A Smuggler's Conscience by J.S. Morin

Author:J.S. Morin
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-939233-61-5
Publisher: Magical Scrivener Press

Mort felt better with stationary ground beneath his feet again. The Mobius gravity made it feel like a planet’s surface, but the shuttle had a harrowing lack of stability as it wobbled along a few feet above the ground. The bare artificial stone of the tunnel was a comfort, despite the eyesore lighting that forced him to squint.

A plain, low-sci door cranked up and pulled into the ceiling, and their guide beckoned them through. “This isn’t quite what a tourist would see,” said Murray, a fresh-faced smiley little twit who seemed good-natured enough. “We’re still working on construction. A few exhibits still aren’t in viewing shape.”

“Just so long as I can see some giant, extinct lizards,” said Mort. He had learned his lesson with Carl’s semantics. “Extinct from Earth, that is. I don’t want to see any necromancy, scientific or otherwise.”

“Cool it, Mort,” said Roddy. “I don’t think anyone’s wasting their time making a zoo of dead animals. I mean, who’d pay to see that?”

“You’d be surprised,” said Esper. “There are some twisted people out there.” Mort and Roddy both turned to give her puzzled expressions.

“We do have dinosaur-type lizards,” said Murray. “Species equivalents of animals believed to have once inhabited Earth from the Triassic through Mesozoic Eras. None are Earth-native, of course, but we’ve gotten specimens from Earth-likes that never had extinction level events to wipe them out.”

Mort gave a curt nod. “Well, let’s have at ‘em, then.”

“Well, the tour starts in the tropical region, where we have a number of breathtaking—”

“If that next word wasn’t going to be dinosaurs, don’t bother,” said Mort. “I’ve seen animals before, even weird, strange, and downright grotesque ones. But I’ve only seen them here and there, and by chance. If I had my druthers, I’d have found some on my own, but this is the first time that giant lizards and Carl’s backroom deals have smacked heads.”

“Technically,” said Murray, “they’re not lizards. They’re reptiles.”

“Listen here, son,” said Mort. “I appreciate a good pedantic correction as much as the next fellow, so I’m going to level with you. I’ve wanted to see a dinosaur since I was a wee nipper. Best fire for a young boy’s imagination, if you ask me. I don’t begrudge the breath of God’s wrath breathing meteors down onto them all, because if He didn’t wipe them out, mankind surely would have by now. So when I say I’ve been waiting all my life to see one, I only depart from the literal truth by the margin of the five years or so of my life before someone saw fit to mention them. Now, if you don’t take us to see them, I’ll start my own blasted tour and show myself around.”

“I’m … I mean … it’s dangerous out there. I was just … you know, you’re right. But first just let me—”

“Buddy,” said Roddy. “Maybe you oughtta just let this one go. If you’ve got dinos, I’d rather get this over with. I was half expecting you guys

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