made the first book a success. I hope you enjoy this installment.

Part I

Ghosts, Guilt, and Burdens

Chapter 1

Dr. Tracey Moran bit her lip as she waited in front of her house for the limousine to arrive. It was a nervous habit she had developed as a teenager that always raged when she was under stress. David Lennox hadn’t sounded surprised when he answered her call, and he was in some hot bother to get her to Poseidon Tech immediately. She barely had time to pack a bag.

Her mother was watching from inside the house from the bay window, but her father was standing next to her on the curb. He looked as if he wanted to hug her or put his arm around her, but he didn’t. “We’re proud of you, honey. I think it’s a good thing, you getting this job. You’ve been sulking in the house for too long.”

Tracey had told him she was being flown to a new dig site. She didn’t have the heart to tell him where she was really going…to a trans-dimensional island filled with murderous dinosaurs, indigenous tribes, and Death Lords. And then there was the NDA she signed. “Thanks, Dad.”

“Maybe you can patch things up with Peter.”

Tracey frowned at the mention of his name. “Yeah, hopefully.”

“Whatever happened between you two can be patched up, I’m sure.” Her father knew the two were like bookends. When he inquired about Peter and why she wasn’t talking to him anymore, she had to tell him something. She indicated a falling out and kept it vague, and her father respected her privacy enough not to pry.

A black limousine turned onto the block. Tracey looked at her watch. That was fast. He’s not messing around. It pulled to the curb where Tracey stood and parked. The back door opened, and David Lennox hopped out wearing a ten-thousand-dollar suit and his patented phony grin.

Tracey turned to her father and hugged him. “Bye.”

Her dad squeezed her. “Knock ‘em dead, honey.”

A driver stepped out and came around to take her bag. Lennox stepped forward, extending his hand to Tracey. She shook it.

He guided her into the limo as her father waved from the curb. Tracey was immediately enveloped in recycled, cooled air. When Lennox closed the door, he tapped on the glass divider.

Tracey waved at her father one last time as the limo pulled away, but she knew he couldn’t see her through the heavily tinted glass. He waved back anyway, guessing correctly that she was waving at him.

“I’m so glad you changed your mind,” said Lennox. “If you don’t mind me asking, what did make you change your mind?”

Tracey glared at him. “You know what it was.”

Lennox smiled, but it was genuine, or at least it tried to appear so. “He’s still there, you know. We just received a transmission this morning. It looks like they’re all there—Peter, Jason, Susan.”

“Mary?”

Lennox cocked his head at her tone. “Yes, Dr. Tambini is there, too. They’re all alive.”

“Those other lifeforms in the photos you showed me…what are they?”

Lennox shook his head. “We don’t know. They appear bipedal…”

“But not human.”

He shrugged. “The photos are inconclusive.”

“I want a better security team this time. Better armed.”

He nodded. “Done and done. I think you’ll be pleased with the expedition we’ve put together.”

This time Tracey cocked her head.

Lennox looked amused. “What? What is it?”

“Funny, last time you called this a salvage operation. This time you used a different word…expedition.”

Unflummoxed, he shrugged his shoulders again. “Well, we recovered the flight recorder, which was extremely helpful. Now we intend to recover our people…your friend, which is why time is of the essence.”

Tracey sized him up. “That’s never it with you people. The last time you didn’t tell us there was another salvage operation before us.”

Lennox extended his hands, palms up. “I’m an open book. Nothing held back this time.”

Tracey leaned forward and narrowed her eyes. “Yeah? Why should I believe you?”

“Because you signed an iron-clad nondisclosure agreement. You leak any detail about these operations, the island, or our company, and we’ll sue you into oblivion. Is that honest enough for you?”

She eyed him for a moment and then sat back, folding her arms. “What about the team? Who are the other consultants?”

“There are no other consultants this time, other than you. The last time they were a liability.”

Tracey glared at the Poseidon Tech rep again. “A liability? People died. People with families.”

“From the data we’ve gathered, it wouldn’t appear so. At least not all of them.”

“So, who’s on the team?”

“Our staff…and a much bigger security team.”

Tracey stared ahead of her, breathing in the stale air. “Your last one didn’t fare so well.”

Lennox shook his head emphatically. “This group has RPGs, grenades, and choppers. Lots of high-tech gadgets and