Heehee..... Get it? Paleontology and also like, sexy time........ I amuse myself

NOTE: When words are in Italics that means Lin and Katie are speaking in Japanese.

Side note: Yes I actually do speak Japanese, have lived in Japan, and Lin is based off my friend.

Mikey caught up with me as the group began walking. "Hey dork", he pushed me lightly. "Sup brat?" I pushed back. Amber seemed to be occupied with a bug on the ground, so I took the time to punch my family member in the stomach playfully. 

"The hell was that?" Mikey gagged a bit on air and I snickered. "Your girlfriend wasn't there to protect you." We both looked to see an energetic Amber trying to get eye-level with the previously mentioned beetle. "It's the pack mentality M&M", I continued hopping over a decomposing log. "I have to maintain dominance by-", "Maintain your face you old bat", Mikey interrupted me mid-sentence. We laughed and continued shoving each other. "Siblings", Lin's melodic voice rang in the air and he jogged up to us, " Get a move on and grab a shovel".

God, he looked good, I thought getting lost in my mind. Lin always looked really, really good. It should be illegal for a man to be that sexy. As he jogged the loose black bun atop his head bobbed, and his tank top clung to a decently sculpted body. Reading his shirt I wanted to faint. In big bold letters, it read "paleontologists do it in the dirt". Yes, please. 

"Cough. You're drooling. Cough", Mickey brought me back to reality, where apparently Lin was attempting to hand me a shovel."Nice to see you, Katie. What has it been, a week?" Being the silver-tongued, smooth bastard he was, Lin addressed me in Japanese. "Oh lord, here we go" Mikey sighed, fed up with the flirting even before it began. I ignored him, grabbing the shovel from the human Adonis before me.

As long as I had known him, Lin and I spoke to each other frequently in his native tongue. When we first met years ago I hadn't realized Lin was Japanese given his Mandarin first name. It was only when I was volunteering to tutor international students that I gained some more background knowledge on my friend.

I was surprised when I found out that while his mother was Chinese, his father was Japanese, and he had been raised in Japan. Nothing Earth-shattering mind you, but up until that point (fourth week of freshman year), I hadn't even known he was an international student. When he learned I had spent a year studying abroad in Tokyo when I was seventeen he insisted I keep practicing the language with him. So, yeah. Here we are.

"Flirt in English so I can make fun of you", Mikey ruffled his hair. My face turned beet red, "It isn't flirting! We were just saying hello!" Lin, who was still very much a part of the conversation, piped up. "Don't worry roomie", he patted Mikey on the back as Amber grabbed my cousin's free hand, "I would never take advantage of your beautiful cousin, while you're here at least." He winked and I stuck my tongue out in response. This was reminding me more of summer camp than of a scientific expedition.

Jordan joined us as Lin and I were.... I don't know, flirting I guess? He had fashioned himself a crown out of some wildflowers, looking as close to seven feet of precious. "Are you ready", he asked no one in particular. "Nope", I replied wiping the sweat off my forehead, "Not even close." "Me neither", Jordan placed a flower in my hair. With that, we set off after our professor.

The creek roared as it fell against the algae-covered rocks. The water's bank was muddy and looked like grainy pudding. Ancient roots poked through to the surface, and slabs of stone laid about in the sand; this was prime fossil ground. To a neat freak mom or stereotypical valley girl, the scene would have been detestable, but to five paleo students, it was nirvana. That dirt no doubt held secrets and I needed to know them all.

"Look at that!" Amber lowered her hand into the soft mud, eventually sinking all the way to her elbows. "There are some clay deposits that way", geo composition nerd Jordan remarked gesturing to his right while arranging his crown. Amber squealed with delight and kept plunging her hands into the dirt.

I couldn't help but laugh at the ragtag team of twenty-somethings before me. The university's Paleo department was highly competitive so numbers were few in upper-level years. Over the last half decade, these people had become my close friends. Just like with Mikey, I was elated we had all achieved this dream together.

Removing a hair tie from my wrists I haphazardly pulled my deep brown hair into a ponytail and joined my best friend in the mud. As I walked over, a small black stone near the water caught my eye. Picking it up, I rubbed it between my thumb and index finger, feeling a small prick. This wasn't a normal stone at all.

"I knew it!" All eyes suddenly fell on me. I bounced with excitement and continued. "This was a nursery bed, wasn't it professor?" Dr. Rawlin, who had been in a conversation with accompanying researcher Dr. Christopher Omari, turned to answer me."Great observation Murkwood, you are correct. You would be hard-pressed to pick up a hand of that silt without grabbing at least a half dozen adolescent shark teeth." Millions of years ago sharks had come to this very spot to birth young and raise them in the shallows. We were surrounded by the relics of the world's most deadly playground.

The instant Dr. Rawlin finished Jordan and Mikey dove into the muck. "I'll find more than you Assham!" Mikey ravenously grubbed through the mud like a wild boar. "It's Acehem! And you're on filth stick" Jordan tossed aside his crown and searched for the teeth. Mud was flying everywhere as the boys shoved tiny teeth into their pockets. "The future of science ladies and gentlemen", I snorted, "making fun of each other's last names and engaging in childlike competitions." " Teeth huh? So that's why Dr. Omari is here", Lin kneeled and sifted through the sand, finding a tooth as well.

Dr. Christiphor Omari was another hero of the fossil nerd universe. He was a well-respected scholar in addition to being the acting head curator of the aquatic fossils section of the Smithsonian Natural History Museum. Just like Dr. Rawlin, he had plenty of groundbreaking discoveries under his belt. He was considered the undisputed authority on prehistoric aquatic carnivore dental and jaw development. Translation, the man knew teeth. That was one question answered about this expedition then.

"So can we finally know the purpose of this expedition?" Mikey had abandoned the mud and was applying a comical amount of white tinted sunscreen that stood in stark contrast to his dark skin. His skin tone was the main reason most people didn't know we were related. Not all Hispanics have dark skin, and it still hurt sometimes when people asked if he was adopted. Abuelita would be proud of his proactiveness with the sunscreen though.

Mike continued. "Like, we are all super stoked to be here, but we know next to nothing about what we will be doing." As he spoke I made a mental note to educate him on the ways of addressing one's superiors

There was a brief moment of silence after Mikey's inquiry, and both doctors exchanged a look. "Let us join Professor Smith in the base tent." Dr. Rawlin's words were measured, sparking further interest. "It's about time we show you what I found."

TRUE ACTION OF THE STORY BEGINS

The clearing we were using for Basecamp was lovely in its own way. Tall grasses created wispy borders, and Spanish moss crept up the sides of the enormous shade-giving trees. Settled under one of the trees was a large tent. It had a slick sheen that I assumed meant it was waterproof. Good, Florida was pretty wet. The group of us walked into the shelter without fanfare. Our new home of operations was furnished with a large table, coffeemaker, dozens of excavation supplies, and a few laptops to name some things. The last member of the team greeted us all warmly offering out water bottles.

"Team", Professor Rawlin motioned to the short woman handing Jordan water, "This is Professor Shawn Smith. She's a previous student of mine turned colleague". The room was filled with various greetings. "Shawn will be documenting our findings". "Which are?" I elbowed Mikey for his unprofessional comment, but I had to admit I was just as curious. "This", Professor Smith laid a large paper on the table spreading it out like a treasure map.

Instantly I recognized the large print as an x-ray. Grabbing her own water bottle, Professor Smith made her way to the table. "About a year ago a local called the state department saying he found some skeletal remains." Shawn pointed at the parchment, "They called in Victor and I accompanied him." I raised an eyebrow, it wasn't illegal but it was strange for a professor to take a student as a travel companion. "Focus on the task at hand, Murkwood. I assure you I am very gay." With that seemingly unnecessary clarification, Shawn, who evidently knew my name, continued the story.

"When we arrived we saw this. They pulled it from less than half a click from here." We studied the scan but it couldn't be right. The bones were distinct any first-year student could identify it. The neck was elongated with 12 vertebrae, the appendages seem to be flattened to a degree. This had to be wrong. "It's some sort of plesiosaur", my voice was laced with confusion. 

Plesiosaurs were basically the Loch Ness Monster. They had long necks, strong tails, deadly jaws, and flippers. They weren't dinosaurs, but aquatic reptiles. Aquatic reptiles that had no business being around here.

Lin was evidently thinking the same thing. "It's not possible. There has to be some sort of mistake." Even though his voice was calm, I knew Lin was shaken. "It's no mistake, Mr. Ito, I study to remove the specimen personally." Dr. Rawlin crossed his arms over his chest, "It does appear to be some sort of plesiosaur which is exactly why you're here. Your thesis on Plesiosaurus species will be a unique asset."

Dr. Rawlin was frank about the situation. It wasn't a mistake, Lin was brought on because of his specialization, and perhaps everything we thought we knew about ancient aquatic reptiles was wrong. Even without Plesiosaur expertise, I could tell you one thing; none of those creatures lived anywhere near this part of the world.

"What the hell is this thing?" Amber's voice echoed in my head.

Lin muttered something in Chinese, obviously a curse, knowing that I'd understand anything in Japanese. "This will change the course of science Victor. There were no Plesiosaurus anywhere near Florida! Not to mention this area would have been freshwater right?" Shawn nodded at Lin's musings. "The size is all wrong too. If those measurements are correct this beast would have been nearly double the size of its closest relatives! Where the hell is this thing? I need to look at it Dr."

None of us were calm but Lin was desperate, feverishly looking around as if he had missed dozens of meters of reptile. "Bar yourself, Ito." Dr. Omari tried to put my friend at ease to no avail. Amber cleared her throat, and Mikey made some wide sweeping gestures towards his roommate. I sighed.

"Lin, let's hear what the professor has to say okay?" I spoke as calmly as I could feeling both embarrassed and reeling from the same shock. Professor Smith folded the scan, "that's all I'm comfortable with. I'll leave it to you, Victor."

Omari zipped up the tent as if to silence us to listening ears. Dr. R cleared his throat, "upon accepting a position here you signed non-disclosure agreements for the State, University, and my lab." We all nodded. " You may be unaware that is not the norm to sign for the state. But there is a reason you did so."

Omari and Smith moved to flank Dr. Rawlin. The rest of us moved uncomfortably. Amber shifted into Mikey's arms, Jordan stood rigidly, and I moved to Lin grabbing his hand and giving it a friendly squeeze. Lin pulled me into him the same way Mike held Amber and I repressed a squeal. This was not the time for flirting!

Dr. R cleared his throat again causing me to regain focus. "My lab is acting as a consultant to the state because of the nature of this discovery", he continued. " We carbon-dated the bones which is why the skeleton isn't here. The dating placed the specimen at," he paused as if steeling himself, " two million years old." Jordan, who had been drinking from his water bottle, coughed and spat out the liquid on to Mikey's arm.

"That's impossible!" I tried to lunge out but Lin held me tighter. "I'm sorry sir but that's ludicrous. Plesiosaurus would have been long gone 150 million years ago! This has to be a farce! Lin!?" Lin's thumb stroked my hand.

"I'm assuming you brought us at least some samples to observe right?" Shawn nodded at Lin and retrieved a canvas bag from the corner, setting it on the table. After some unwrapping, about a dozen bones laid before us. The mineralization was minimal, the bones were indeed relatively recent. Five students descended upon the table hungrily. "Stop!! Lin shouted as Amber neared a phalange. "Gloves!"

Now boasting gloves, the group turned its attention on the table. Swarming like flies, we all began poking and prodding the remains. 

Something most civilians seem unaware of is that in most cases, fossilized bone is rarely White. For instance, the ones before me were blackened by minerals in the river mud, as was typical for Floridian fossils in the area. I saw some vertebrae and carefully lifted them from the table. "Why did they have this Ridge Lin?" I noticed Lin redoing his ponytail, long black hair slipping down his back. "I was about to ask you that", he grumbled eyes glued to the Bone. "It's almost as if the muscular structure would be-", Shawn interrupted my thought.

"What language are they speaking?" Shawn seemed to be asking my cousin rather than Lin or I. "Japanese, the language of love", Mikey wiggled his eyebrows, very much amused with himself. "Let's try to stick to English during the investigation sweethearts." Mikey winked but shrunk under my glared response.

The group of us worked in silence for the next quarter of an hour, fully absorbed in our work. "I found something." All eyes fell on Jordan. "Look at this," he continued "these phalanges weren't vestigial. These fingers were functional." All three professors nodded. Lin burst out of the tent and gave sounds of sick (I too wanted to barf).

"This thing had hands?" My question aimed at Doctor Rawlin came out in a labored breath. "Not exactly", he cleared his throat which I was now sure was a nervous habit, "but evolutionarily it was definitely on the way." Setting aside professional standards I sat on the floor with Amber joining me.

"This is way out of our league", she whispered hugging me, dust from the floor covering her legs. Lin sauntered back into the room and now all five pairs of student eyes fell onto professors with terrified and excited expressions. "One of you has to have figured it out by now" Shawn scoffed. I noted my distaste for her but replied anyway. "There is another specimen, that's why we're here. It's probably still in the ground, isn't it?" "Bingo!" Shawn gave faux enthusiasm, "Now grab a shovel, it's time to throw science on its ass."

The professors loaded the Jeeps with supplies while the five of us grads sat around a stump. "I wasn't prepared for this", Mike nuzzled Amber's neck. "The world isn't prepared for this", Lin motioned me over, I blushed complying. 

You wouldn't know it by watching us today but our relationship had never been this formal/public. Usually, we just teased each other. A cheeky flirt here and there, making out once while super drunk attending Jordan's birthday party. Maybe because he was so shaken he felt the need to be more forward. Not complaining, I crawled into his lap. His toned arms pulled me to his chest and I melted.

"Whatever it is we are about to see changes the world of science." Lin lower his face into my neck giving a nip. This boy was going to be the death of me. Why the hell was this happening today of all days? I pushed back a bit trying to regain a sliver of dignity. "At least we get to be a part of this." The rumble of the diesel engine responded and I turned to see a large red truck towing a speedboat.

Jordan began rubbing his temples, "Great. Where is this monster Dr. R? " Monster, guess that's what we're calling it.

 Dr. Omari and Dr. Rawlin continue loading supplies, but now into the boat. "It's deeper into the Lagoon. As you probably guessed by now we can't get there by foot. It's in an embankment so there is solid ground for us to get on, but there's no way to even wade out. The water is just too deep." My hero seemed way too calm about the whole situation.

" Dr. R", I questioned, "what exactly... I mean I know it's a, well maybe a Plesiosaur", I stopped short realizing I was babbling. "What can you tell us about the specimen?" I did my best to regain a professional demeanor. "Is it a complete skeleton or are we working with partial?" I felt a sudden splash on my nose.

I looked up at the sky, where there were no clouds in sight. Still, the drizzle continued. "You know what they say about rain during sunny skies?" I turned at Dr. Omari's question, shaking my head.

"They say it means the devil is beating his wife."

NOTE: Plesiosaurs are the species scientists say the Loch Ness Monster would be. So just think of Nessie! I also took a few scientific liberties, but nothing major there.

From here on out its full throttle. Katie has mere hours left on Earth. Its overdrive time!