“Yes, sir, I did. But what is he?”
“A hyracotherium, or I miss my guess,” said Trizein with the forced joviality an adult often displayed for the unknown quantity of a youngster.
“Does that make Dandy special?” asked Bonnard of Varian.
“If he is a genuine hyracotherium, unusually special,” said Varian in a strangled voice.
“You doubt me,” Trizein said, aggrieved. “You doubt me! But I can prove it.” He grabbed Varian by the elbow and Lunzie by the shoulder and marched them towards the shuttle. “One is not allowed to bring much of a personal nature on a small short term expedition such as this, but I did bring my own data discs. You'll see.”
As they were propelled into the shuttle, Varian knew what she would see. For all his erratic speech and mental mannerisms, Trizein was invariably accurate. She only wished his data discs would indicate how Dandy's species got to Ireta. It was no consolation either to realize that Trizein was likely to prove that the hot-blooded pentadactyls were aliens to this planet, and the fringes with their cell construction of filaments were native. It was all part of the total confusion of this expedition: planted or mislaid, exploring a planet already once cored, out of control with the mother ship and in danger of a mutiny.
Trizein had shoved them into his lab and was now rummaging in his carry-sack which swung from a bolt in the ceiling, withdrawing a carefully wrapped bundle of data storage discs. He located the one he wanted and, with an air of righteous triumph, inserted it into the terminal's slot. There was no indecision about the keys he tapped and, as he pressed the print-out tab, he turned towards them with an expectant look.
Before their eyes was a replica, except for colouration, of Dandy. Neatly printed, the legend read “Hyracotherium, Terra-Olicogene Age. Extinct.” Where Bannard's pet had mottled reddish-brown fur, this creature was more dun and stripe: the difference necessitated by camouflage requirements, Varian realized, from one environment to another. An indication, also, that the creature had evolved to some extent here on Ireta. His presence made no sense yet.
"I don't understand about Dandy being like this old Earth beast. He's extinct," said Bonnard, turning questioningly to Varian. I thought you couldn't find duplicate life forms developing independently on spatially distant planets. And Ireta isn't even the same sort of planet as Earth. The sun's third generation."
“We have observed inconsistencies about Ireta,” said Lunzie in her dry comforting voice.
“Is there any question in your mind about this creature's similarity now?” asked Trizein, exceedingly pleased with his performance.
“None, Trizein. But you were out in the compound before, why didn't you notice Dandy's similarity then?”
“My dear, I was out in the compound?” Trizein affected dazed surprise.
“You were, but your mind was undoubtedly on more important matters,” said Lunzie, a bit sharply.
“Quite likely,” said Trizein with dignity “My time has been heavily scheduled with analyses and tests and all kinds of interruptions. I've had little time to look around this world, though I have, you might say, examined it intimately.”
“Do you have other extinct and ancient Earth-type animals on that disc as well as Dandy?”
“Dandy? Oh, the Hyracotherium? Yes. this is my Earth paleontological disc, I have ancient species from . . .”
“We'd better stick to one set of puzzles at a time, Trizein?” said Varian, not certain he could absorb more conundrums today. If the fringes should turn out to be a life form from Beta Camaridae, she'd go twisted. “Bonnard, the tape on the giffs is in the main console, isn't it?”
“I put it on data retrieval hold when I showed it to Cleiti and Terilla. Under the date, and giffs, Varian.”
Varian tapped up the proper sequence on the terminal and also transferred Trizein's disc to the smaller screen and a hold. The terminal screen cleared to a vivid frame of a golden flier, its crested head tilted slightly, enhancing the impression of its intelligence.
“Great heavens above ! And furred. Definitely furred,” cried Trizein, bending to peer intently at the giff. “There has always been a great deal of controversy about that among my colleagues. No way to be certain, of course, but this is unquestionably a Pteranodon!”
“Pteranodon?” Bonnard squirmed, uncomfortable to hear such a ponderous name attached to a creature he liked.
“Yes, a Pteranodon, a form of dinosaur, misnamed, of course since patently this creature is warm-blooded . . . inhabiting ancient Earth in Mesozoic times. Died out before the Tertiary period began. No one knows why, though there are as many speculations about the cause . . .” Trizein suddenly warded off the face that flashed on the screen for Varian had tapped in another sequence from the data banks. The heavy jawed head of a fang-face snarled up at them. “Varian! it's . . . It's Tyrannosaurus rex. My dear, what sort of a crude joke are you attempting to play on me?” He was furious.
“That is no joke.” said Lunzie, nodding solemnly.
Trizein stared at her, his eyes protruding from his skull as his jaw dropped. He glanced back at the predatory countenance of the tyrant 1izard, a name which Varian thought extremely suited to its bearer.
“Those creatures are alive on this planet?”
“Very much so. Do you have this Tyrannosaurus rex on your data disc?”
Almost reluctantly, and with a finger that noticeably trembled, Trizein tapped out a sequence for his own disc. The mild features and small body of Hyracotherium was replaced by the upright haughty and dangerous form of fang-face's prototype. Again there was a difference in colouration.
“The force screen,” said Trizein, “is it strong enough to keep it outside?”
Varian nodded. It should be. Furthermore, there aren't any of this kind within a comfortable ten to fifteen kilometres of us. When we moved in, they moved out. They have other, more docile game than us." The shudder that rippled down her spine was not for fear of Tyrannosaurus rex.
“You're sure it will keep its distance?” asked Trizein, concerned. “That creature ruled its millenniums on old Earth. Why, he was supreme. Nothing could defeat him.”
Varian recalled all too vividly a tree-branch of a spear inextricably lodged in a tyrant lizard's rib cage.
“He doesn't like sleds, Trizein,” said Bonnard, not noticing her silence. “He runs from them.”
The chemist regarded the boy with considerable skepticism.
“He does,” Bonnard repeated. “I've seen him. Only today . . .” Then he caught Varian's repressive glance but Trizein hadn't noticed.
The man sank slowly to the nearest lab bench.
“Varian might tease me, and so might the boy, but Lunzie . . .”
It was as if Trizein, too, wished to hear a negative that would reassure him, restore matters to a previous comfortable balance. Lunzie, shaking her head, confirmed that the creatures did exist, and others of considerable size and variety.
“Stegosaurus, too? And the thunder lizard, the original dinosaur? And . . .” Trizein was torn between perturbation and eager excitement at the thought of seeing alive creatures he had long considered extinct. “Why was I never told about them? I should have been told! It's my specialty, my hobby, prehistorical life forms.” Now Trizein sounded plaintive and accusatory.
“Believe me, my friend, it was not a conscious omission?” said Lunzie, patting his hand.
“I'm the true xenob, Trizein,” said Varian in apology. “It never occurred to me that these weren't unique specimens. I've only started considering that an anomaly must exist when you analyzed the fringe types and found them to be on such a different cellular level. That and the grasses!”