Soundtrack: End Theme by HDSoundI

With the return celebrations still going on in the park, the Park leaders wanted to get some things squared away before they all moved forward. In this case, the fate of Hazel and her team in regards to their positions. For them, it was business first before fun.

Nigel and his team sent them to Temporary Park as a test to see if they are capable of taking over when they're gone. Now that it was over, it was time to grade them on their performance. Like any business where a manager meets their employees in such a matter, it was a tense situation.

Even more so when Nigel gleaned the messages Hazel sent him. Granted he did not read them thoroughly, but within 45 minutes, he was able to get a general idea of each one. In short, he more or less knew what happened in Temporary Park. So he gathered his comrades and discussed with them on their next move regarding their pupils before calling them over.

While they did get the rundown of what happened in Temporary Park, they felt like they should at least hear their side of the story. There may be details they're not aware of. It was only fair that they give their testimony before Nigel gives his comments and criticisms on the matter.

Not long after that part of the meeting, Hazel and her friends arrived. They seated themselves on the chairs set in a semicircle fashion in front of Nigel's desk, with the senior members situated around the office, especially Marcus since he was sitting on one of the wooden railings on the edge. Not much had changed in his office while they were away, save for a few more papers and notes here and there. Nigel normally liked to have his pets roam about but in serious meetings like this, he liked to place them back in their little enclosures to prevent any other distractions.

The meeting started off as planned. Nigel asked them to explain what happened in Temporary Park. Hazel was the one that gave the basic summary of the major events that occurred, from their discovery they were in a different season, to the difficulties in surviving that time period, the Albertosaurus attack, the major snowstorm, and everything leading up to the war. She also mentioned how they encountered Patchi and Juniper's herd as well as the defector Tyrannosaurs. The only details she left out were Ellis' Time Pole involvement as well as the Rex Twins contributing to the cause of said war. Hazel didn't want Nigel to know about those as that would only worsen the situation. She felt it best if he and the others did not know at all. As per Hazel's instruction, she asked her friends to allow her to do most of the explaining unless Nigel specifically asked for their involvement.

Sure enough, Nigel asked each individual to mention events that happened in their own perspectives as well as their experiences with working with each other. While they were all being honest, they all shared the same sentiment when they left out Ellis' mistake. The words they exchanged with each other were about their quirks, but they all got around to mentioning the positives of each person and how they grew in the end.

So far, Nigel was showing a mix of emotions, from disappointment, to ashamed that the Park just lost a great number of Residents, concern that nobody on either side checked the Time Poles thoroughly. That made the Crew rather uneasy. It didn't look like this meeting was going well despite their efforts.

"So Temporary Park was caught up in a war on all fronts, from the climate to the natives," Nigel said, interlocking his fingers and allowing his chin to rest on them.

Hazel nodded. "That's right."

"I was wondering why we were down several Residents when you all came through. Aladar and Neera's herd seemed significantly smaller than before."

Suzanne wiped a few tears from her eyes, no doubt she cried a bit at the mention of the bad news. "This is...quite a tragedy. I will say this, I'm glad you all decided to hold a funeral in the end."

"Well, let's not forget the other thing we need to touch base on," the park leader said, quickly returning on the main issue at hand. Taking a pen on his desk, he pointed it at them all, "Your performance. Judging from what we're hearing, you all have some work to do on yourselves."

"Daisy, your confidence was lacking. Lack of confidence in your abilities and everyone around you will know it. That will cause a damper on your overall performance. However, you did well with keeping up with your veterinary expectations so that is a plus," he told the young vet. While she did sit quietly and said nothing, her expression showed clear shame.

Ellis was just the same, but when Nigel spoke, he showed clear discomfort. It looked like his heart had been stabbed by several needles from those words. "Ellis, you need to take things more seriously. Nothing is ever easy and you can't just get on with life as if thinking everything will just fix itself. And drawing attention to yourself will only cause more harm than good. You did well with making sure all the equipment was running smoothly, so I will give you that."

Chris remained stoic throughout his criticism despite his being very critical. So far, he showed a very professional approach. "Chris, I understand you were trying to get a hold of the situation. While I do commend you for taking the leadership reins when that snowstorm hit, you need to be more mindful of your teammates. Rather than just approach them aggressively and hitting all their buttons, why not just pull them aside, talk to them about how you're feeling, open up a bit, and then come up with suggestions on how you all can resolve that. That fight that I was informed of was completely unnecessary and could have been avoided if you just took that approach."

"Sorry sir," he replied politely in a submissive manner, "I...wasn't thinking straight then. You're right. I should have been more mindful."

Nigel showed no indication he accepted it, but they all knew he took it in. When he fell on Hazel, her's was by far the most judgemental. Hazel sat through it all, taking it in as best as she could. While he was part of her family, this was still a business matter. She needed to be on her most professional behavior. However, every word he spoke was a trip down memory lane for her on how bad her flaws were.

"And Hazel...I put a lot of expectations on you. I expected you to lead the park with us absent. I get it, you were under a lot of stress, especially with the situations you were all in. From what I was told, you were doing rather well in the beginning but as soon as the cold temperatures hit, that was when everything went downhill. You lost control. You put so many expectations on everyone when you should have seen they were doing their best. I understand the events that transpired were difficult but you can't always rely on your emotions and your gut to solve everything. And...I hate to say this, but you do tend to have a knack for stepping out of line when you're being questioned. Nothing in the world is perfect and you can't expect everything to go your way."

Hazel winced. There it was again. The criticisms she got from the past and in her nightmare. It was like she was in a broken record. To her, she felt like her nightmare foretold her of this meeting. Nigel was not yelling at her and putting her down. All he was doing was saying what he really thought.

The woman did not want to act like she did in the dream. This was the real world. And her trials taught her how to face this.

"I know Nigel. You're not the first to say that. I understand those are flaws that need to be addressed and I'm doing my best to work on them."

"Alright," Nigel nodded, accepting that answer. "As for the battles that happened...I suppose if I were there, I would have no choice but to defend myself. You've all tried to make peace with those predators?"

"Yes Nigel," Hazel piped again. "We tried to offer them assistance to avoid conflict. But unfortunately...their leader wasn't inclined to that sort of thing. Survival of the Fittest mindset."

Bob chose this chance to add into the pressing discussion. Like the other senior members, he was eager on how this event played out. "And you all didn't think about escaping when you had the chance?"

Hazel was about to answer when Chris chose to intervene. She was taken aback that he spoke up when she asked them to stay quiet, however, his answer did not cause any harm in the discussion.

"If we did, they'd chase us regardless. And we had no idea exactly when the Time Poles would reactivate. Had we gone that route, many more of us would have died."

Marcus sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers. His annoyance and irritation were clear on his features. "Well...this was a big fat epic fail."

"Marcus," his superior gave him a schooling glare, which caused him to settle down despite his silent protest, "I'm not quite done yet."

Nigel breathed a sigh and asked his final question. "Hazel, I have one more question for you. What caused the misplacement in the time period? You said you ran diagnostics on the Time Poles. Is there something you're not telling us?"

It was at that moment Hazel took a quick glance at Ellis. He was silently distressed as he was twiddling his thumbs and doing his best to not make eye contact with anybody. In fact, he was staring at the floor as a result. When she looked over at Chris and Daisy, they were more or less doing the same thing. The keeper in training let out a deep breath and looked away from Nigel while Daisy just looked down and clenched her hands.

Figures Nigel would ask about this. There really was no way around it. What happened with the Time Poles was an accident, whether it was his or not. Ellis was a lazy employee, but he was hard-working too. This was his first time being thrown into something as big as Temporary Park. And he more than made up for it near the end of the period. Yes he has his flaws, but he was still an invaluable asset. To the group, he was also a trusted friend.

Taking in a deep breath, Hazel gave her answer.

"It was a malfunction," she said, making her group stare at her as if she grew another head. Ellis merely went bug-eyed as she went about her explanation. "There was something in the hardware we overlooked. A glitch of sorts. Something caused the coordinates to be transposed even after they were put in. Multiple diagnostics were run and we still could not place the root cause."

It was the best she could come up with on the spot. It seemed plausible enough and there were a lot of grey areas with the Time Pole error. It was true they ran diagnostics and while it did show the numbers, it did not show how the numbers were prior to that or if there were any hidden glitches the programs didn't pick up.

This improv situation reminded her of an old gaming laptop she used to own. It was a pretty good gaming laptop, but it had its glitches. First, the keyboard would become unresponsive every now and then where she would need to plug in a USB keyboard just to get it to work. Only then could she properly reboot the computer. Second, there were times when the login screen would never appear and just look black. Hazel did her best to get the device fixed, but every repair shop she went to couldn't replicate the problem and fix it. She deduced it was a product issue and just kept updating everything in hopes the problems would not appear as much.

For the Time Poles, it was more or less the same thing. After their time in Temporary Park, it was a good theory. She did have enough time to think of an answer. Maybe Ellis did type in the correct coordinates and there was a glitch the programs didn't catch. Or maybe it was purely human error. Whatever the case, it was already done.

During the start of the period, Hazel had a mind to tell Nigel everything. She was upset at the time and was quick to report the full extent of the problem to him. Due to other complications and her not being as attentive to her reporting, she never mentioned Ellis' involvement with the Time Poles. Now, she was glad she didn't. She was a different person and she got to know the younger sibling of Marcus. As his teammate and leader of their group, she wanted to protect him.

"And how do you think this came about if everything is as you said it was?" asked Nigel.

"I think it has something to do with the temporal distortion. The Time Poles were unsynchronized. We weren't sure what would happen in a scenario like that. I'm sorry to say this, but we probably should have run more tests and analyses on possible outcomes rather than going on a whim. Neither of us knew it would happen. So regardless, we had to make do with the time period we were in. I suppose we were all lucky to have gotten back here on time. The preset coordinates must not have been affected."

It was at that moment that Marcus decided to butt in. His resolve to support the younger recruits, especially his younger brother, and the frustration that the problem occurred were clear on his features. He was very upset about this as he was the one that asked Ellis to plug in the coordinates and was also in charge of making sure every single piece of equipment ran smoothly. In a way, he was involved.

"Nigel, everything that happened there isn't their fault," he started in a clear, unrelenting voice. "The kid may have a point, we should have done more tests instead of assuming things would go off without a hitch."

"Marcus, we were in a rush," Bob intervened, trying to defend the reputation of the employees involved. In a way, he was trying to get the blame off of their shoulders. "We were trying to get the Residents out in time for the deadline."

The head engineer slammed his fist on the railing, startling the keeper and those present. His eye twitched at the blunt answer. "Then we should have planned things better. If anything, we're to blame for what happened in Temporary Park by sending them without considering the consequences."

"Marcus, please," Nigel raised a hand and gave him a schooling gaze. The man calmed down, but showed frustration still. "We're not done yet."

The park leader returned his attention to Hazel. "Now, before we move forward, do you have any words you'd like to say?"

The woman nodded. After the war, near the end of their stay in the Late Cretaceous, Hazel had been preparing her answer. Standing up and facing him, her hands folded in front of her, she looked as resolute and calm as possible. To her, she felt like she was in a courtroom playing the role of a defense attorney, with her team (and herself) as the defendants.

"We all have our flaws," she began clearly. "And when this task was placed on us, we felt ready for it. We wanted to prove to you all we can take up the reins as leaders of the park. We thought it was going to be easy. It wasn't. A lot of things came our way and we had to make hard decisions to ensure the safety and integrity of the park. We were doing our best to survive. We lost a lot of friends, especially in the invasions. But that's only because they chose to go out there and fight for us, so we could live to see another day. I tried to stop them, and I wasn't the only one too. But no matter what we did, they all said the same thing before they died; it was their choice. We couldn't stop them."

"So yes, what happened was a tragedy. But we made do with the situation. Also, during those hardships, we came to terms with our own flaws. When we arrived, this whole team did not get along very well. We had our own opinions that caused problems for the other person. But our time there changed that. Not only did we work together to get the park back here, but in my opinion, we became something else entirely. Something even bigger than just a team."

Taking a quick glance at her team, she saw them give nods and gestures of approval. Returning her attention to Nigel, she went with her conclusion.

"Yes, we did make mistakes. None of us are perfect. But we learned from them. We'll take the lessons we learned in this trial by fire and use them to move forward as stepping stones to prove ourselves to you. Even if we did fail this, we'll keep pushing. We want to show you we can take over the park. We'll show you we're more than capable of taking your place. Just please, give us another chance."

Concluding her defense, Hazel took a deep breath and sat back down. All that talking had dried her throat so she reached for the prepared water bottle that was by her seat. Twisting it, she removed the cap and downed the liquid, her throat revitalized by the water. After a few sips, she closed it and returned her attention to her superior.

Of all the meetings she had with Nigel, this was by far the most tense she's ever been in. The meetings they usually had were professional yet they were all informal, but she's never been this formal before. Nigel is a family friend and a great friend so there was almost no need to be so formal on this level. Well there were a few times when she did get a bit emotional, but this was different. She felt like she was talking to a regular manager on her job. Nonetheless, she needed to exhibit such behavior. She was defending her friends after all.

Nigel nodded, his reaction did not give away any sense of approval or disapproval. The man put his pen down and replied simply. "Thank you Hazel. Now if it's alright with you, the senior members and myself would like to have a private discussion in regards to your performance. Please head over to the park hub and wait there. We'll let you know when we're ready."

The woman nodded and was the first to leave the vicinity, the rest of her team following her. The last to leave was Ellis, who took one last glance at the office. When they were far enough away on one of the bridges, he could see the senior members gathering for that private discussion. When they got onto the next bridge, the discussion turned into a heated debate, raising their voices and all. They could only guess on what they were really saying about them.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

About an hour passed since they left the office and sat on the benches outside the forest leading to the office. More specifically, the benches were near the ramp that led to the wooden bridges leading there. This part of the park was almost empty due to most of the employees and the unpacking occurring in another area of the park. While there were a few employees that would pass by a few yards away, it was relatively quiet.

While they were not in the presence of their bosses, the Crew were still feeling anxious. Hazel gave a good defense for them and while it was outstanding, she hoped it was enough. All of them waited patiently yet at the same time showed signs of their apprehension.

Daisy and Ellis both sat on one bench together. The vet was leaning forward with a hand supporting her chin. Ellis was leaning back on the bench and looking away from her. Chris was on the bench to their left and sat with his legs crossed, looking in the other direction. As for Hazel, she was pacing in front of them in a line that was four yards long. Her footprints already created a new track as she went back and forth.

"Why'd you do that?" Ellis asked, making Hazel stop in her tracks to look at him. The expression he gave was one of curiosity and minor vexation.

"What?" questioned Hazel.

"Why didn't you tell the truth? You know I was in charge of putting in the coordinates. You know I messed up. I deserve punishment for that."

"Ellis, we all made mistakes," she explained. "And maybe you did put in the wrong coordinates, maybe you didn't. We'll never know at this point. It could be that the Time Poles we had were defective. There isn't a lot of concrete evidence to support that. We can only go off of someone's word."

The engineer huffed. "You're saying it's a glitch when we all know it's not."

The Asian shook her head. "That's irrelevant right now. What's done is done. We had to deal with what we had at the time."

"We're still breathing," Chris added, turning his attention to them. "Everybody mostly made it back. It could've been worse."

Ellis sighed. He rubbed his index fingers on his temples. "I'm going to get fired for this."

Hazel stomped her foot, kicking up a mini dust cloud. "We don't know that. Look, whatever happens, happens. All we can do right now is wait and face whatever comes at us. I know Nigel. Even if he and the rest of us knew what really happened with the Time Poles, it was all an accident. There's also the possibility of human error."

The young keeper let out an exasperated sigh. "Seriously guys, we really should have done more tests and diagnostics on those Time Poles. Not to mention confirm if everything was done right. Instead, we just went on a whim and thought everything was sorted out."

Ellis groaned and rested his hands. His next response sparked shock and outrage among his peers. "Well, whatever the case, after this meeting, I think I'll start writing a letter of resignation."

Daisy sat straight, clearly perturbed by the notion. "What!? Ellis please! Why are you thinking that?"

"Guys," he raised his hands a little and let them fall on the bench, making a loud clunk noise, "I learned my lesson but it still happened. And even if I do try to change myself, there's a chance I'll revert back to my antics. You guys know me, I'm just some dude that tries to get by. Apparently that's not enough in this place."

"Don't say that," Hazel said in a near commanding voice. "We don't know for sure. Everybody has their quirks. Everybody makes mistakes. Just keep trying, show everyone you're doing your best to make yourself better. Even then, people will give you credit. Quirks can't be solved overnight, believe me, I know."

"Everybody has the potential to change," Chris added. "Didn't our little trip in Alaska teach you that?"

Ellis stared at him, stunned into silence. No matter what he did, he just could not argue against that. Resigned to that aspect, he turned his attention away from the keeper and forward once more, trying his best not to make eye contact with his friends. He was a little startled when he felt a gentle hand stroke his back. Even more surprising was when he found it came from Daisy, who gave him a look that was as calm as a still sea.

"Stay Ellis. They're not going to let you go. And if they're leaning towards that decision, we'll make sure they do not. You're our friend," she then gave him a timid smile as if she were a small animal cuddling up to its friend, "And...I've actually gotten to like you a little."

The engineer felt his cheeks turn hot, his heart also raced a few paces up from its normal range. This was a surprising turn of events indeed. While he had a few girls crush on him in the past, they were more like puppy loves that he paid no mind to. But this...well, she was rather attractive and there were qualities of her that he liked. Did she really mean that? He never thought Daisy thought of him that way.

While he was processing the new development, both Chris and Hazel were mindful of the situation and chose to divert themselves from it out of respect. This was their business and they needed to be left alone. Still, they did see this as rather cute. While it was a little early to tell if there would be something blossoming, the possibility of this flying was pretty high. The reserved and normally quiet Daisy and the outgoing, lazy and slightly extroverted Ellis seemed like a good combination. Only time would tell if there will be something coming from it.

"Thanks guys," he told them, his confidence returned to its appropriate level. "I guess all we can do now is wait. Wait and see what the future holds for us."

Just then, a few rings sounded off from their persons. Reaching into their pockets, they retrieved their cell phones. One look at their screens and they all felt a sense of anxiety return. The words etched in the text box gave off a foreboding sense.

"The meeting has been adjourned. Please return to my office."

The Crew steeled themselves for the meeting as they returned to Nigel's Office. The results of the meeting hung heavy in their minds as they made their way through the wooden crosswalks. Their future in the park now hung in the balance.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Just like before, everyone took their same places in the office. However, there was something different about it than earlier. For one thing, everyone showed a mix of emotions; Suzanne and Bob were calm and collected, Nigel looked indifferent and therefore hard to read, and Marcus was a little uncomfortable. In fact, they noticed him rub his throat with a hand for a moment. They could only guess he was in a sort of yelling contest earlier. Second, Marcus' right leg was bouncing while he sat on the railing, another sign that he was being impatient.

Wanting to get straight to the meeting, Nigel folded his hands and opened his mouth to speak. The Crew prepared themselves for his judgement.

"We thought hard about your results. There was much debate on this. Like you, we are upset with losing some of our friends. They were irreplaceable and losing them like this is...well appalling. And we are appalled that we didn't consider taking extra precautions before the start of this venture. For that, this tragedy falls on our shoulders. We're sorry for putting you through that."

Hazel nodded, appreciating the gesture. The rest of her team either did the same or let out a quiet sigh in acceptance. The fact that Nigel, who was speaking for all of Prehistoric Park, was taking on the blame of what happened in Temporary Park was a heartfelt gesture. What happened back there should not have happened at all, therefore, it could have been easily avoided if they were a little more cautious during preparations. Hazel wanted to be angry at them, but she just couldn't. Like them, she had no idea at first that this sort of situation would happen until it was too late. She too had other things to worry about at the time.

"As for your performance, we debated on how you all did in our absence. You all did have flaws, flaws that did disappoint us greatly because they all led to in-fighting. The rash decisions you all made would normally result in more serious consequences," he leaned forward, his expression hardening a little as he said the next two words, "even termination."

Hazel felt her heart drop. This was it. He said it. They did fail. After everything she said, it wasn't enough to save her friends from this. They were getting fired. She was getting fired. While the thought of her getting kicked out of the park was almost negligible due to her familial relationships, her chances of taking Nigel's place had seemingly gone down the drain. And...so were her chances of staying on the staff roster.

The woman hung her head low. Nigel had given his judgement. Glancing at her friends, she saw them express looks of disappointment and shame. She only knew them for a short time. Now, they were about to be let go. Hazel really did mess up. It was her fault they were being dismissed.

But that didn't mean she couldn't do something about it. She could still say something to convince Nigel to turn from that path. Regardless of whether she still had authority or not, she wanted to defend them.

She was about to say something to dissuade Nigel from this decision when he spoke again.

"But…" he said, causing the Crew to hold their breath.

"Your actions were also heroic and noble," the park leader explained. The fears of them being dismissed were now fading, now being replaced with hope. "You all had to make some hard decisions to save the park. You all put your lives on the line to give everyone another chance. In addition, you all did show signs of leadership in your own way. All of you grew from this experience. You faced whatever challenges were thrown at you and proved yourselves fighters, both physically and mentally. What happened in Temporary Park was regrettable, but you and everyone there grew closer because of it."

"So...you're not going to fire us?" Ellis inquired as he hoped for the best answer.

Nigel chuckled and continued his explanation. "Fire? No. Far from it. While you all did have your failures, you rose to overcome them. Now those flaws are something that won't go away overnight, but you all showed the potential of being the people we believe you will become."

The man leaned back on his chair to get into a more comfortable position. What he said next brought about a sense of deja vu...sort of. "It's safe to say we must learn from this mistake. That's why we have thought of an idea where the staff will be trained to be better in tune with the dangers of prehistory as well as learn how to properly prepare for such events. New recruits looking to join in on rescue missions need to be trained to overcome obstacles, and with all of you witnessing the dangers firsthand, we'd like you all to be in charge of teaching them."

Chris gawked and raised a brow at the notion. "Wait, are you serious? We're going to be teachers?"

The park leader nodded. "You all learned the values of leadership in this time period. You all know what sorts of dangers are in prehistory. Why not prove it to us firsthand?"

The young man let out a quick breath and relaxed. His reaction seemed to be an accepting one. "I guess that's not a bad idea. Nero will definitely be into helping out with the physical training, if you guys are willing to let him in on this. Maybe even Sarge too."

Ellis smirked and let out a quick laugh. "Pfft, knowing that guy, he will."

"So what are the details of this 'program' you're saying?" Daisy questioned.

"That Daisy," Suzanne broke her reserved guise and took on a more relaxed approach, "is also why we called you here. We'd like for you to help in creating that program."

"Wait hold on," Ellis sounded off, now rather confused in the situation. "So did we pass this test or did we fail?"

Nigel took a moment to think on this as he scrunched his lips in a rather thoughtful gesture. "Well if you're asking...on a scale of 1-10, 1 being a total failure and 10 being a huge success, we'd put you at most a 6.9."

The young man blinked. He blinked again. And he blinked once more. As he did, he remembered to exhale as he had held his breath during Nigel's response. "Oh. That's not a total fail. That's like a B-."

Amused, Nigel nodded. "In a way, yes. And as a result, you will be getting a bit of a raise in your salary along with the other staff members that came with you. Provided they decide to stay after what happened."

Hazel let out a sigh of relief. Her teammates cheered at the accomplishment they achieved. She joined in as well as she high-fived each of them, all while their mentors looked on at the scene. They were stopped short when Nigel chose to speak up once more.

"But, we still want to see more of this leadership you exemplified. We did choose you all to take over in the future. Consider this a second chance to prove it. And we hope you don't squander it in the process."

"Don't worry everyone," she told them all, her confidence now at its peak again. Her heart beamed with pride as if a miniature sun shined on her. "We won't fail you. We're a team now, and we're going to make sure we show you what we can do, together."

"And we look forward to it," her mentor made a hopeful smile.

Bob clapped his hands once, his stoic facade now broken to show his more open yet resolved manner again. Anyone that worked with him for a long time knew that meant he was ready to get down to business. "Well, now that that's settled, about this new program…"

"I have some ideas that may be good for it," Daisy offered.

"I do too," Ellis seconded.

"Me as well," went Chris.

Hazel let out a giggle. "We're going to need a pencil and paper to get all this down."

As if on cue, Marcus, who was now in a better mindset due to the tension being lifted, reached into his bag right next to him and brought out his iPad. The Apple device was covered in a black military grade case and a very protective screen, perfect for rugged and extreme terrain while on the move.

"I got something better," he said while turning the device on.

As everyone began to exchange ideas on the program, Hazel was hit with a revelation. During the two meetings, neither of the senior members had thought to ask them on another important matter. Preparing her question, she voiced it out, causing everyone to quiet down. The tension that was there before had made a grim return.

"Hey wait, what about our video journals?" she asked the senior members, her attention specifically on Nigel. "Nigel, you never asked about them."

"Oh those?" the man waved dismissively. "They weren't for us to view. They're for your benefit."

The Crew eyed each other curiously. While they were relieved they did not need to show that part of their stay (seeing as the videos may have had some private thoughts they expressed), they wondered why they were asked to make them in the first place. In fact, they all worried that someone was going to view them and make their own criticisms, specifically their managers. They assumed it was their homework assignment.

Actually, now that they thought about it, if they did view their videos, it was a little invasive, but they assumed it was a way for them to decide on their performance.

"We asked you all to keep a video journal as a way to look back on that period, and as a way to help you stay organized," Suzanne quickly clarified. Her answer brought about a clear revelation to their features.

"Whenever you feel troubled and you come across a situation like what happened in Temporary Park, take a look back at those videos," Nigel supported his colleague's explanation. "They may help you with remembering a few things. That said, you don't need to tell us what was in there. Your matters are your own."

The younger recruits happily accepted that answer. The idea did make sense as they processed it a little more; there will come a time or a few times where they may revert back to their old antics or come across a similar situation to what they experienced in Temporary Park. When those times come, they would have those videos to view. Those videos were only meant to be viewed by them and them alone, unless they choose to reveal that part of their lives but that idea was negligible at the moment.

The rest of the afternoon was spent exchanging ideas on this new program. All of them came up with good details on it, which led up to the decision to have the first draft ready by the end of next week. As they did, they asked about the fate of Temporary Park now that the preparations here were complete. Nigel explained that its fate was still unknown, but at the moment, it will most likely fall to the ravages of time. The end of the Mesozoic Era will clean it off the landscape, leaving no trace. Temporary Park had served its purpose, and that was to house its Residents for a short period of time until they could return home. There is a small chance it could be used again as a safe house of sorts during dangerous situations, but that was irrelevant at the moment. Still, they all considered that idea and kept it on hold. For now, Temporary Park was stored away. If they ever decide to return, it will be at the exact moment (or a little afterwards) they left it.

Regardless, whatever happens in the future, Temporary Park will still be there. Its mission is now complete unless its masters decide to use it again. For now, it's being left to its fate.

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Old Gotama's Grove…two days later

Hazel worked tediously on her laptop, the project before her becoming ever more flushed out with every detail she added in. While some aspects of her job in the park were fun (others were mundane), she was rather enjoying this new task. It was also made more enjoyable now that her friends/her team were there to assist in creating their little "brainchild".

After their meeting with the senior members, life for them in the park took on a new normalcy. With new amenities added to the park as well as expanded enclosures, the park definitely looked like a small village. Among them were more living quarters, an expanded infirmary, two recreation centers, and even the employee's own "grocery store" to boot (it was incorporated into the food storage so anybody that wants to buy their own food and cook it in their living quarters was free to do so provided they pay for said items). There was also an extra cafe that was added (that serves an ever changing menu every week) to uphold with the new influx of employees.

However, two big changes were also added in the outskirts of the park. The first being an open-air safari cabin located directly in the center of the newly renovated Prehistoric Park. This was gifted to the young adults of Hazel's Crew as a home, each getting their own rooms that fit their preferences AND was a sort of overwatch center for the newly created "Socialization Fields"; a place where Residents, both carnivore and herbivore, can enjoy the wide open lands without the restrictions of fences and the second major addition in the park. Nigel had fulfilled his promise of giving the Residents ample space to move around in as well as expanding the borders of the park, complete with more vegetation and a river that led beyond the borders as well as easy access to the beach a bit of a ways out. The Cabin was made so that Hazel and her friends can keep an eye on the Residents, not that they needed it. In addition to getting the luxurious cabin, the Crew were already working on moving their belongings to their new home.

As for the Veran family, the events of Temporary Park had brought them even closer than before. Currently, both Hanna and Beth were preparing themselves for life in the park. The youngest Veran sibling was doing some studying of park life as well as prehistory so she could be ready for her first day as the park's newest intern. As for the Veran girls' mother, she was preparing to make her way back to the US to get some business squared away (both with the house and Hanna's school as she will be doing homeschool starting the fall semester). She will also be working to get their belongings moved to the secret sanctuary, with help from the park of course. Beth was due to begin her job as the park's newest Communications Manager in one month's time.

With the debacle of Temporary Park now over, there has been talk among the staff on their future in the park. While there were many staff members that chose to continue their stay in the park, there were a number that had different ideas. Some of the ones that witnessed the messes in the Late Cretaceous decided to go on an administrative leave as a way to recover, their choice of staying with the park or leaving all together were up in the air for them. Then there were others that chose to quit altogether. Nigel did his best to make the ones quitting stay, even increasing their pay. Unfortunately, he couldn't do much as they all left anyway. He left them with pay compensation as an apology and as a way to make them promise not to spill the beans about the park. For now, it didn't seem to be a problem. If they did talk about the park, who would believe them? And nobody there showed any hostility towards the place, for now.

The Park renovations may be complete, but the additions still continued. Right now, Hazel and her friends, along with most of their friend circle, were enjoying some private time up in Old Gotama's Grove. The ever-watchful sentinel of Old Gotama remained vigil on the wall overlooking the valley withstood the test of time. They currently worked on finalizing the new program, which at the moment was dubbed the Prehistoric Park Rescue Auditions, its sole purpose was on training new recruits on how to better survive in prehistory as well as train them on preparations leading to such expeditions. Nearby, their friends relaxed and grazed under the sun without a care in the world, happy that they were all together. Talin, Alden, Charon, Tirech, and their new friend Scar were all down in the Valley playing. Martha took the initiative to watch over them, Aladar and Neera's daughters, and little Mikiya, who was forbidden from ever leaving the park for a year and must help the keepers with some of their chores. As for Baylene, because the grove could not accommodate her size, she stayed at the foot of the mountain to graze on the tree leaves.

However, the Crew had decided to put in another addition into the auditions, something the senior members were very interested in and the whole park would love.

"I like this idea, giving new recruits the chance of being paired with a partner," Hazel said as she worked with adding the new details in.

Chris shrugged and gave her a mindful look. "Well that's if they can prove themselves. They'll need to pass a few tests first."

"Right. And the partnership needs to go both ways; they can't force that on the individual," Hazel mused. She couldn't help but smirk at the mention of that detail. She and Flia were not forced together. They found each other by chance and since then, they share a very strong bond. It was safe to say that she and Hazel were already a package deal; if they were assigned to do something, they would go together. Aladar was in a similar boat with Hazel, but he would only go if he was able to. The same went with Neera; while she had never gone on an expedition herself, she was in the same situation as her mate. Suffice to say, if the Crew was to go on a mission (individually or as a whole group), chances are their partners would come along for the ride.

And now, they were giving the whole park a chance to go through something similar.

In addition to the terms, they were also creating a list of individuals that would be considered not viable choices for the program, due to either being already paired with someone (as was the case for Aladar and Flia and the individuals that were chosen for the Crew), they were not very interested unless they were inclined to do so (the rest of their friend circle), they were deemed too unpredictable and need more observation (Diablo, Rascal, and the modern day crocodilians), or if that Resident were pregnant. The terms are still in development, and already there were two details that were being added.

"If you're still working on that exception list," Daisy sounded off, her eyes tearing away from one of Ellis' sketches of the Temporary Park memorial, "make sure to put in the younglings too, and anyone with a medical condition. Unless they get special permission."

"That too," replied the young park leader as she typed that detail in.

"Put Nigel's pets in on there too," Ellis supported, "I doubt he'd want any of his lizards and birds to go through it."

Chris rolled his eyes. "I think that's already a given."

"Well I'll put it in anyway," the woman said, putting in the obvious rule.

As she was putting in the extra detail, the engineer had just finished doing some scribbling on an elongated sheet of paper. Laid out in front of and around the Crew were several discarded sketches and notes on the memorial for Temporary Park. The Crew had been exchanging ideas on what to do about the memorial and had decided to create a monument that encompassed all of those who were involved in the war. The location of the moment was already decided; one area of the cliffs that overlooked the Socialization fields.

Outside the park were raised, flat pieces of land that overlooked the valley. They were not jagged or pointed, but rather sliced off earthy inclines that looked as if there was a break in the land that was caused by a massive earthquake. The tops of those landings were green with only the edges that remained rocky. They were rather large as the tops spanned for at least a mile before sloping down. The only ways up those inclines would be the built-in pathways the park created on the cliff faces, going around the outer edge of the park and up the other side, or by flight. They were secluded areas, away from the noise and bustle of Prehistoric Park. They were perfect areas for someone to have some private time or to serve as locations for memorials.

Temporary Park's memorial will be placed on one of those areas as soon as it is done. As soon as Ellis placed his pencil down, he retrieved the sketch and showed it to his friends. He directed them to view the right side of the page, which showed a circular symbol that had several foot or hand prints, each one depicting a different species of Resident that participated in the war. The tiny prints he labeled on what they are.

"Alright how does this look?" Ellis asked, "I figured it would be a good way to show our unity during the thing so I wanted to include everything as much as possible."

"I think it looks pretty good," Aladar said with appreciation.

"Same here. Thanks for including us," sounded Zini, who unceremoniously broke away from Aya who was grooming him. Said female was a little peeved that she was not finished fixing him up.

Next to him, Yar gave him a glare and then a scowl. "Zini, I can't believe you managed to join in on that when I told you not to!"

"What? It was our fight too," he defended and partially whined like a teenager. "Plus, I wasn't the only one who joined in."

"Well if you must know, I tried to stop him," the white female lemur punched him on the arm, making him wince. Despite being delicate and sweet most of the time, Aya apparently had enough toughness in her to discipline her mate. "He gave me quite a scare!"

"Aw don't worry babe, I'm still here," he reassured, entwining his tail with hers. The thoughtful gesture made the female lemur drop her guard, simmering her anger.

While everyone either eyed the cute couple or at the sketches, it was Plio that remained undecided about the symbol. She frowned as she pointed out a detail that brought everyone's attention back at the paper.

"Hm...I feel like it's missing something."

"Same here," Flia agreed with a nod. "It needs something next to it. I'm just not sure what."

Before anybody could suggest an idea, they were interrupted by a grumpy Kerato making a complaint.

"Hey feathers, can you at least take your rolling elsewhere? All the dirt you're kicking up is getting into my eyes!"

All eyes fell on the back of the grove, where Kerato was dozing off. His nap was rudely interrupted by Espantos who was rolling around in a patch of moist dirt. While it was mostly dry, there were small areas that had bits of water on it. The rolling he was doing not only was coating his feathers in a new shade of brown, but it was also getting on the Elasmotherium's face. As a result of the dirt cloud he was kicking up, the splashes were getting on his muzzle, making him sneeze a lot.

"Take your rolling elsewhere!"

"Aw come on Mr. Furry Britches!" the Terror Bird giggled. "You should join in! It's fun!"

Said Megafauna rolled his eyes. "Nah, I think I'll pass."

Kerato wasn't the only one who was being affected by the mess. Poor Eema and Url were eating some ferns when the dirt was getting kicked in their faces. She too was sneezing quite a bit due to the ruckus, as was the poor Ankylosaur.

"Eugh...I agree with Kerato there. Achoo!" she sneezed then sniffled before sneezing again. "Achoo! Stop doing that!"

"Ableuw!" Url sneezed, which was also partially a raspberry.

Espantos groaned, crestfallen that his fun was spoiled. Rolling his eyes, he straightened himself and stood up. "Augh fine…Just let me wipe my face. Ooh a tissue!"

As if fate were there to take a jab at them, the Terror Bird made his way over to where the Crew was. More predominantly, he was after the papers that were scattered about. The humans there tried to stop him, especially both Chris and Hazel who were trying to block the Miocene avian from getting at the sketches. Despite their outbursts and warnings, Espantos just pushed passed them and made his way to one sketch...the one Ellis had just created the final logo for the memorial.

The Phorusrhacos reared his head back and slammed his face on the paper, scattering bits of mud and dirt onto the sheet as well as some bits on the humans' clothes.

"Oh come on!" Ellis whined, his hard work now gone to waste. The logo had dirt splatters on it and the left side of it was made illegible to read.

"Espantos!" Chris growled, absolutely peeved. "You ruined it!"

"Yuck!" Daisy cringed from the dirt that was now on her pink skirt. "I got dirt on me! This was my favorite skirt!"

"Dude! Seriously!?" the now angry engineer fumed at the Terror Bird, who was taken aback by the sudden mood his friend was giving off. "Just great, all our ideas just went to waste. No bacon for you tonight!"

Espantos gasped and cried, his feet stomping rapidly like he was some whining child. "Aw...but I like bacon! Please just a little piece?"

"No," he deadpanned.

"Just a pebble size?"

"No!"

The banter continued, making the whole group laugh. The whole scene looked like something out of a cartoon thanks to both human and Terror Bird's zaniness. If anyone else saw it, they would either think it odd or they were just playing it up for everyone's entertainment. As the argument went on, they forgot all about the mess that was made on the sketch for the memorial.

That was until Hazel brought her attention back to it. Her dark brown eyes picked up on a particular shape through the mud splotch. She looked at it from a different angle, trying to pick up on the mysterious figure. When she finally found it, she picked up Ellis' pencil that he dropped earlier and began to draw.

"Hey, wait a minute, I think our friend here just gave us an idea," she called out to them.

The whole group stopped what they were doing and went over to check up on the human, minus Kerato as he stayed where he was. Due to his species and his modern day counterparts, rhinos tended to have poor eyesight. When they all gathered, they saw her finishing an outline of the earthy Rorschach drawing as well as encompassing both it and the logo Ellis created in one elongated circle. Espantos' dirt mark more or less looked like a pine tree, with his feathers creating the pointy leaf outlines.

"How about the footprints with the tree next to it? Oddly enough, Espantos' mark looks like a pine tree in a way."

"Hey, yeah it does!" Aladar agreed, seeing what his friend was getting at.

Neera laughed at her ingenuity and the turn of events. "Great idea Hazel!"

"Well, we'll need to make it a little smaller but it is a good idea," Chris chimed in.

"Huh...I guess that does work," Ellis shrugged and gave a gentle stroke on Espantos' head. "Okay buddy, you can have bacon tonight."

"Yay!" the giant bird nuzzled up to the human, who gave him a hug in return.

"Alright what do you think guys? Everyone in agreement with this idea?"

Hazel's answer came in the form of cheers and bursts of agreement. For the next few minutes, they discussed how the memorial would be in addition to the design. The final verdict resulted in a plaque on a podium showing a description regarding the war of Temporary Park and that it was there in honor of the fallen. The logo would actually be a statue, with the tree standing alone and the prints propped up on a separate stand. While neither of the Residents could read, well maybe not Espantos as that bird is still an anomaly, they still wanted it to be large enough so the visitors didn't have to squint at the designs.

Their meeting had ended not with shows of agreement, but with a cough. More specifically, a cough coming from Url. All heads turned on the Ankylosaur who turned out to be in a coughing fit. Everyone started to worry that he may have choked on something or caught a cold.

"Url, you alright there?" Eema checked on him but stayed a good distance away so she wasn't in his firing range. "Go and get some water."

Url made no response except for a weird airy sound coming from his throat. It sounded like he was about to hurl.

"Ha….ha…"

"Uh...Url?" Hazel asked rather squeamishly. "You okay there, buddy?"

Daisy whimpered and proceeded to get up. "Oh dear, he must be choking!"

Before she could make her way there to work on fixing him, Eema told her to stand down. The elderly Styracosaur investigated the spiky herbivore on all sides before getting to his face. In a surprising manner, Url panted for a few moments with a smile before returning to his "gagging". Eema smirked and turned to the group, who now eyed her as if she went nuts.

Turning to the group, she let out a mischievous snicker. "Hehehe...relax ya'll. He's not chokin."

The vet present raised a brow. "If he's not choking, then what?"

"Ha...Ha...Haz…"

The moments passed one too slow than they should. Each utter the Ankylosaur made made them all rather impatient. Although, the closer they listened in, the more they found the sounds to be much more than indescribable chitters. It was at Url's final attempt, right when he let out a cough and a determined expression that they heard the fruits of his attempts.

"Hazel!" he honked in a squeaky yet congested tone that was nearly similar to that of Tirech.

The whole grove fell quiet. All of the humans gawked and stared at him as the armored dinosaur fell flat on his rump, the club tail slamming the grass with a thump. Except for Yar, who just fainted on the spot (with Plio checking up on him to see if he was okay), everyone else was close to either fainting or just plain shocked. Neither of them spoke a word as the herbivore panted like a dog as if nothing happened.

"What the!?" Chris broke the silence.

"Theé mou!" Daisy exclaimed in Greek.

"Holy-!?" Ellis tried to get his curse out but was interrupted and finished by Hazel.

"What the actual frick!?" Hazel exploded both in surprise and annoyance.

"Eema!? Did he just talk!?" Aladar asked, now broken out of his stupor.

The old ceratopsian wheezed, almost to the point where she was about to cry. "Hehe...oh that's right, you guys weren't around when it happened. During that big war before, Url here said his first word. Poor guy was pretty hungry and I sure was surprised when he said 'leaf' the first time."

The young park leader shook her head in astonishment. "Wait wait wait...he can talk!?" she gestured a hand to the innocent-looking Ankylosaur. "I thought he had some kind of birth defect or he always acted like that! No offense, by the way."

"None taken," said Eema. "Actually, it was Ilana that cleared things up with that. She told me her kind tend to live longer than any of us, lucky them," the last word she said under her breath in an envious manner. "I've been around a really long time and when I found Url, he was a little smaller than this."

Url warbled like a puppy and went over to his guardian to lick leg. While Eema didn't mind that, she continued on with her explanation. "Turns out, Url wasn't a grownup. He's still a youngling."

"WHAT!?" everyone yelped at the same time.

The titular center of Url's vocabulary stammered before giving off a weak smile. Her mind was still trying to process the news that the dinosaur she thought always acted like a dog was in fact still a baby. If he's still a youngling, was he just playing up until now? No, he couldn't be. Eema said this was his second word and she confirmed how Ankylosaurs are like. Their aging rate is much slower than most others.

The park did a bit of investigating on Url and concluded he was about 10-12 years of age. If he was still a youngling right now, one could only guess how old Ilana was, or how long Url could be down the line. Eema said Ilana's kind could live for a long time. The humans could only assume she was referring to Nodosaurs and Ankylosaurs. This revelation answered one question and created another. It would seem that no matter how long one stayed in Prehistoric Park, they would learn something new everyday that science had trouble answering.

"So uh...I'm his next word," she lightly chuckled before heading over to pet him on the head. The smaller dinosaur barked and warbled as he was put under the massaging spell from the human. "I'm honored."

"Well if Hazel is his next word," Daisy huffed and went over to her side, "I want him to learn mine too."

"Hey don't leave me out of this!" Ellis seconded, coming up to them.

And so the whole group spent the rest of the afternoon teaching the young dinosaur their language. The youngling still had trouble comprehending the lessons, but overall, he managed to get three words out. Funnily enough, he managed to say the names of the Crew. It was a start, but a good one. Like Url, all who lived there would be able to learn from each other in the freedom of the park, where all lived in peace. They will tell stories of their ancestors and of the trials they faced so they would remember those of the past and learn for their own.

The fear and sorrow of the past were now behind them. Now, they will face the future, with hand, claw, foot and in wing, together.

A.N. It's not over yet! There's still the epilogue left :)