Free Dinosaur Summer by Greg Bear Page B

watched the brawny stevedores with a grin. "They remind me of boxers," he said. "Used to do a little boxing. I was a wild one when I was a boy. How about you? You give your daddy a rough time?"
    "No," Peter said.
    "How's he going to know what it's like to be a dad?"
    O'Brien's tone was jocular, but beneath the banter lay something large and distant and sad. Peter felt uneasy, but Anthony, passing on another foray close to the train, heard OBie's question and laughed. "Peter's my mainstay," he called. "He keeps me out of trouble."
    OBie gave Peter a respectful, amused look. "So maybe you're the dad?"
    Peter grinned and gave a little nod.
    "They're going to unload the venator first," Harryhausen said. "They think he'll stay calm if he can't see what's happening." While they waited for the cables to be rigged, he took up the sketch pad and began drawing the venator and the roustabouts. Peter looked over his shoulder. In the drawing, the venator was busting out of the cage, toothy jaws gaping, big clawed toes spread wide, scattering panicked workmen in all directions.
    Peter looked at the cage, then at Dagger's train car, which was quiet. "I hope you're wrong about that," he said to Harryhausen, pointing to the sketch.
    "IfI were in charge, things would be a lot more exciting," Harryhausen admitted. "Do you draw?"
    "A little. I'm not very good."
    "Takes practice. OBie and I sketch a lot. We could teach you."
    "Sure," Peter said, his spirits lifting a little. A man with a forklift unloaded big flat black iron plates one by one from the forward end of the venator's car. The plates were lined up along a steel scaffolding that led to the cage, and Peter realized this was another assembly of the runway that had guided the venator into the center ring. He admired the flexible design. The circus workers had had years of experience, perfecting the handling of these animals--even the venator.
    Anthony stopped his pacing and focused his camera on the cage. "They're going to hang his breakfast from the top bars," he told Peter.
    O'Brien gave the signal and one big Mitchell camera on a heavy tripod whirred, running on power from a small crate full of car batteries.
    A roustabout entered the cage with a stepladder and strung chunks of beef from the bars on the inside of the runway. He and two others lifted and hung a whole haunch from the top of the cage. As they folded the ladder to leave, another roustabout made a move as if he were going to slam the cage door and lock it. The men inside stretched out their thumbs in unison, poked them between the first two fingers of their fists, and thrust them defiantly at the other. The workers laughed.
    "Cut," O'Brien yelled, disgusted. "Hey, guys, this is a family film, okay?"
    Harryhausen put away his drawing of the rampant venator and sat on the seat behind the big camera mounted on the dolly. Shawmut and Osborne prepared to push him along the steel tracks.
    Out of nowhere, startling Peter, Shellabarger appeared, clutching a cup of coffee and frowning at the commotion. Gluck walked beside the train with hands pushed deep into his pockets. He wore a dark blue suit and vest.
    "Looks like we're taking your babies back home, Lotto," Shellabarger said.
    "Yess," Gluck replied, shaking his head. "I give them to you now. They're all yours until you set them free."
    Peter felt the sweat bead under his arms and on his back.
    O'Brien shouted, "Slate it,rolling!"
    The right-hand door on the big car rumbled open. Peering into the gap where the iron plates covering the runway did not quite meet the car, Peter saw a quick brown motion. The car rocked slightly, then the ramp bowed under a heavy weight. They all heard a low chuff and snort.
    "Blowing out the morning boogers," Shellabarger said. "I do the same thing myself--don't you?"
    Peter forced a grin.
    "Maybe it wantss some of your coffee, Vince," Gluck suggested.
    Eight men with hook-tipped wooden poles lined up along the runway. Harryhausen sat behind the