The Thermal Lake
two klicks from Ichabod's entourage

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LALE FELT like he'd made a massive mistake, even though he had no clue what it was.

Correction; Amelia made him feel like he'd made a massive mistake.

Nearly two hours on from their kiss, which Lale did not regret, thanks very much, and she'd still barely looked at him, though that hadn't stopped him from staring at her like a smitten, love-struck teenager.

He was doing it again.

"Tina did what?" Amelia's voice broke over the quiet discussion Lale was having with James and Diane, seemingly the only other two marines in their band of gangly Learners, though he tuned out at hearing the alarm in her voice.

Lale of old would've scoffed at the notion of their 'fighters' consisting of brains and scrawniness, and would've sneered something like, "Great, we're all gonna die." But the Lale of that moment needed every able-bodied person he had to get some fighting experience, and the Learners were the only chance they had at succeeding - he'd calculated, in a rare moment of wanting to do the maths, that his troop outnumbered Ichabod's by two.

But Ichabod had volt-guns.

With just a twinge of regret, Lale let Amelia deal with the problem that Shaunia had presented, harried from she and Tina's recon mission; though it seemed Shaunia had come back alone. Lale refocused on James and Diane, forcing his gaze from Amelia (who, in all her sweat-stained tank top and curled, fuzzy haired glory, was still as beautiful as ever).

Diane was the oldest of the recruits, bordering her mid-thirties. James, like him, had entered the marine corps right out of high school. He was a muscular ginger, and Lale would've felt threatened by him if not for the uncanny softness in the other man's eyes. Diane seemed to be something of a mother hen, her hair tied back and her eyes sharp and focused.

"So we just need to teach the Learners something basic," Lale continued. Natural teachers or not, he was counting on them to chip in and give the brainier of the bunch a fighting chance. "Like how to throw a punch."

It wouldn't be as useful as a machine gun ... but it was a start.

Diane nodded, and James followed her lead. Lale gave them each a weak smile, trying to hide his own uncertainty. Three marines to teach a whole bunch of Learners how to not get killed in a fight? The cynicism bled into his mouth, and Lale irritably pushed it aside. He had no time to play devil's advocate - Lale knew that if Ichabod's plan worked, to send dinosaurs back to 2039, he'd never be able to live with himself.

"Glad I can count on you both." (That was a good move, he appraised himself. He was getting the hang of this 'leader' thing.) "Rest up," he told them, "at first light, we can get started." It wouldn't be kung-fu or anything; they didn't have time for that.

"No problem, boss," James replied. Lale watched them return to the others, feeling a slight clench in his chest. They had friends to return to, he realized, a little bitterly, like a toddler pouting. And Bradley's dead.

He turned to look to Amelia, who looked ready to beat someone up with her crutch. His eyes softened on her, and a sarcastic thought ruined the moment as he looked away, remembering he wasn't her favorite person at that moment. Yeah, act like a lovestruck teenager, Lale. Totally gonna sweep her off her feet.

Had he done something wrong? Like a real lovestruck teen, he worried and gnawed over their kiss like a dog that refused to let go of its bone. Lale was still standing there like an idiot, so he stepped closer to the edge of the waterfall and tried to look contemplative and leader-like.

Was he supposed to kiss her? He didn't regret it, if he was being truthful. Lale wished women were easier to understand, and less vexing.

Now he couldn't even look at Amelia without worrying about whether or not she'd kick him where it hurt most.

Lale sighed deeply, balling his fists and then releasing his grip on his frustration. Focus on survival, first. He told himself firmly. Then Amelia.

If only, he reflected, they could actually do something. And they couldn't, not really (even with all of Tina's fancy volt-gun dismantling plans, which he totally didn't not have faith in. Technology was sketchy sometimes; one couldn't blame him for having reservations.)

But there's nothing to do, Lale chided himself. Not until those volt-guns get sorted out. Else anything we'd do would be a suicide mission.

His gut stirred - tired of eating energy bars, they couldn't even have the fish the recruits and he had caught out of fear any smoke from a fire would alert Ichabod of their whereabouts. The Tanycolagreus hatchling ate them instead.

That never held you back before, another thought responded, accompanied with darker visions. They were sitting ducks on the waterfall. He'd end up like Bradley - only the reeds and the dinosaurs that would come to eat him witnesses to his decomposition.

Lale shook his head, scowling, almost acting like a crazy person. Tomorrow, he told himself. Tomorrow, we'll teach the Learners how to protect themselves.

And they'd finally do something.

His emotions were twisting and churning inside of him, whiplashing his heart back and forth. Lale took in a deep breath, squinting as something seemed to move on the horizon. The brachiosaurus had long since left, leaving behind only huge footprints to tell them it had been there at all, so he ruled out that possibility.

It was another dinosaur. A ... theropod? Yeah, a theropod. It crossed the marsh quickly, almost blending into the blackness. It must've been luck that Lale saw it at all, and he watched it slug across the wet with a small smile.

Becoming a meat-eating creature lover now, Lale? A sarcastic thought leeched off of his contentment, but his smile only grew. Maybe there was a god, and maybe he'd send one of those dinosaurs after Ichabod instead of them for once.

The dinosaur faded from view. Lale released a small breath, then glanced around, wondering whether he was alone in seeing the unknown 'saur.

Amelia was alone, her crutch beside her as she fed the Tanycolagreus, whom he believed she was calling 'Ed' or something. He hesitated only a moment before he turned away, feeling like a balloon was being twisted in his chest by a clown.

It was stupid, to have that fear for the woman he liked - admired. Respected. Whatever.

A crack went off in the night, and Lale twisted, ears immediately honing onto the aftermath of the shot. There was a bellow in the night's air - too loud and too animal to be a human. Something lit up in the distance, a glow that left behind spots in his eyes.

Amelia was at his side in an instant, faster than he would've thought possible with her injured leg. She put her hand on his shoulder for balance, but he could barely focus on her touch as more lights lit up the marsh in the distance, glows that silhouetted a twisting black creature like one would expect of lightning in a horror movie.

There was a final glow, and a jeer that rode on the still wind, before there was another screech. The Tanycolagreus was at Amelia's feet, and it squalled in return.

"Ichabod," Amelia breathed, the air tickling his ear. Lale had come to that conclusion as well, and he felt like he was going to keel over the waterfall as he blinked away the white in his vision.

"The dinosaurs." Lale knew he didn't have to say much more. Amelia finished the thought as they stood beside each other, and Lale felt his heart curl in his chest - it was like they were against the entire world that wanted to kill them.

"He's hunting them."

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with this realization in mind, can Amelia and Lale band the rebels together in time to save the 'saurs? do you think they have a chance?