Perched above an electric fence, two guards sat idly in an observation tower. The sun was rising over the hill on the untamed side of the barricade, sending bright beams across the purple haze and lighting up the morning sky with beautiful striations.
It was quite a glorious vision to behold but, regrettably, the men were not paying attention to the landscape. This was understandable: they'd seen this same view countless times. At five-thirty in the morning, it was hard to enjoy much of anything, let alone repetitive celestial cycles.
"Hey, Joe. Do you ever think about quittin'?" one guard asked.
The other guard looked at his companion with disdain.
"Why? You thinking of leaving me? Go ahead, I do all the hard work . . ." he huffed grumpily.
"No, no. Nothing like that," the first guard replied, "It's just that . . . Oh, I dunno. I wish we had better jobs, is all."
"The pay is good."
"Yeah, but I just wish something would happen, you know?"
Suddenly, the ground began to shake. The workers' keys jingled on their hooks, clanging noisily against the metal pole where they had been hung. A massive cloud of dust appeared over the hill.
"What the . . ."
As the cloud got closer, the workers could distinguish several green-brown shapes galloping across the field. They honked and trumpeted, trampling everything in their path.
"Stampede . . ." one guard gasped, "STAMPEDE!"
They abandoned their stations as one hundred and fifty-three parasaurolophus barreled through the electric fence. The first few individuals were shocked, but it wasn't long before the entire structure crumbled under their weight. The wires snapped with a loud twang as the poles collapsed beneath the horde of hadrosaurs. The guards watched the fray with wide eyes, ducking behind a metal bin.
"We'd better call for backup . . ." one guard squeaked.
"Ya think?" his companion growled, cuffing him on his helmet.
When the dust had cleared, the two guards saw the source of the hadrosaurs' panic. A pack of raptors had been chasing the herd, but for some strange reason, they didn't manage to kill a single one. The beasts stared at the guards, who shrunk away with fear. A short raptor yapped tersely, and the pack backed off without attacking. Odd.
One of the guards pulled out his walkie-talkie and pressed the red button.
"This is tower number thirty-seven. We've had some major damage down here. The perimeter is not secure. Please send help . . ."
Neither of them noticed a tiny, green compsognathus scurry across the field and into the compound.
***TSJPFEW***
Gerry Harding sat down with apprehension. He had been called to Wu's office, but no one would tell him what for. It probably wasn't a promotion, he could tell that much.
Wu sat at the other end of his desk, twirling that ghastly staff of his indifferently.
"Dr. Harding."
"Dr. Wu."
"I heard that you were considering resignation . . ."
Gerry nodded.
"Yeah. I think it's time to retire . . ."
"So soon?" Wu asked patronizingly, "Are you sure you can handle the financial pressure?"
"Don't even go there," Harding spat in warning, "You have no business dabbling in my affairs . . ."
Wu smiled.
"Don't be so sure . . ."
He slid a manila envelope across the table. Harding stared at it with confusion.
"Go ahead. Open it."
Gerry reached inside slowly. He pulled out a pink sheet. After reading the first few lines, he went pale.
"Oh, Gerry. You should have known that I wouldn't just let this slide. I specifically asked everyone present during the incident to identify any potential carriers of the disease. I don't like it when people lie to me . . ."
"If this is about Jess-"
"Don't play dumb with me!" Wu growled, "You granted a native safe passage off the island. She wasn't even supposed to be on Nublar . . ."
"Well, neither were you, but that didn't stop you from hiding away in the lab-"
"I had work to do!"
"Sure, sure. Like what? Incubating that baby raptor? What ever happened to it, Henry? Did it die along with all of your other creations?"
Suddenly, a worker burst through the door.
"Dr. Wu! There's an emergency down at-"
He saw Gerry.
"Oh. Am I . . . Am I interrupting something?"
"No. Come in. Doctor Harding was just leaving," Wu said calmly.
Gerry stood up and walked to the door. Wu held it open for him. When he passed through the doorframe, however, Wu grabbed the top of his coat and pulled him close.
"Don't think that this is over, Harding . . ." he whispered, "I will not rest until each and every infected individual is quarantined."
As soon as Wu let him go, Gerry walked hastily down the hallway. It was definitely, definitely time to move back to San Diego.
***TSJPFEW***
Ellie pattered through the Visitors' Center. Although she had donned a lab coat, she wasn't doing a very good job of blending in. While most scientists were headed towards the source of the disturbance, Ellie was trying to find the control room. She needed to switch off the electric fences on the south side of the compound, but cutting off the park's power supply entirely was out of the question. No one wanted to fight in the dark, especially with so much at stake.
After pushing past a group of frantic maintenance workers, Ellie slid through an open door. Her sandals clicked on the linoleum floor, echoing louder than she would have wanted. As she rounded the corner, she ran into two women with black headsets.
"Hey! Where are YOU going?" one of them asked.
Ellie blinked.
"I was sent to fix the computers."
One woman gave her a suspicious look.
"Oh, yeah? What's wrong with them?"
A bead of sweat ran down the side of Ellie's face.
"The- uh . . . The floppy disc . . ."
As the women closed in, Ellie gulped.
"I'm really sorry about this . . ."
HORK-SPLAT! HORK-SPLAT!
Ellie coughed up two gobs of venom. The women held their eyes and fell to the ground. Ellie wiped her mouth and walked away as they began to giggle and sing.
***TSJPFEW***
"Out of my way, OUT OF MY WAY!"
"Dr. Wu! We've had a perimeter breach!"
"I CAN SEE THAT!"
The guard shrunk away.
"We've called in all of the maintenance staff. We'll fix this as soon as possible," the other guard affirmed.
Wu examined the damage radius. This was no ordinary rampage . . .
"You said there were raptors?"
"Yeah, a half a dozen, at least!" the guard confirmed, nodding furiously,
"And they just ran off?"
"Yes."
"Without attacking?"
"Yes."
"And you've called everyone over to fix this?"
"Yeah, why?"
Suddenly, the remaining half of the fence crackled. The siren honked feebly, but faded into silence. One by one, the lights began to turn off with a clanking sound. Wu stared at the fence.
"You called everyone here? . . ."
"Everyone I could think of . . ."
"You called EVERYONE here?!" Wu repeated.
A white flare hissed above the Visitors' Center. At the peak of its parabola, it erupted into bright red fragments, which twinkled brightly in the morning sky.
Wu picked up the worker by his coat and shook him.
"IF EVERYONE IS HERE, WHO'S GUARDING THE COMPOUND?"
***TSJPFEW***
Alan watched as Ellie set off the flare. As soon as it burst, he turned around and addressed his troops.
"There's the signal! Dilophosaurs, at the ready!"
Down in the compound, the loudspeakers crackled with static.
'Attention, all staff!' Ellie's voice echoed through the field, 'This is a theropod insurrection. We have the facility surrounded. Those who evacuate to the hotel lobby will not be harmed. Should you choose to stay, we will be forced to capture you by any means necessary. You have five minutes to surrender.'
Alan stood at the ready. Behind him, the theropod army was chomping at the bit. The scarred raptor paced anxiously, flexing her leg muscles to keep warm. The other seven raptors waited behind her, nickering softly. They had morphed halfway into parrots for ease of communication, but they now began to shift to their battle-morphs. It was a good thing, too, or Alan wouldn't have been able to tell them apart.
"How much longer?" the scarred raptor asked.
"Two minutes," Alan replied.
A blue-gray raptor stepped forward. He watched as the ant-sized people scurried towards the hotel.
"You're Kibble, right?"
"Kipper," the scarred raptor interjected (because he was not half macaw, Kipper couldn't answer for himself).
"Right. Are you a good flyer?"
He nodded.
"Good. Because I have a job for you . . ."
***TSJPFEW***
Wu stormed across the field with a dozen scientists in tow. When he reached his jeep, he practically stabbed the ignition with his keys. They snapped in half. His employees looked at him with concern.
"Dr. Wu . . . Do you think- just hypothetically, mind you- that we should have left with the others?" a man asked.
Wu glared at him.
"Coward! Would you betray us?"
The man squeaked.
"Um . . . No, no. Not really. But hypothetically . . ."
'Alright, everybody! Time's up!' Sattler's voice rang from the loudspeakers, 'From this point on, anyone found in the facility will be captured and incapacitated. You've been warned.'
Another flare sped across the sky. Through the smoke, a blue-gray raptor glided majestically through the air, holding a makeshift banner. The flag was, in fact, a pink shirt that had been tied to a branch by its sleeves, but the message was clear, nonetheless.
"Get to the control room!" Wu barked, "If you find Sattler, kill her!"
His scientists did a double-take.
"Kill her?" one employee gasped, "That's a bit extreme. All she did was break a fence and wave a pink flag . . ."
"Actually, it's a salmon flag," another employee interrupted.
"You're both wrong: it's dusted tomato!"
Wu slapped his forehead.
"Just find her!"
Without warning, the sun was blotted out by hundreds of orange frills. Wu grabbed his clipboard and held it above his head. A shower of grey gunk splattered across the ground, covering most of the scientists with icky goo. They started rolling around and laughing like a bunch of drunkards. Wu dragged the unaffected individuals to the Visitors' Center.
This time, Sattler wouldn't get away so easily . . .
***TSJPFEW***
Ellie spun around in her chair. She wasn't particularly good with computers, but luckily for her, someone had forgotten to log off of their account. Now that the fences were down, all she would have to do was wait.
'Ellie? Ellie? You there?' Alan asked through the walkie-talkie.
Ellie picked up the radio and held the side-button.
"Yep. I'm here. Is everything okay?"
'Yeah. Do you want me to send in the raptors?'
"Give it a few more minutes. I-"
BAM, BAM, BAM!
Ellie jumped.
"Hang on, Alan, I gotta deal with something . . ."
Wu stood outside the control room with a deep frown upon his face. He rapped his fist on the glass window to get Ellie's attention. She leaned back in her rolling chair and pushed herself across the room with her feet. When she came to the window, she smiled and waved.
"Dr. Sattler . . . I'm a little surprised to see you alive . . ."
She made a gesture to indicate that she couldn't hear him across the glass. He spoke louder.
"I'm not the 'bad guy', Dr. Sattler. I'm just doing my job."
"Yeah, but your job includes kidnapping baby dinosaurs, holding your guests hostage, and being a general asshole."
"So, the solution is to start a war? Is it really wise to help these monsters invade the compound? What have they done to deserve your trust?"
Ellie frowned.
"They aren't monsters: they're victims, and I'm helping them because they've been through a lot. It's called empathy. You should try it sometime."
Wu growled.
"You're trying my patience."
"So, surrender. This could all be over in a heartbeat."
"Surrender? To you? Never."
Ellie shook her head.
"You just don't get it, do you? This isn't about honor. I'm giving you the chance to not get your ass kicked."
Wu snorted.
"You underestimate me, Dr. Sattler . . ."
'Ellie? Is everything okay?'
She glided over to the table where her walkie-talkie was lying.
"Yeah, everything's fine. Wu finally showed up . . ."
'Is he mad?'
"What do YOU think?"
'Let me talk to him.'
Ellie set the radio to two-way conversation. She held it to the glass.
"Go ahead."
Alan cleared his throat.
'You've lost, Wu.'
"What makes you so sure?" he hissed.
'We have raptors stationed at every exit. You're surrounded.'
Wu laughed.
"Don't you think I know that? I'm not a fool!"
"Then why are you locked out of every main laboratory in the building?" Ellie sniggered. Wu smiled.
"You think I am . . ."
"Are you talking about the underground lab?" Ellie asked, "I saw it on the computer screen, but I can't access it without your permission. Is that where you're keeping the machine?"
Wu looked startled.
"You KNOW about that?"
'Loose lips sink ships,' Alan mumbled.
"Robin . . ." Wu growled.
"Right you are. Now, surrender," Ellie said calmly.
Wu chuckled malevolently.
"Oh, Ellie. You shouldn't have locked us out . . ."
"Why not?" she asked playfully.
"Because now you have nowhere to run."
"Run? From whom? You can't get in here . . ."
"I don't have to. Two of my staff were locked in with you."
"You're bluffing . . ."
"Not at all. They're up in the digital tower."
"They can't let you in. I reset the password . . ."
Wu smiled and turned away from the glass.
"I hope you're in the mood for a little rendezvous, Dr. Sattler. I have a friend of yours waiting on the other side of the lab."
'What's he talking about, Ellie?' Alan asked through the radio.
"There is a way to trigger the post-mortem reaction before death . . ." Wu sneered.
"Doesn't that make the name contradictory?" Ellie asked. Wu frowned.
"Be that as it may, I highly doubt that you'll be in any state to question my choice of words when you're being ripped to shreds by your best friend . . ."
'What's he talking about, Ellie?' Alan repeated.
At that very moment, a deep rumbling came from the other side of the lab.
Ellie gulped.
"Goodbye, Dr. Sattler . . ."
***TSJPFEW***
"Ellie? Ellie! What's going on?" Alan barked as he jogged through the Visitors' Center. There was no reply from the radio. The scarred raptor trotted behind him.
"Something's gone wrong . . ."
Alan nodded.
"We're gonna have to go in after her."
"But the doors are locked!"
Alan kicked open an air vent.
"Who needs doors?"
The raptor peered inside.
"I don't think I'll fit . . ."
"Fine. I'll go alone. Make sure that no raptor leaves his or her post. If you see Wu, have the gang of seven round him up. I don't want to take any chances . . ."
Alan slid through the vent. The scarred raptor watched as he crawled into the darkness.
"I have a bad feeling about this . . ." she mumbled.
Alan didn't really know where he was going. He was now inside the facility's ceiling, which was not a location he had ever planned to revisit. Occasionally, he would peek through the grating to see if he was headed in the right direction. Finally, he saw something that looked like a computer. He pushed the ceiling tile to the side and lowered himself onto a desk. When he stepped down, a hand clamped around his mouth. Ellie dragged him under a table.
"What are you doing here?" she whispered.
"I was about to ask you the same thing. Are we hiding from something?"
Ellie nodded.
"Yes. Be quiet."
They sat and listened. A muffled sound came from across the room. It was like purring, only a lot deeper and a hell of a lot scarier.
"What is it?" Alan asked.
"Giant raptor," Ellie replied brusquely.
"Have you tried talking to it?"
Ellie shook her head.
"There's something off about the way it acts. It doesn't speak at all."
"Why not?"
Ellie shrugged.
"I don't know. The only other time this happened was with . . ."
"What?"
". . . was with the allosaurus. Do you remember how stupid it was?"
"I wasn't really paying attention . . ."
"Shhh!"
They moved deeper into the shadows as two clawed feet appeared in front of them. The sickle-claws clicked against the floor like high heels. Alan squeezed Ellie's hand. The creature paused nearby, but continued walking.
"Ellie . . . morph into a compsognathus."
"What? Why?"
"We need to get a good look at this thing. If we work together, we might be able to knock it out . . ."
"Good idea."
Ellie began to shrink, but as she did, she emitted a bright light.
"Shit! I glow!" she said, interrupting the transformation.
The creature snarled. Apparently, he had seen the flash.
"Oh god! Run, run!" Alan shouted.
They scrambled out from under the table. The giant raptor squealed and ran after them.
As they pushed past the rolling chairs, Ellie looked over her shoulder. The dinosaur was black, with grey speckles along its back. It was covered in quills from head to tail. It looked like a peppered porcupine . . .
'RRRUUURH!'
The creature swung its tail. A shower of quills zoomed across the room. A large needle pierced Ellie's shoulder. She screamed and clutched the place where it had been embedded. Alan stopped running.
"Oh, NOW I'm angry!"
He grabbed a chair and ran towards the dinosaur. The giant raptor watched as Ellie fell to the ground. Suddenly, it shook its head like it was clearing a migraine.
'Ellie?'
"Aaaaaaaaargh!"
Alan clobbered the raptor with the chair. It fell on its side and kicked its legs in the air.
'Ah! Ooh! Ouch! WHAT THE HELL, ALAN? Stop it!'
Ellie frowned.
"Wait, Alan! Stop punching him!" she gasped.
'Listen to the woman! For god's sake, stop- ACHCHCH!"
Alan strangled the raptor with both hands. The animal thrashed around and choked noisily.
"Alan, stop!"
"What?"
"Don't hurt him!"
"Why not?"
"It's Ian!"
Alan paused.
"What? . . ."
'Choking! Must breathe . . .'
". . . It's Ian," Ellie repeated.
Alan let go of Ian's throat. He stood up slowly.
"Sorry, Ian."
'Apology NOT accepted. What the hell-'
As Ian pointed, he stared at his claws. He peeked over his shoulder and did a little twirl.
'Um . . . Guys? . . .'
"Do you have amnesia, Ian?" Ellie asked.
'Well, I don't know why I'm a goddamn dinosaur, if that's what you're asking . . .'
"What's he saying?" Alan asked.
'Can't he understand me?'
"No. But I can. I guess your dialect must be similar to velociraptor. Then again, it might have something to do with this . . ." she grunted as she pulled out his quill. Ian looked at the quill and then at his tail.
'Did I . . . Did I do that?'
"Mmmhm," Ellie hummed, rubbing the red area around the wound.
'Oh, no! . . . Ellie, I'm so sorry . . .'
"It's alright. We'll find some rubbing alcohol," she said as she took off her labcoat.
'I didn't mean to- I don't remember-'
"It's fine, Ian."
Ellie shivered as the cold laboratory air ran over her bare shoulders. Luckily for her, it was hard to see that she was bleeding against the red tank top.
The scarred raptor tapped on the glass. Ian jumped back in fright.
"It's okay, Ian. She's with us," Alan explained.
'Whaaat?'
"We're leading a theropod revolution," Ellie explained.
'WHAAAT?'
"I can't understand him. Ellie?"
"Here, maybe this will help . . ."
She pulled a blue feather out of her jeans pocket and rubbed it against Ian's side. He twitched a little.
'You trying to tickle me to death?'
"Think about a macaw's vocal cords."
'That's a weirdly specific thing to say . . .'
"Just do it."
Ian paused.
"Okay, now what? . . ."
"Hey, I can understand him!" Alan said, clapping his hands.
"Great! Now we can add 'cunning linguist' to your resume . . ."
"Aaaaaand I immediately regret being able to hear him," Alan huffed, "A quiet Ian is a rare thing . . ."
"He WAS rather tran-quill, wasn't he?" Ellie quipped. Ian snuffed.
"Oh, haha. Very funny."
"I thought it was uh-mazing!" Alan chuckled.
"Maybe I should poke your eye out!"
"Stop your fighting, boys," Ellie sighed, "We have a war to win."
Ian stepped past Ellie.
"Ahem. We've got company."
An old man and a rotund woman were trying to sneak out the back door. When they noticed that they had been caught, they stood up straight and smiled innocently.
"Going somewhere?" Ellie asked angrily.
"Wait! I can explain! This isn't what it looks like!" the woman stuttered.
"A likely story . . ." Ellie mumbled.
"Alright, Doc, you'd better start talking . . ." Ian growled. The doctor stepped back.
"Zhere ees a cure for your condeetion, Meester Malcolm."
"Go on . . ."
"Vhee can admeeneester the anteedote vhen vhee get to Wu's laboratoree . . ."
"Good, good. So you'll take us there?" Ian asked.
"No. But vhee vhill be runninck avay now . . ."
Suddenly, a slew of guards burst through the newly-opened doors.
"She turned off the locks!" Ellie gasped.
"Your password was 'velociraptor'. It wasn't that hard . . ." the woman cackled.
'Hang on, Ellie!'
The scarred raptor and her gang of seven pushed through the guards. They managed to knock out a few men before being shot with tranquilizers. Ian was also shot, but he still took down a few guards with his quills (which apparently caused paralysis in the unvaccinated men) before fainting. Ellie and Alan were captured soon after.
Lance, who was not yet unconscious, snapped at the doctor.
'Oh, no. Not on my watch! Leave- my friends- alone . . .'
He swayed a little, then collapsed.
"Shhh. Try to get some sleep," the doctor said malevolently.
"Don't hurt them . . ." Ellie whispered.
"Oh, vheel be keepinck you togezher. You'll rot in our preeson while vhee open zhee portal . . ."
"No . . . No, the Troödon said that that's a very bad idea . . ." Ellie pressed, "Please, for everyone's sake, don't do it."
"I eentend to go through weeth my plan. Soon, I vheel be zhee most respected scienteest in any deemension . . . and zhere's nothinck you or anyone else can do to stop me!"
***TSJPFEW***
They were thrown into a cramped holding pen when each and every one of them had been captured. The theropods had retreated, and those who had been guarding the hotel fled as well. Now, everyone at InGen was laughing at Ellie, who had come up with a silly, terrible, destined-to-fail idea and, in doing so, had doomed the velociraptors to an even worse fate. As she curled up with Alan against a sleeping Ian, she couldn't help but cry a little.
"I've screwed everything up, haven't I?"
Alan squeezed her harder.
"No, you haven't. You tried your best . . ."
"To do what? Lead a revolution? I'm not a war hero, Alan. I'm just me . . ."
'Well, I think you were fantastic . . .' Kipper said drowsily. Ellie gave a sad smile. When he rolled over, however, Ellie's smile dissolved into a frown.
"Kipper, you're bleeding . . ."
He turned his head and examined a long slash that sliced his back all the way down his spine. He chuffed.
'What, this? Nah. It's just a scratch.'
Ellie sniffed and hugged his neck. He purred in solace.
"Uuurgh . . ."
"Ian? You awake? Are you hurt?" Ellie asked.
Alan let go of Ellie and set Ian's head straight.
"How is he?"
"Auntie Em! Auntie Em! I had the strangest dream . . ."
"He'll live."
"I'm guessing they captured us?" Ian asked.
"Yup," Alan grunted.
"Hm. That went well!"
Alan was about to reproach Ian for his insensitive remark, but the other raptors began to come back to life.
'Agh! Someone bopped me on the head . . .' Crusher moaned.
"Oh hey! I can kind of understand him!" Ian babbled, 'Donde esta raptors por favor?'
'Hey, watch it!' Lance growled.
"What's he saying?" Alan asked.
'They're arguing,' Ellie replied.
"In English, please," Alan clarified.
"Sorry. I forget sometimes . . ."
'Where we at?' Bucky drawled.
"We're prisoners . . ." Ellie replied.
'You know, it'd be easier to speak raptor-'
"I KNOW!" Ellie screamed.
Everyone flinched. They watched with wide eyes as she stood up and placed herself in the corner of the room.
"I know . . ." she repeated.
Ellie pressed her head into the corner and started sobbing. Alan stood up and held her shoulders.
"It's okay, it's okay . . ."
"No, no, no! It's NOT okay! This is all my fault! I've killed us all!"
Ian stood up.
"We were dead from the moment we set foot on this island. At least you gave us a shot."
"And look where I got us! I shouldn't have tried to do something so stupid . . ."
Ellie slid down against the wall and put her head in her arms. The raptors gathered around her sadly. Soon, they formed a saurian group-hug.
Ellie sniffed.
"Well, I guess this is the end . . ."
"Oh, cheer up, Ellie," the scarred raptor cooed, "At least we're together."
Ellie nodded.
"Yeah. I guess you're right. If I'm gonna die, I want to die with my friends. And also Ian."
"Hey!"
Ellie laughed.
"I'm just kidding. And I really am sorry that I dragged you into this . . ."
"Naw, it's fine," Ian said with a shrug, "It's not like I could go home like this, anyway, though I'll bet Sarah would be thrilled . . ."
Ellie nodded sadly.
"I guess you could at least say that you died a hero."
"This might even be better than the puppy story . . . Wait, so are we going to die? Like, for sure?"
Ellie shrugged.
"Well, yeah. Unless someone can conjure up a miracle . . ."
'PEE-PEE-TSOOOOOOOOOH!'
The wall exploded. When the dust cleared, a very dizzy-looking allosaurus stepped into the room.
'Note to self: InGen walls are harder than they look . . .'
Ellie stood with her mouth agape.
"Robin?! . . ."
'Who'dya expect? The Great Pumpkin? Ack, that wall was thick . . .'
She shook her head and sneezed.
'Oh, hey! You found my tank top! Keep it. It looks better on you anyway. Also, I'm a dinosaur.'
Ellie nodded.
"Uh-huh. How did that happen?"
'Post-mortem reaction. It's kind of a funny story . . .'
Another allosaurus stepped across the rubble.
'Everything alright?'
"Can someone please explain to me what's going on?" Alan asked. Robin giggled and sprouted red feathers.
"Right, I forgot that you can't understand me . . ."
"Should we tell them?" the other allosaurus asked.
"Yeah, yeah. Go ahead . . ." Robin chirped.
"Okay, so-"
"So, it turns out that the allosaurus who attacked me was actually Yannick!" Robin interrupted, "The mad doctor did some sort of-"
"-experiment on me, and I didn't remember-"
"-who he was, so when he killed me-"
"-I got my memories back because-"
"-he was so horrified with his actions. But luckily-"
"-I bit off Robin's dysprosium bracelet and-"
"-I became an allosaurus. Shortly after, Yannick-"
"-helped her remember who she was, and we found out that we actually shared-"
"-a lot of common interests, and-"
"-we got to know each other, so-"
"-now we're dinosaur-married!"
Ellie, who had been listening to their anecdote with wide eyes, stepped forward.
"Dinosaur-married?" she echoed.
"Yeah. It's like regular-married, only we're dinosaurs," Robin explained.
"Uh-huh . . . And how exactly did you find us?"
Robin smiled.
"Actually, we were called over by a friend of yours . . ."
She stepped aside to reveal Charlie, who stood humbly by her ankles. He pattered over and hopped into Alan's arms.
"Did I do good?"
Alan laughed.
"Good? Good? Charlie, you did fantastic!"
Alan, Charlie, and Ellie shared a hug.
"Awww! That's so sweet!" Robin gushed, "But the celebration will have to wait. We have a war to win!"
Ellie frowned.
"But how-"
"You didn't think we came alone, did you?"
Suddenly, the collective roar of several large theropods rumbled through the Visitors' Center. Ellie gave a giddy laugh and hugged Robin's leg.
"That's not all!" Robin bubbled, "We found a couple of old friends wandering about in The North. Turns out, there are dozens of former staff who've been transmorphigated by the PMR . . ."
Three raptors stepped into the room. One was covered in nasty-looking scars, another had dark blotches across its body, and the last was missing his right arm. Robin pointed to them one by one.
"This is Oscar Morales, former mercenary, current velociraptor. Ray Arnold, computer technician, mysteriously armless. Robert Muldoon, former game warden who is not, in fact, the thirty-first prime minister of New Zealand."
"I still don't understand why that caused so much confusion . . ." Muldoon mumbled.
"Oh my god. Oh my god . . ." Ellie whispered.
"Yeah, we're alive. Don't look so surprised," Mr. Arnold laughed.
"I . . . I found your arm . . ." Ellie blathered. He looked down at the stub on his right shoulder.
"Yeah, I kind of miss it. I can't say it'd be a good match anymore . . ."
"Don't worry about that," Robin said, "There's a cure for the PMR. But we need to find Wu first . . ."
"We'll never make it in time!" Crusher gasped, "He's probably miles across the compound by now, and he has access to the door locks . . ."
"Leave the locks to me," Mr. Arnold said, sitting down at a computer, "It's been a while, but I think I remember this system . . ."
His claws pierced the keyboard.
"Shit . . ."
Robin rolled her eyes.
"Alright, while Ray finds another computer, we'll exit from the back and take Wu by surprise. The underground lab is connected to the emergency bunker, so he won't be expecting-"
She looked around.
"What? You think I'd come here without a plan?"
"Robin, this is going to be very dangerous," Yannick said uneasily, "I don't want you to get hurt . . ."
"Says the guy who, uh, tried to beat her to a pulp a couple of days ago . . ." Ian grumbled. Yannick growled, but Ellie stood between them.
"Look, we're going to have to work together if we want to win this thing. Just like before, remember?"
"Yeah! How hard can it be?" Bucky bubbled.
"Don't jinx it!" Rocky said nervously.
Ellie turned to her raptor friends.
"Sorry, guys, but you'll have to sit this one out. Go back to camp and make sure that the wounded are taken care of."
"But-"
"No buts," the scarred raptor said, "Ellie and I are going in alone."
Ellie cringed.
"Actually-"
The scarred raptor held up her claw.
"Let me rephrase that. If you don't let me come along, I'll cut out your spleen."
Ellie nodded.
"Fair enough. The rest of you, go home."
"And take Charlie . . ." Alan said, placing him on the ground.
"No. I'll circle the sky. You need my help."
"Charlie, no. You're going to get hurt . . ."
Charlie's feathers bristled.
"I won't! Nobody suspects the parrot . . ."
Ellie crouched down.
"Charlie, you've done well. Go home. Be safe."
Charlie scowled, but nodded. Ellie smiled and stood up.
"Alright. Before we go, are there any objections?"
Ian snorted.
"Nah. What's the worst that could happen?"
"What have we got to lose?" Alan added.
"What are we waiting for?" Yannick said with a grin.
"What are- Shit, you guys took the good ones . . ." Robin whined. Ellie smiled.
"I take it we're ready?"
Robin gave a triumphant roar.
"I was born ready!"
***TSJPFEW***
Once they were outside, the gang noticed Richthofen and Trixie running through the field. Robin growled and pawed at the ground.
"Hang on, guys. I have some unfinished business."
She stormed across the meadow and roared.
When they heard Robin approaching, Trixie and Richthofen ran like two-legged bunnies. It was a futile effort, as Robin was going over thirty clicks. Finally, she cornered them.
"Hello, Trixie . . ." she spat.
"R-Robin? Is this some kind of sick joke?!"
"No. The only joke here is your hairdo."
Trixie patted her perm self-consciously.
"You feelthee reptile!" Richthofen sputtered.
"You say that like it's a bad thing . . ." Robin cooed, "But in all seriousness, you've done some pretty nasty things to my friends and my dinosaur-husband. So, I highly recommend that you apologize to them before I swallow you whole."
"WHAT?!" Trixie gasped.
"You heard me, ya' lacquer-plated bimbo!"
Trixie gulped.
"I'm sorry . . ."
Robin nodded.
"Very good. Lars?"
"Don't be callinck me zhat . . ."
"I'll call you whatever I want, p'tit moufette morveuse . . ."
"Vhat?"
Robin growled.
"Apologize!" Trixie shrieked.
"NEIN!"
Richthofen darted away. Before Robin could catch him, he dove into the forest. The trees were too thick to allow an allosaurus safe passage.
"Ah, shit! He got away."
Robin turned to leave, but a shrill scream came from the jungle. Before they knew what was happening, there was a sound of snapping branches. Richthofen was catapulted through the air like a dead cow.
"AIYAIYAIYAIYAI!"
They watched as he landed in a conveniently-placed pile of brachiosaurus manure.
"That is one big-"
"Shut up, Ian," everyone said.
Morton and Penelope trotted out of the forest.
"I guess no one told him that Moreton Bay Fig Trees have elastic branches . . ." Morton said smugly. Ellie laughed. She was about to say something witty, but a loud crackle suddenly buzzed across the field.
"Oh, no! He's started up the machine!" Trixie gasped.
"What?!" Robin gasped, "He can't do that! Not after what happened last time . . ."
"Don't act so innocent, Robin! You went through the holes too!" Trixie spat.
"At this point, I could mention your little shellac escapade, but I'll be the bigger person. Dinosaur. Whatever."
Ellie stepped between them.
"Again, stop fighting. We need to stop Wu before he does something crazy. If the Troödon were telling the truth, he could destroy us all . . ."
"You saw the Troödon? Well, shit!" Robin grumbled, "Why do you get to have all the adventures? All I did was have hot, steamy, dinosaur s-"
"BOUNDARIES!" Ian shrieked, plugging his ears.
"Right, so let's go stop him!" Robin finished. Ellie nodded.
"Mr. Morales, can you guard Trixie?" Ellie asked.
"No problem. It'll be easy," the raptor said with a brief salute.
The rest of the gang trotted away, but not before Robin gave Trixie one last sardonic smile.
"Just for the record, I love my VHS."
And thus, the cavalry charged towards the underground lab.