Far Pangaea

"Betsy got out?"

Sophia Ridge takes the metal frame she and Jack was hauling out from his hands and nudges him aside. He squinted at her thinking to himself that she could have carried that out by herself all along. The group joined Greta back on the desert floor. Elle had finally caught up out of curiosity.

Tossing the metal sheet ten feet away Sophia spotted tiny hoof prints and looked at their distant trail.

"She took off this direction." Sophia marches after the calf.

Greta returns to her horse Quiver and mounts up to follow.

Jack looks at James, "Go get me binoculars."

The boy fidgets and pulls out his all purpose keypad, "Right here."

He activates a telescopic mode then passes it off to Jack. As he does Ruby creases her brow at James. James swallows hard and follows Jack rather than deal with Ruby's scrutiny.

Ruby always followed her intuition. That boy had a secret. As she studies them Elle steps down beside her from the ramp.

"What's going on?"

"Not going to believe this. We just fought off a lizard the size of a tractor trailer. Greta's a fighter."

"I saw that in her the second she showed up."

"Her calf got out of the pen. At least Sophia and Jack are more suited to fight off something that big. Our bullets barely stung it. Get this, it was invisible until James' drone zapped it. Somehow it must have lost concentration and became visible."

Elle narrows her eyes, "That would require intelligence."

"Fuck!" Ruby realizes that herself.

"Think maybe we should warn Malcolm and Cam?"

"It was heading their direction. Dammit." Ruby races up the ramp to retrieve a walkie talkie.

Under a mile out the dynamic duo were heading home when their chatterbox acted up.

"You out there Guys?"

Cam unpacks his talkie and replies, "We're here Ruby. Headed home now."

"Be careful out there. We just fought off the mother of all lizards. Greyhound size. And, I'm not talking Xander's wet dream."

"That was a gross thought." Cam chuckles.

In their returning stride Cam looks over at Malcolm swaying in step. He was getting worried for his friend.

"Not sure if you would meet up with it but just be careful. Jack, Greta, and Sophia are out there looking for the calf. If anyone has a chance of killing that lizard it's Sophia probably."

"Keep you posted Boss." Cam shuts off his talkie, "You doing okay Big Guy?"

Mal says nothing and continues on his journey. Cam could only eye his partner off and on. After three minutes of silence Mal reacts.

"Stop worrying. I'll survive."

Cam offers him a water bottle, "Sun getting to you?"

It was like Malcolm was off on another world. His thoughts fevered and lost to time. Cam couldn't help but wonder if his friend was seriously sick.

As they trudged along Cam witnessed Mal reach into his pack behind him and produce an apple. He began biting off bits of it in his shuffled pace.

"Is that the fruit James swatted from your hand in that garden?"

Mal says nothing and continues to eat. As he did his demeanor grew more aware.

"Yeah. It's damn good."

"Can I have a bite?" Cam reaches out.

Mal defensively sneers at his touring partner. He wasn't in the mood to share.

"Okay then. I'll settle for beef jerky." Cam swallows harshly, his friend began to scare him.

It was going to be a long walk home.

Greta rode side by side with the walking Sophia. This was the first chance for them to really talk. Under the circumstances not such a good time.

"Over there. I see Betsy." Sophia points toward a dead fishing yacht from the 80's.

Greta squints into the distance, "You got good eyes. I can barely see her."

"Ever since I got bathed by my new friends my body is amped up. I can see further than most people. I can do lots of things. Still learning as I go along though."

"Your friends?"

"Yeah. You wouldn't understand. Long story short have alien parasites living inside me."

"Like a tick?" Greta raises an eye brow.

"Sort of. They use my body to live. But, in return they protect me. Keep my alive. Gave me abilities. Your horse could kick me and it wouldn't hurt me at all."

"That's sure somethin'. It sounded like you might be dangerous. Any truth to that?"

"Not to anybody I don't want to hurt. I have to feed my friends regularly or they get testy. So far they've been patient with me. Pretty friendly actually. I love how they sing to me. It's beautiful."

Greta chuckles, "Maybe I can play my harmonica and they can sing us all a song."

Sophia smirks, "Uh oh. Betsy ran around to the blind side of that boat. Keep up Calamity Jane."

Her foot speed increases forcing Greta to encourage Quiver to bolt forth. This girl was amazing Greta thought. Just naked. That part was weird. Unlady like!

Reaching the yacht Sophia stops cold and listens. Seeing her sudden halt Greta slowed Quiver until he stood next to her.

"You okay?" Greta tilts her hat.

"Shhhhh!"

Quiver begins to act edgy and wants to retreat.

"Easy boy. Is that lizard doubling back our direction?"

"Stay here. I'll go get Betsy." Sophia stomps away.

Greta calms Quiver and pulls back about fifteen feet to make him more comfortable. As she monitors the yacht she witnesses Sophia vanish beyond the boats hull. While idle Jack sneaks behind the Kansas filly.

"Give me your lariat. I want you to head back to the ship where it's safer. I'll bring the calf back."

She jumps in her saddle, "Don't do that. Spook me out of my bloomers."

Jack winks up at her, "Now there's pretty picture."

"Heck of a time to go flirtin' with a gal." She untethers her rope.

Claiming the rope Jack arranges his armament. He carried a bandolier of grenades and a high powered rifle with scope. That particular gun was his favorite. A military issued "Dragunov". Fitting he thought. Considering he was hunting for a dragon.

"You and your bloomers fall back to the ship. I want you safe. Your cattle depend on you. My people depend on me." He tugs at the horse's rein to turn Quiver in step. Once aimed Jack slaps the horse on the ass to get it to trot away.

"Who said you could spank my horse?" Greta leered back.

"I did. Careful or I'll spank you later." He grimaces.

"Promise?" She blushes and turns away.

In Jack's mind he curses himself, "Grandma. Grandma. Grandma." He then turns and marches ahead. Eying the recent foot path. Not only were there Sophia's and the calf's, but there were lizard tracks. The size that he recalled from the oasis pond.

"Sophia?" He calls out as he rounds the corner.

"Over here." She returns her reply.

"There are lizard tracks all around this boat." He notes seeing Sophia crouched down to hug the calf. He had to grit his teeth seeing that her legs were spread wide. Her inners thighs just plain beautiful. Jack had to turn away. Since the weaver bug had healed him his hormones were raging most days. Inward battle daily.

"I don't want to be a woman." He reminds himself that having sex with this girl might mean his cock being eaten by her parasitic buddies. That gave him the shivers to recoil his erection.

From the front of the boat they heard a hissing and a subtle stir in the dust. The yacht itself vibrated as something brushed against it.

Jack aimed his rifle and switched the spectrum in his scope to heat sensitive. Sure enough, a Komodo Dragon became visible as it slithered from beneath the yacht's bow.

"It dug under the boat. It's not as big as what Ruby said. There must be two."

"I see it." Sophia turns and glides the calf closer toward Jack.

Jack takes point, "Get the calf back to the pen. It's safer in the static room."

"You take it back. I'm going for lunch." She giggles fearlessly.

"THAT'S AN ORDER!" Jack barks.

She tilts her head, "Really? If I never listened to my dad the General, what makes you think I'll obey you?" She then hurries the noisy calf along past Jack's stance.

Jack observes the dragon merely eying them. It made no effort to charge.

"Hold up! It's not looking for a fight."

"So! Dinner's on. My boys are growling at me."

She turns her back and begins walking toward the hesitant serpent. Nearing it Jack makes a snap decision. He shoots Sophia in the shoulder. She felt the impact but with no damage done. All it did was make her arm jolt forward.

"I can't believe you shot me." She twists to glare back at him.

He continues pointing his rifle at her, "When I give an order I mean it. Back off."

"Why? So it can attack us another day? Eat the cows?"

"I think it's just guarding it's den. I bet there's a nest under the boat. If my memory serves Komodo dragons can either lay eggs or give birth normally. The females burrow away alone to keep the males from eating the offspring."

"Appetizer's then. Shoot me all you want."

Sophia turns back toward the dragon yet again. Before Jack could carry off another trigger squeeze he saw the yacht begin to roll as if a huge weight had crawled on to it. He changed his targeting aim. There was nothing there. However the smaller dragon reacted by looking upward.

"Sophia! Turn your appetite toward the bigger one."

"Bigger?" The girl realized the teetering boat had something busting up the canopy under an invisible weight.

Jack immediately fired upon what he presumed was it's body. It was invisible so obviously the other dragon changed it's course and was coming in from the side of it's first approach.

His shells create screeches but nothing more. It's hide was harder than his shells could penetrate.

Sophia merely stood there yawning.

Seeing her Jack winced, "What are you doing?"

"Letting it eat me. Seeing as you won't." She giggles and shakes her ass.

"Are you crazy?" He already knew her strategy.

"Let it eat me out then I'll eat him out. Simple enough."

The smaller dragon slithered up on to the yacht to confront the bigger one. Defensively it was fearless. Without warning the smaller one actually breathed fire. An expelled rash of inferno sent a torrent toward the bigger one. Little good that it did.

"Whoa! A real life Dragon." Sophia grins back at Jack.

"It's not doing any damage. If anything it's distracting it from us. Don't ask me why but I think the smaller one is smarter than it should be. Motherly reaction."

"Right. My mom used to spit fire at me when I was a kid." She jokes.

As if on cue a voice is heard, "I certainly did not. Why do you persist in making me out as a bad parent?"

Maddy Ridge phases through the boat and literally up through the belly of the beast. As her body passed through the bigger Komodo shimmered. For some unknown reason his invisibility was being effected. Disrupted by her entering him.

"That did something. Now we know what we're fighting." Jack bellowed.

Sophia literally leaped up on to the boat and attacked the giant lizard. Her acidic touch barely hurting the beast. The realization shocked Sophia.

"What the hell! My buddies can't eat this thing."

Before she could say another word the lizards tail lashed out and swatted Sophia like a whip throwing her into the air. Jack literally watched her flying twenty yards through blue sky.

"I like this lizard." He smirks.

Out of no where the orb like drone belonging to James came back to assist with laser beams. Jack was amazed by it's dodging ability. However all it was doing was annoying it. Along with the phasing. Along with the open flamethrower.

Ruby raced to Jack's side.

"How do we beat this bastard?" She points an M-16 at it. One of the few larger armaments that their cargo plane was carrying at the time of their arrival.

"Hold your fire." Jack palmed the muzzle of her gun lowering it.

Ruby holds back as Jack strolls further to observe the dragon's face. The beast was smart. It wasn't opening it's jaws much. His idea was prompted by Sophia wanting to be eaten. If they could get it's jaws wide he would toss in his bandolier of grenades and blow it up from the inside.

As he paced thinking, Sophia marched past him on a mission. Thoughts came fast.

"Sophia! Listen to me. Pry it's jaws wide. Let me toss in my grenades. Then clamp his mouth shut."

"I can do that." She sprints before another leap up on to the rocking yacht.

Fighting her way into position Sophia gained her footing and gripped the crease of the beast's mouth. It's tongue whipping about wildly.

"Open up and say Ah, Fuck!" Sophia snarls with her muscles straining to open the jaws wide enough. The Komodo was stronger than it appeared.

As Jack moved closer removing his band of grenades he saw James' drone zooming toward the dragon's mouth. Jack stopped before pulling any pins.

"What are you doing Softball?" Jack sneered.

The ball entered the dragons mouth once it was opened just enough. Sophia in turn let the jaws close.

During the chaos the smaller dragon slithered down to the desert floor and examined her nest. The weight of the battle had crushed her nest and all of it's eggs. If a lizard could show remorse she most certainly did. It would take this moment of grief to make her dart out into the desert to escape. There was thousands of places to hide after all.

Everyone left observed the bigger dragon's belly bloat. It was certainly feeling something this time. In agony it sent it's body into spasms that again threw Sophia off the boat. The dragon choked, and gagged. Then suddenly it focused and with a loud belch sent the drone flying out of it's mouth in a spatter of saliva. Whatever the plan it failed.

"Dammit!" Ruby muttered.

The drone was out of commission.

"What now?" She added.

Jack was out of options.