JurassiQuest – Chapter 21: Dangers from a High-Spined Lizard

A/N: This week, the JurassiQuest team will be traveling to the Island of the Temples with the Dinosaur Valley tribe, hoping they will be able to find a way to return to the present? Will they succeed? What dangers and adventures will our team encounter in this chapter? You'll have to read on to find out! Also, there's word that Hammond will be getting a very special guest at InGen in this chapter. Please enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Jurassic Park except the very characters I've made up.

The next morning in the dinosaur valley, the Dinosaur Valley tribe awoke and was prepared for another adventure that day. Grant placed his things in his backpack and sighed. What is today going to bring? he asked himself. Is it possible that we could find a way back home extremely soon? I do hope that's possible.

"Don't you wonder what everyone's thinking about us back at home?" Luke asked.

Grant turned to face his son. "Oh, good morning, Luke. Yeah, I wonder that a lot."

"I mean, we've been away for two days and no one's heard anything from us. I hope they're not too worried."

"If we're gone long enough they will be. But we need to stand strong in a time like this, Luke. Alisha's a good role model – she's strong, quick-thinking, always making a strategy...I don't think I've ever seen her very concerned."

"I guess they don't call her a 'survivalist' for nothing."

"Yeah."

"Man, we've got to get back home. We're going to miss so much from our normal lives, Dad: you've got a Velociraptor to dig up and a theory to prove, Alisha's got a television show to host and adventures to go on, Muldoon has to...do whatever game wardens have to do I guess, Will and Jack have to do their military duty, whatever it is, I've got things planned to do with Tom, Ellie's got a boyfriend to marry–"

"Wait, what?"

"You and I both know you love each other."

"Well, yes, but..."

"Then why not?"

Before Grant could answer, Ellie entered the tent.

"Morning boys," Ellie said, "I'm just getting some things." She grabbed her backpack and left.

Luke frowned and asked, "Hey, Dad, what are you and Ellie going to do now if you don't have to dig up dinosaur bones anymore?"

Grant hesitated before giving an answer. The thought of never being able to dig up dinosaur fossils again startled him. Even if they did go back home, with the ability to time-travel and the possibility of cloning dinosaurs right around the corner...would he even need to dig up fossils anymore? Would fossil digging still have a use? A mandatory help to the study of dinosaurs? "I don't know what we'd do, I guess...I guess we'll just have to 'evolve' too."

Luke nodded and began putting his things in his bag. Then Grant said, "You know, um, Luke. I've been meaning to tell you..."

"What's that, Dad?"

"Well, I've sort of been a little preoccupied with my work lately, you know, trying to make enough money to keep us going, and I've kind of haven't really had a whole lot of time for you."

"That's OK, Dad–"

"No. No it's not. I just wanted to say that...I'm sorry. We should have been able to do all those things we planned to do together. If we get back, I promise that we can–"

Alisha's head poked into the tent. "Lo que es ten largo?" she asked. "Come on, guys, everyone else is ready to go and you still have your tent assembled. It's a two-day journey from here to the 'Island of the Temples". The sooner we get there, the sooner we might be able to get home."

The day was due to pass quickly. The Dinosaur Valley tribe moved at a swift and steady pace through the forested landscape, following the river out of the valley. Along the day, they saw several Gallimimus and Laquintasaura. Having gone this way many times before, Gershom knew the way to the island well. It wasn't until about 10:00 a.m. that the forest lining the river gave way to grassy meadows, which were in turn surrounded by tropical forest. Several dragonflies darted here and there above the river.

Gershom looked up at the sun above him and said, "Alright, we all can take a five minute break."

At this, everyone took a seat upon the grass. Muldoon got a candy bar out of his back pocket and tore the wrapping paper off to eat the treat inside. He looked up at Grant and said, "I didn't really have a moment to say good morning to you, did I?"

"No, not really. Good morning."

"Ditto. So, any new theories about this crazy place yet?"

"Not at present. We'll have to reach the Island of the Temples if I'm going to start any more speculation."

A second later, a loud raspy squawk came from the forest. All the humans looked toward the forest to see a herd of dinosaurs about 4-6 feet tall and up to 16 feet long. These dinosaurs were rather grayish in color with lighter bands on the tail. They had big domed heads and a bunch of little horns surrounding it. Their strong legs held up their hefty bodies as they marched toward the river; so far, they ignored the Dinosaur Valley tribe.

"Pachycephalosaurus," Ellie breathed, "a whole herd of 'em. What do you think they're up to, Alan?"

Grant shrugged. "Can't say. They're probably getting a drink before it turns midday in a couple of hours."

"Crickey," Muldoon said. "Aren't those dinosaurs known for being able to ram their heads into other animals?"

"Yes. They might be aggressive."

"We should give them plenty of space to reach the river," Will suggested. Gershom nodded.

"Wise idea. Everyone, move on."

The tribe got to their feet and started following their leader onward.

"Pachycephalosaurus," Gershom explained, "are very aggressive dinosaurs. Their eyesight isn't very good, but they have a keen sense of smell and will charge people and animals who they deem a threat. Another rather aggressive herbivore we have seen is the Ankylosaurus. Temperamental creatures they are. Fortunately, they're pretty slow and generally prefer to stand their ground rather than attack a threat."

As the group moved forward, Grant looked back to see the bone-headed dinosaurs bend down at the water's edge to quench their thirst. Sure, these herbivores looked peaceful now, and Grant wanted to observe them further, but he knew the group needed to keep moving and he didn't want to get killed by the beasts. So he reluctantly let go of his desire to study them, for now.

Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's rolled on quickly for Hammond. It was now January 4th of the new year (2014), and today was a very special day for his company. Hammond was always on the lookout for new investors and his company had attracted the attention of a major mega-company previously owned by an old friend of Hammond's named Sanjay Masrani. The company was called Masrani Global Corporation.

Sanjay founded Masrani Global Corporation on February 16, 1973 as an telecommunications network in India. 1992 saw the death of Sanjay, who passed the company down to his ambitious son named Simon. Simon took what his father had given him and expanded – in just six years alone, he created several new divisions to the company, including: Masrani Oil Industries, Axis Boulder, Medixal Health, Data Analysys, Aerospace Dynamix and, in 2011, Tatsuo Technology and several others. As if this wasn't enough, Masrani's company was even considering establishing a division called Timack Construction. To say the least, Masrani Global Corporation was a busy and successful company. Then, in late 2013, Masrani was reading up on InGen Technologies and became interested in what the company was doing – he wanted to become an investor for InGen. So Ludlow quickly scheduled a tour for Masrani with Hammond to show off the latest projects the company was engaged in.

Hammond hurried into the laboratory. He was greeted by Henry, Claire and the baby Edmontosaurus they'd since named Eddy, who was sitting on a dog-bed situated in the corner.

"What time is Simon supposed to be here?" Claire asked.

Hammond looked at his watch: 7:30 a.m. "He'll be here in half an hour. Now, if this goes well, our company could go far. I really need your laboratory looking its best when he gets here."

"I'll be sure to tell the other geneticists when they get here," Henry said. "And whatever you do, don't, under any circumstances, go near Dr. Sorkin when you're touring Masrani. We don't need her giving a bad influence."

Hammond chuckled. "That's quite right. Quite right, Henry. Well, Ludlow wanted to meet with me before Masrani gets here, so I must be on my way." He looked down at Dianthus, who was near his feet. "Sorry, Dianthus, you have to stay here in the laboratory." After a little urging, the little elephant reluctantly walked over to the dog bed where Eddy was. Eddy and Dianthus had become good friends since Eddy hatched, so they had no problem sharing the same sleeping space...at least until Eddy grew up; it is doubtful a 3-ton hadrosaur would like to sleep on a dog bed.

Ludlow and Hammond watched as a black limousine drove into the InGen parking lot.

"Hm, fancy," Ludlow commented.

Then, three men in black suits exited the car and began walking toward the building complex. The man in front was easily recognized as Simon Masrani himself. Hammond and Ludlow walked out toward him.

"Ah, hello, John," Masrani said. "It's good to see you again, old man."

Hammond chuckled. "Yes, it's good to see you too. You remember my nephew, Peter Ludlow?"

"Yes, how could I forget?" Ludlow politely nodded his head in acknowledgment. "Well, let's see your operations, shall we Hammond? I'm dying to see what's going on in there."

If traveling through a land filled with dinosaurs, one might expect an exciting, dangerous life. While it would be exciting and dangerous at times, most of the journey to the island was filled with endless, boring hours of walking. Little dinosaur activity was seen. However, plenty of Pteranodon were spotted flying high above.

"Pteranodon," Will said, "are those the friendly species or the one that led to me loosing my EMD?"

"Those represent the more docile breed," Gershom explained. "They will not attack us."

As the group rounded a bend in the valley, they saw that ahead of them, the mountains surrounding the valley came together, typically meaning a dead end was before them. Bob asked Gershom about this.

Gershom laughed. "No, no. It's not a dead end. See, there's a little cave at the bottom of the mountain. Instead of climbing or going over the mountains, the cave allows us to walk right through it, saving us a great deal of time."

"That's nice," Alisha commented.

Also in the valley ahead, Grant saw a herd of Apatosaurus, Edmontosaurus and Parasaurolophus, all happily feeding together in the meadow just beyond the forest. The giant dragonflies darted through the area like little helicopters. The scene was tranquil and peaceful. Grant grasped Ellie's hand as they walked forward. The group stopped to admire the fascinating sight traditionally left behind by time. The Apatosaurus roamed the vibrant meadow, craning their long necks around to browse on small ferns growing from the ground. These colossal giants bellowed to their herd-mates. Grant watched with delight as a medium-sized Apatosaurus walked alongside a smaller individual about the size of an elephant – likely her baby. The juvenile watched as its mother picked certain ferns to consume. Below the gentle giants were hadrosaurs, feeding on a wider range of food. Despite being different species, the Parasaurolophus and Edmontosaurus grazed together as if they were the same. Some of the babies of both species were even spotted chasing each other around in a form of tag. Several Edmontosaurus looked up at the forest as a lone Ankylosaurus ambled from among the trees, snorting to itself. The cranky dinosaur settled in a bed of wild flowers and started eating.

"Hey, Dad," Luke said as he got his phone out to record some footage.

"Yes?"

"This is what I thought it would be like...to travel back in time. A beautiful scene with several different kinds of dinosaurs all happily coexisting together with us as the observers."

Will snickered. "Yeah, I wish it was like that. Then we wouldn't be in this dreaded situation. I must say, the world of the dinosaurs was really different from what I knew as a kid."

"How's that?" Ellie asked.

"Well, the primeval world as I imagined it was a place of giant monsters battling for survival amid the lush green swamps and forests or among dry desert plains. I imagined large long-necks wallowing through swamps and armored, spiked and horned dinosaurs fighting for survival against carnivores like T. rex. This world is nothing like the one I knew from childhood."

"It's a great deal more wonderful, actually," Muldoon commented. "If not for those blasted carnivores, I wouldn't mind being stuck here as much."

"I never like being more than a block from a Pizza Hut myself," Bob said.

"We should keep moving," Gershom announced. "Daylight will not wait for us. I'd like to reach the island by nightfall." (It was 1:56 p.m.). Reluctantly, the group started moving forward, toward the mountain looming above them. Soon, they were no more than 100 feet from the jungle that covered the mountain they were headed for.

Luke stopped recording footage and looked at his battery usage: 34%. Yikes! I'd better stop using this thing and save the energy for some really cool dinosaur action. Even still, he decided to play the footage he'd just captured. Will looked over his shoulder.

"How is your phone still working after all day without ever being plugged in?" Will asked.

"It's a newer model," Luke responded, "with 48 hours of time on the battery."

"Nice. This footage you just captured?"

"Yes."

Will's enthusiastic expression suddenly turned one of confusion as he watched the playback. "Can I see your phone for a minute?" Luke handed him the phone. Will gasped and handed it back to Luke. "See this?"

"What am I looking at?" Luke asked.

"Look behind the long-necks on your video. In the trees. See that movement?"

It took a moment for Luke to see what looked like a large dinosaur moving through the trees. He attempted to identify it by looking at key features: strong legs, long tail, clawed forearms and a large head. Unfortunately, it was too blurry for Luke to see the animal in any more detail. Oh my gosh, Luke thought, that's got to be a theropod.

"Dad!" Luke cried.

Grant stopped walking. "What is it, Luke?"

"I think there's a large theropod nearby, on the other side of the meadow."

"Wait, you're saying you saw a large theropod?"

"Yes! I didn't see it until I looked at the footage on my phone. I can't tell what species it is, but–"

Luke was interrupted by the trumpeting call of one of the Parasaurolophus. This individual was standing on his hind legs in the center of the herd – this must have been the herd's sentry. The Parasaurolophus made another trumpet-sound, attracting the attention of the rest of the herd. Upon hearing the warning, the hadrosaurs began to gather together, as did the sauropods.

"Yes, they definitely smell a predator," Muldoon said. "The hadrosaurs are relying on the sauropods for protection; that's why they're gathering in the center of the sauropod herd and aren't stampeding, like the ones we saw earlier did."

"Well, if the sauropods are closing ranks," said Will, "the stragglers had better hurry and reach the herd before it's too late."

By now, even the Ankylosaurus was preparing for an attack. He bent down low to the ground and held up his clubbed tail, poised to use it. Then all of a sudden a monster burst from the tree line on the opposite side of the meadow from the JurassiQuest team. It was the Acrocanthosaurus and it was hungry! The dinosaur roared and charged toward a juvenile Apatosaurus that had wondered from the herd. The herd bellowed, trying to get the dinosaur's attention. The juvenile looked up and began to panic. He hurried toward his herd as fast as his elephantine legs would carry him. All the while, the Acrocanthosaurus was running toward the potential prey.

"Oh no!" Bob exclaimed, "right after we mention how peaceful and serene the scene is, a large predator attacks an innocent creature! Why would dinosaurs engage in preying upon younger animals? That rarely happens today, so there's no reason for–"

"Rarely happens?" Muldoon asked. "Predators 'rarely' attack young animals?"

"Yes, you should know that, Muldoon, since you are a game warden."

Muldoon sighed. He was used to watching predatory attacks on their prey. He was always fascinated by the intricate struggle of each creature – the prey trying desperately to escape the teeth and claws of the predator with a flight or fight reaction; the predator's attempt to catch the prey in order to ensure its own survival. In nature, there were no good animals or bad animals; no nice or mean animals; these were just animals trying to survive.

The Apatosaurus wanted to help the juvenile, but they were too far away! The Acrocanthosaurus was merciless as he ran right alongside the Apatosaurus he was hunting. In a desperate attempt to save itself, the sauropod whipped at the carnivore with its whip-like tail. Unfortunately for him though, his tail lacked the power of the adult's tails and the theropod was hardly deterred. Then the Acrocanthosaurus opened his jaws and closed them on the prey's shoulder. Teeth tearing into his hide, the juvenile Apatosaurus squealed in pain. The juvenile was bitten once more by the Acrocanthosaurus before the predator appeared to relent.

"Wait, he's giving up?" Luke asked.

The Acrocanthosaurus watched with what some might regard as anticipation (or even delight) as the Apatosaurus limped away from him. The poor dinosaur bore two large bite wounds in its side, each one flowing free with blood. Eventually, the herbivore came to a halt, weakening by the moment. Figuring that the Apatosaurus was weak enough, the Acrocanthosaurus lunged forward and violently knocked the prey to the ground. The baby Apatosaurus squealed as the predator mercilessly tore into its neck with his claws and teeth. Giving a final cry, the dinosaur died at the Acrocanthosaurus' feet.

"See, that's an interesting thing about members of the carcharodontosauridae family," Grant explained. "Their teeth are blade-shaped and allow the predator to slice through skin and flesh. After inflicting a devastating wound, they step back and wait for the prey to suffer shock and blood loss–"

"Alan..." Ellie moaned.

"Oh, sorry."

Hungrily, the Acrocanthosaurus ripped through the animal it had just brought down. When it pulled its head back, tearing off flesh, its mouth was deep red in color. The sauropods and hadrosaurs knew there was nothing more they could do, so they started to move a sufficient distance from the carnivore. Luke watched with interest as Acrocanthosaurus ripped through the stomach region to expose the intestinal tract. It growled; content to finally be quench its hunger.

Gershom shook his head. "Poor dinosaur."

Suddenly, the Acrocanthosaurus looked up from its carcass at the humans. Its eyes dilated and it emitted a low snarl.

"Oh...no," Muldoon said. "We should get going."

The Acrocanthosaurus reared up to its full height and gave a mighty roar.

"Run for the forest!" Gershom exclaimed.

The humans needed no encouragement as they turned and ran for the forest. The large carnosaur left the dead Apatosaurus and charged. Its bird-like feet and long legs quickly carried the five-ton predator across the meadow. Each thunderous footstep brought the beast a little closer to the group.

"Not again!" Bob exclaimed. "We just went through this! I don't want to die!"

"If we hurry, he won't kill anybody," Aaron told him.

Grant grabbed his son's arm and yanked him forward. He had already saved his son several times from the dangers of this dangerous world, and he wasn't prepared to loose him now. As his feet raced across the meadow, Grant looked ahead to see that he only needed to reach the forest before the predator could reach them. Once entering the forest, the dinosaur would be significantly slowed down by the trees and logs. If only they could reach it in time! The paleontologist glanced back to see the Acrocanthosaurus much closer to them than he originally feared! The creature loomed over them, casting its dark shadow upon the ground. Its blood-covered maw was open and looked ready to devour its next victim.

Muldoon swung around and shot a tranquilizer dart at the carnivore. The creature was surprised by the little prick it felt in its hide from the dart, but the dosage wasn't nearly enough to cause any other effect. However, it was successful in buying the humans more time. Alisha was the first to reach the forest. She whipped out her machete.

"Es hora de que yo haga mi trabajo!" she declared as she slashed through leaves and vines like butter, making it easy for the group to escape the carnivore's wrath.

The entire tribe made it quickly into the forest. Women hustled their children and babies into relative safety as quickly as possible while men laid back with their spears in hand, ready to defend themselves if need be. Bob was significantly slower than everyone else. He held onto his briefcase tightly, not wanting to let it go. Muldoon groaned and, with Will by his side, rushed back to assist Bob.

"It's coming!" Bob cried as he looked back at the mighty dinosaur chasing him. As a result of his unawareness to his footing, Bob tripped and fell to the ground, allowing his briefcase to fall alongside him. Will and Muldoon rushed to his aid.

"Come on, Bob!" Muldoon exclaimed.

"On your feet, soldier," Will addressed.

Will and Muldoon helped him up. Bob was about to grasp his briefcase when Muldoon and Will pulled him toward the forest.

"My briefcase!" Bob exclaimed.

"Leave it behind!" Muldoon said. "I'm sure you'd prefer life to a briefcase."

"But all my stuff's in–"

Muldoon yanked Bob along by the shirt collar and got him to the safety of the forest. On the meadow, the Acrocanthosaurus loudly roared at the humans, bearing its teeth, tainted yellow from the blood of its meal. Feeling it had succeeded in chasing away the intruders, it turned around and walked back to the dead Apatosaurus to continue feeding. Everyone took a moment to catch their breaths.

"That wasn't predatory," Grant told the others.

"How do you know?" Luke said.

"That carnivore can run at least 15 mph, far faster than most of us. Yet, most of us had no trouble outrunning it. If it had intended to attack us for food, Bob wouldn't be here right now."

Bob frowned. "That looked predatory to me."

"That was just to chase it away from its food. It viewed us as a threat."

Bob looked back into the meadow at his briefcase. The briefcase now lay severely compressed and shattered in the footstep of the Acrocanthosaurus. He whimpered. "My...stuff."

Muldoon sighed, but it was Will who had something to say. "Civilian," Will began, "what use would your equipment have if you had died right then and there? So what you saved your things? They would be of no use to you if you were dead."

Bob looked like he wanted to argue, but he had no good arguments to be made. Jeremiah approached Bob and patted him on the shoulder. "The soldier has a point. A good one at that." Bob reluctantly agreed.

Alisha went over to Gershom. "So, where is this cave?" she asked.

Gershom pointed toward an opening in the side of the mountain, directly ahead of them, that was about seven feet in diameter. "It goes straight through the mountain and to the other side," Gershom explained.

Alisha nodded. The entire group looked at the cave – it looked rather cold, dark and unwelcoming. But Grant and the others knew this was too good a chance to miss; after all, it could be their way back home.

Grant looked at Ellie. "You ready?"

"As I'll ever be," she responded.

A/N: Do you guys like the addition of Acrocanthosaurus to the story? I know this carnosaur has yet to appear in a Jurassic Park movie or novel, but it's pretty cool, so I decided to add it. Maybe the JurassiQuest team will run into it again. We'll have to wait and find out. Be sure to sound of in the reviews with this chapter, because I really like hearing what you guys have to say about the story. I have another exciting chapter in store next week, where we'll see what Masrani things of InGen and the JurassiQuest team will come across some very interesting surprises as they finally reach their destination of the Island of the Temples. What dark secrets lie in store there? You'll find out next week! In the meantime, please be sure to favorite, follow or REVIEW this story, if you haven't already (please review!...did I already say that? LOL!) and I'll catch you all next week! Bye for now!