A/N: I have no idea where this came from. Seriously. I think I need to take it easy on the Mountain Dew. Like that will ever happen.
Connor Temple was not a physical person. He really just wasn't. It wasn't that he didn't like sports (matter of fact, he watched the football games every week) or that he was one of those serious computer freaks that practically had their fingertips glued to the keyboard. Nope. He liked running and being outside, just so long as it wasn't allergy season, but throughout his life, there'd been this nasty trait that whenever he did decide to show his face outside, bullies and jerks just seemed to zero in on him like geek-seeking missiles. As much as he liked the outdoors, he liked having his nose unbroken and all his teeth intact just a little bit more.
Of course, when he joined up with the ARC, that was a bit of a problem. All the years of hiding out indoors meant that he wasn't as fit as he used to be. A huge issue when one worked a job where health hazards literally included "being chased, hunted, stalked and/or eaten by giant carnivorous creatures from the ancient past." Stephen often encouraged him to get to the gym more, and Abby had invited him to one of her kickboxing classes. The idea was laughable. Connor wasn't stupid. He knew better than to walk into a room full of soldiers that could probably kill him with their thumb. Or to enter a class full of people that knew probably 56 different ways to beat somebody into a bloody pulp. No, then he'd end up either making a fool of himself and having the SF's take the mick for the rest of eternity or making a fool of himself and having Abby think even worse of him. Nope. Ain't falling for that one.
He was really starting to wish he'd accepted, though.
The Spinosaurus let out another bellow that vibrated in Connor's very bones, and he could hear the prehistoric behemoth crashing its way through the trees, each footstep leaving a massive print in the rain-soft earth. He pushed himself to run faster, even though fatigue was already burning in his muscles and getting a proper breath was difficult. Where are you guys? he thought. The plan was that he lure the giant creature back towards the anomaly, then the rest of the team would tranquilise it and shove it back through the anomaly. Easy. Except that the Spinosaurus had chosen to go an entirely different direction, forcing him to change course. So now he was running for his bloody life from a creature that'd been extinct a few hundred million years and wishing that his teammates would show up like right bloody now!
As if by some cruel trick of fate, a tree chose that precise moment to lift a root and catch him in the ankle. Connor went sprawling forward into the ground, getting a mouthful of wet dirt and leaves for his trouble. Spitting out dirt and grit, he flopped over onto his back, watching his impending death grow closer. Even if he got up to run, he couldn't get ahead. He swallowed hard, closed his eyes, and waited for the pain.
It didn't come.
Instead he heard the sound of maybe ten different guns firing at once, and the Spinosaurus let out another angry roar, though this time it was a little weaker. Connor hesitantly peeked through his lashes. The dinosaur was swaying on its feet, moaning woozily. There were a few bleeding bullet holes in its flank, mere pinpricks to an animal that size, but there were also three tranquiliser darts embedded deep in its scaly hide. The massive reptile gave one last groggy roar, then the whole forest seemed to quake as it collapsed down onto its side, eyes falling shut. Connor simply laid on the ground, staring at the metres-long head that'd landed only a scant few inches from his mud-splattered boots; he could feel each hot exhale on his skin as the creature breathed in and out.
He was still staring when Stephen, Abby, and Cutter made their way over to him. "You alright, mate?" Stephen asked, a small smirk on his face; no doubt he thought the whole thing absolutely hilarious.
Connor nodded slowly. "Exercise. Sometimes all you need is a little incentive, eh?"