CHAPTER 5: Birthday Surprises (And We Use the Term Loosely)
"Wow, it's pretty nice being back, isn't it?" Paul marveled as he, Ryan, Sarah, and David sped across the mountains on their hover-bikes. The jet-propelled motorcycles were gifts Allo and the other Dinosaucers gave to the Secret Scouts the very day they met the four as teenagers. Not only were they durable and easy to handle, but it gave the quartet a unique joy to fly and zoom across the air like birds. It has been over four long years since the group had managed to have a reunion together like this. Conflicting schedules, busy summers, and higher priorities in life made it very difficult for David, Paul, Sarah, and Ryan to keep up their duties as the Secret Scouts, but since the Tyrannos haven't been seen nor heard from for quite a while, Allo understood and accepted that it was time for the Secret Scouts to concentrate on their own lives rather than on the Dinosaucers' needs. Besides, the Secret Scouts have done more than their share of helping the Dinosaucers settle on Earth so many years ago, and as of currently, the dinosaur aliens could handle taking care of themselves. However, the reason the Secret Scouts were coming back was because of a recent e-mail Allo sent regarding the surprise party for Justin's sixteenth birthday. Justin would be ecstatic to see the few people who loved him like a true friend and a brother again; he was heartbroken when he had to say good-bye as they left for college. It had been so long since the Secret Scouts got a chance to catch up with the Dinosaucers and Justin that they wholeheartedly agreed to come as a surprise. Well, most of them...
"Look Vanessa," Ryan Whitterson demanded to his secretary on his cell-phone in a tired voice over the dim of the hover-cycle motor and the echo effect of his green helmet, "I need those shipment reports on my desk tomorrow so that I can keep track of the next arrival of the 'Johnson & Johnson' and 'Biogen' cargo for the next meeting with the board."
A pause as he listened to some muted gibberish from the speaker before Ryan answered back, sighing, "Look, just try, all right Vanessa? I'll make sure you get paid for the overtime, and I'd really appreciate it. Where am I? Oh...just going to see some old business acquaintances. OK, see you then. Thanks again, Vanessa."
Ryan stifled a groan as he ended the call. He was now a tall, striking man of twenty-four with medium build, clear-blue eyes and short-hair, dressed in a dark-blue dress shirt and black tie with brown khaki slacks, still fresh from his last conference three hours ago, and in the rush, Ryan didn't have time to change his apparel to something more comfortable. Sarah and the others needed to leave immediately if they wished to reach the Lavadome in time and unseen. The plan was to have Struthio and Montacera take Justin on a field trip on the other side of the desert as a distraction while the rest of the Dinosaucers could prepare the surprise party and allow the Secret Scouts to come in, undetected. Hence the rush; Sarah wanted everything to be perfect.
Sarah Whitterson looked at Ryan suspiciously underneath her pink helmet. It wasn't like her brother to be so bothered and pensive, and she knew something was distracting him. In fact, out of all four of them, Ryan was the only one who seemed reluctant to attend Justin's birthday, complaining that he was swamped with work and meetings from the shipping company where he was working at. Their father, a manager at one of the nation's largest shipping conglomerates, managed to get Ryan a comfortable job at a small company branch after Ryan finished his MBA. Sarah literally had to drag her brother away from his work, pleading that a visit would mean so much to Justin. She was dressed in a black turtleneck sweater and dark-blue pants which did little to hide her beautiful figure, slim, curved, and yet attractively fit and toned from years of gymnastics and kickboxing. Like her brother, Sarah had blue eyes and blond hair, but her eyes were more clear and cornflower-colored while her long hair darkened slightly over the years to a strawberry-blond due to maturity and age. She was now working as a secretary at a prestigious law firm in New York and doing quite well for herself. However, unlike her brother, Sarah never came back to visit her family back in central Montana. No matter how much David asked her why, Sarah always just evaded the question, replying that she was always busy or that it wasn't a good time.
"Ryan, your office can handle it if you left for only one weekend to catch up with old friends," she said, "You rarely got a chance to see Allo and the others ever since you left. C'mon, try not to worry about work! You know how much this would mean to Justin if you showed up!"
"Yeah, I know..." mumbled Ryan, and if Sarah had listened more closely, she would have detected a note of bitterness to the sentence.
"Yahoo!" cheered David as he executed a perfect barrel-roll with his black hover-bike, his caution to the winds as he let loose and wild.
"I see you needed to let off some steam for quite a while, huh?" Paul smiled to his friend as he flew alongside.
David smirked, not the slightest embarrassed, "Hey, don't tell me you aren't happy that we're finally coming back, the whole gang reunited again, and that our little Justin is now finally sixteen years old!!"
"I know what you mean. It seemed like only yesterday when Justin was only a little child, and how Allo, Bonehead, and Itchy all gave him piggy-back rides around the Lavadome and how he played in the desert with Montacera and how Dimetro and Teryx were teaching him how to read and write. Hmph, listen to me, wishing and reminiscing to be a teenager again like some old codger. This reminds me of when the Dinosaucers and you guys threw me a surprise party for my egg day when I was around Justin's age."
"Well, all I know is that Justin has changed ever since we left so he might surprise us the minute we see him at the birthday party!" David smiled with fond memory. David McLagan was a twenty-four year old adult with short hair as black as raven feathers with a few strands of gray that gave him a wise salt-and-pepper look with dark-brown eyes and a well-developed frame that gave him the image of decathlon athlete. It wasn't much of a surprise that David was probably the most athletic and sports-crazed out of all the Secret Scouts which was why he got his education is Sports Medicine and became a physical therapist for professional sports teams. However, age had not dampened David's slightly hedonistic and wild, carefree wildness that can only be found in a man's heart. David was never restrained and never had much self-control, but he was a good friend and companion nonetheless. And he was now Sarah's boyfriend. He moved to New York to get a permanent job as the leading therapist and athletic physician for the Mets and the Yankees at the Shea Stadium, and to his delight, David found Sarah close by. Over the last year, they grew close and became immersed in an intimate relationship. Ryan and Paul both were thoroughly happy since Sarah and David were their closest friends and cared for the both of them deeply. As long as they were happy, it was all good.
Paul Dreggar flew next to David steadily. Paul was an African American adult of twenty three years, the youngest of all the original Secret Scouts and only behind Sarah by a matter of two months of age. Out of all of the four, Paul had drastically changed the most for he no longer wore those thick, black glasses but contacts, giving him a much less bookworm appearance. Paul also grew out his hair into inch-long braided dreadlocks, jutted out wildly on his head like a regular Jamaican hairdo. A trimmed goatee was lightly growing on his face, matching his mature and gentle personality. Reserved, soft-spoken, yet incredibly intelligent, it was no wonder Paul became a geneticist at one of the leading biotechnology firms in the United States. He had already published two findings on the human genome linking cancer and a protein leading to apoptosis and he was already at work on another paper about the infamous X-gene. The adult was dressed in a casual green polo shirt with a long-sleeved white shirt underneath and blue jeans which fluttered madly as they zoomed across the deep mountain terrain.
"Think much has happened to Allo and the other Dinosaucers since we left?" David asked Paul out loud. It was certainly a thought they have all been pondering for the past four years, that feeling of worry that things have gone to shambles when you left things to work out on their own.
"I don't think so," Sarah replied thoughtfully, "Allo said that the Tyrannos haven't been sighted for a long time...ever since the...the..."
She didn't need to say it; David, Ryan, and Paul knew which event she was referring to, and even now, it was difficult to mention it, nine years later.
"What about Major Cliffton? Think he's gonna still be tailing after Allo, trying to prove that the Dinosaucers exist and expose them to the public?" David tried again, but Paul shook his head.
"I do not think that would be a problem, David. Ever since the new conflicts about the rampant mutations that have been appearing throughout the world, I think the last thing people are going to worry about are theories and controversial sightings about proposed life forms from outer space. After all, mutants have been a more realistic problem to the human society, so I doubt that even Cliffton would be so stubborn as to ignore that crisis over his agenda with Allo and the Dinosaucers."
Sarah gave a revolted hmph.
"Yeah, I know what you mean, Paul. I can scarcely believe it myself, that mutants are growing at an increasing rate but what I find even more disgusting is the way society is treating them. The Friends of Humanity, this Graydon Creed character declaring a religious and social war on all mutants, Reverend Stryker, Magneto, it makes me sick!! I mean, you should have seen how people were applauding and praising Christian hymns when two mutant children were found executed and hung on a playground! They were just children!! A mutant named Vance Astrovik was sentenced to jail for allegedly killing his father in self-defense when he father committed various acts of physical and perverted abuse on Astrovik as a child! If Astrovik was a human, he would have been acquitted without a second thought, but no! The only thing the jury could see was that he was a dangerous telekinetic!! And now, a lot of defendants in court are claiming they were 'brainwashed' by telepathic mutants to commit crimes and forced to do things against their will! Hell, so far, the New York district attorney had to endure the fact that two rapists, a guy who poisoned his wife, and even a previously convicted serial killer named Cletus Kasady got off scot-free using that load of bull!!!" (See Author's note)
"Why didn't they just simply ask a telepathic mutant to read their minds and see if they were lying?" Paul asked incredulously.
"Because no one on the district attorney's board was willing to use a mutant's judgment and ability to prove otherwise! Not only would it give the firm a bad image to associate with mutants, but the media backlash would be so negative that it wouldn't even be worth using a telepath in the first place!! My boss is already worried about letter bombs and hate mail from the Friends of Humanity and their supporters if they tried standing up for mutant civil rights and showing how they could be useful!"
"Sounds like you've been struggling with this for a while," David offered gently. He knew that Sarah was always one to stand up for the down-trodden, for "the little guy", for the disfranchised and the underprivileged.
Sarah gave her boyfriend a downcast look of personal sorrow.
If you only knew, she thought to herself. She exhaled loudly through her nose.
"It seems ironic, isn't it?" she said solemnly, "I mean, Allo and the others had to watch their own home die from war and earthquakes, and now, after coming here to start a fresh, clean slate, it seems their second home is about to suffer the same fate. Only difference is...it's a war between mutants and humans, not the Dinosaucers versus the Tyrannos. It's like they left one mess of a planet only to arrive into another."
"On the upside, it has taken away the heat from the Dinosaucers and it's kinda given them more of an incentive to be cautious and discreet. I mean, if people are this uptight about mutants, could you imagine what would happen if they found out life in outer space exists and that the Dinosaucers and Tyrannos have settled here on Earth?" David asked.
"I just pray to God that that would never happen," Paul declared, his heart growing cold at the suggestion.
"Times have changed," remarked Sarah sadly, "it's no longer the carefree world of adventure and fun that we used to have as kids. Now, it's a new age of war and strife over the planet. I'm just glad that Justin doesn't have to live in that world, that he doesn't have to witness it, and that he's safe and sheltered from all that now that he's with Allo and the Dinosaucers."
The three of them were so engrossed in the discussion that not one of them noticed that Ryan was strangely quiet.
---
"Ugh, that was some walk," panted Justin as he, Montacera, and Struthio arrived back to the Lavadome entrance two hours later after trekking through the desert. Two hours under the hot blazing sun in the early afternoon, and already Justin was red in the face and dusty from hiking through the sand and dirt. Still, he didn't complain much. Spending time with the few Dinosaucers who were around his age was pretty nice and an excellent time to bond. And of course...
"Hey, where is everyone?" Justin asked, pretending to be clueless as he punched in the entry codes through the door's security lock, granting them entrance, "I don't see Bronto-Thunder and Teryx outside doing checks on the Lavadome's power supply. And aren't Stego and Bonehead usually playing some soccer or football around this time after they finished their chores?"
"I guess all the elders are in some sort of meeting," Struthio surmised, but he was smiling when he commented that. The doors of the Lavadome then slid open which then brought Justin his long-awaited present.
"SURPRISE!!!" roared out a plethora of voices unanimously and Justin just gasped in shock (though he had to fake it), "HAPPY EGG DAY, JUSTIN!!!"
Inside the decorated opening bay, gathered all together, were the Dinosaucers. All around were streamers and white and blue balloons tied to the furniture and littering the carpeted floor gleefully. On the far wall was a huge white banner in blue lettering saying "HAPPY SIXTEENTH!" and below the sign were white-clothed tables piled high with presents, all wrapped in various colors. In the very center of the heap was a mammoth white and blue birthday cake with sixteen blue candles burning softly, and Justin had to slightly marvel at the fact that the cake was about the size of a living room, large enough to feed over a thousand people. On the left side was another set of tables, but this one was laden and spread out with food, a lunch banquet prepared especially for the party. At least five different kinds of sandwiches, hamburgers, three different kinds of salad (regular, pasta, and fruit), two brands of potato chips, soda, water, a punch bowl...the list was endless, and Justin's mouth was already starting to water. However, there were four guests that Justin did not expect to see, and it made all the more of a wonderful bombshell.
"Sarah! David! Paul! Ryan!" he exclaimed as he rushed up to meet his friends and fellow Secret Scouts. All four of the adults, especially David and Sarah, were very astonished at how much David had changed in the last four years. He seemed to grow more peaceful and gentle with every annual coming of age, and Justin's hair was now darkened and cut short and spiked along with a chubby frame and hazel eyes that displayed nothing of the horrors he endured as a child. He was no longer a kid anymore. David gave a playful growl as he grabbed Justin in a headlock and gave him sixteen painful noogies with the knuckles of his free hand.
"Hey, squirt, glad to see you too," the adult chuckled as Justin, laughing, tried to squirm out of the grip David had on him. Sarah had to roll her eyes as Justin managed to break free and give her a hug.
"Sarah, you guys came! I missed you so much!" Justin said gleefully.
"Likewise, Justin," Sarah replied with touched awe, "Geez, you've really grown like a weed! Can't say I can hardly believe you've already turned sixteen! I just wish we could stay here longer and catch up on all the time we lost while we were all off on our own college lives and careers."
"How long are you staying?" There was a sad note of disappointment in Justin's voice.
"We're only staying for the weekend before all four of us head off for the airport to get back home," Paul said gently as he ruffled Justin's hair brotherly, "But we might as well make the most of it right now, Justin. You know we wouldn't miss this for the world, you little scamp."
Justin then turned to Ryan who was a little bit distancing himself from the happy group. Justin just ran to the leader of the Secret Scouts and gave Ryan a bone-crushing hug. Out of all of the Secret Scouts, Justin trusted Ryan the most and looked to Ryan as a role model and older brother. Allo always warmly commented how if circumstances had been different, Justin would have had no problem if he was adopted into Ryan and Sarah's family. Ryan gave a grin easily enough.
"Missed you too, Justin. So...how's Allo?"
"Allo's doing great, and so have the rest of the Dinosaucers! It's been pretty peaceful for the past several years, and hardly a thing has happened, no emergencies, no earthquakes, no dangerous situations endangering the public. We hardly go on missions anymore, and it's gotten to the point where some of the guys are wishing something bad would happen so that they could have some fun and adventure and excitement again! But, what about you? Sarah e-mailed me that you've been really busy with work."
Ryan fought to keep the irritation out of his voice as he sighed, "I'm fine."
Justin gave a grateful smile as he said quietly, "I know you're busy, Ry...but I'm still glad you chose to show up despite things being hectic for you and your job at the shipping company. I just wanted to thank you for coming. It really means a lot to me, to know that things haven't changed and that I can see you again."
"You could always come out and visit us," Ryan said right before he realized how stupid that just sounded. Justin cast his eyes downward slightly in contemplating depression, but he didn't blame Ryan for saying it. There were times Justin himself forgot his situation with other people, and Allo and the other Dinosaucers forbade Justin from going out in public on his own. It was too dangerous, and there had already been several close calls. Justin then gave a hopeful smirk.
"Maybe I can wish that for my birthday," he remarked as he dragged Ryan by the hand excitedly to the party. Ryan seriously couldn't think up of an answer to that comment.
Later, as the party progressed...
"Oh wow! Thanks Dimetro!" breathed Justin in awe as he opened the box. Dimetro gave Justin a new black-and-silver laptop computer complete with a portable track-ball mouse, a CD/DVD player and burner, and a plasma monitor screen. Dimetro built the entire laptop by himself. All around Justin, after taking the edge of their hunger with the lunch spread, the Dinosaucers and Secret Scouts settled on observing Justin opening their gifts, and already, many were lost in the curious anticipation of watching the look on the teenager's face and seeing what sort of treasures he would receive. Allo and Ryan were a bit off in the distance, half of the time watching the crowd and the other half conversing softly between each other while drinking a bottle of Coors beer. Already, they caught up on some tidbits of information such as Ryan's college experiences, his family, his friends, and life in general.
"Just like old times, eh, Ryan?" Allo smiled at the young adult, "I wish you came to visit us more often. I missed our private talks and the few times we hung out to chat and drink, just the two of us."
"Cool, I wanted this movie!" they heard Justin gasp as he unwrapped the three "Lord of the Rings" DVD saga Struthio got for Justin's birthday. Montacera then butted in to hand Justin her gift.
Ryan literally had to collect himself from retorting angrily as he sighed, "Well, you're incredibly busy right now, and let's face it, Allo: the Secret Scouts and I have our own lives to build up and take care off. Things have changed, and you yourself agreed that we needed to focus on ourselves and not worry about you and the Dinosaucers too much once we were about to leave for college."
Justin was heard laughing as Montacera hugged him gleefully, "Oh wow, such a great gift! Thanks so very much, Montacera! I love 'Avril Lavigne' and 'The Superstarrs'! Especially Paul Starr and Lila Cheney!" (See Author's note)
Allo gave Ryan a thoughtful glance as he took a swallow from his beer bottle. He said, "I know, Ryan, but I truly meant what I said. It would have been selfish of me and the rest of the Dinosaucers to continue to depend on you and Sarah and Paul and David to help us with understanding the human culture and to help us ease into our new home. We didn't wish to burden you four with our problems, and I know that deep down, you all needed to explore and go out into the world on your own without having us as baggage. Besides, we have grown very accustomed to Earth and its environment, and it is not as if we have any further need for you. Now is the time to view you as friends and long-time trusted companions rather than guides and acquaintances to help us understand about this planet. The Dinosaucers and I still care very much about you, and we have missed you greatly despite the e-mails and telephone calls and letters. We always wished to keep our friendships with the Secret Scouts, and as long as we live, the Lavadome will always be welcome for you four for a visit. And Justin could always use the additional company."
There was some laughter in the background as Justin thanked Stego and Bonehead for the football and football jersey. The jersey was green and yellow, the pride and symbol of the Green Bay Packers, Stego and Bonehead's favorite team, and of course, the pachycephalosaurus and stegosaurus were begging Justin to play one game with them after the party.
Ryan idly swirled the liquid against his glass bottle as his face slightly frowned at the remark about Justin. Justin, Justin, Justin...damn it, Allo's life revolved around nothing else but his son.
"Only you, Plato, would give Justin books for his birthday!" groaned David and Compy out loud and in good humor.
"Just because you two dunces have the vocabulary and sophistication of an infant harridan does not mean Justin should deserve to arrive to a similar fate of personal, mindless desecration," Plateo stuffily grumbled, his head held high, "Furthermore, unlike you ignorami, Justin thoroughly savors reading and cultivating his apperception. I am quite sure a fine connoisseur of knowledge such as him can find excellent uses of a thesaurus, dictionary of cultural literacy, and reference book."
"Yeah, as a drink coaster," sneered Compy. Justin, however, thanked Plateo sincerely for the gift.
Allo then turned back to Ryan, reading the features on his face for a minute before he queried delicately, "Ryan, care to tell me what's wrong?"
"It's nothing, Allo," Ryan mumbled.
"You gave him a poker set?!!" shrieked Teryx in outrage as Allo and Ryan's heads perked up to see Justin opening Compy's present which included 4 sets of playing cards and a set of poker chips, enough for a group of ten people.
"What's wrong with that?!" Compy defended in the background of the crowd, "The kid needs to learn to start playing the game and making some nice investments! Strategy, planning, decisions under pressure, the art of deception and bluffing...everything he can learn in life is through a nice set of cards!"
"Translation: you want Justin to start learning how to play so you can win some money off of him!" snapped Teryx.
"Um...actually, Teryx, I did tell Compy I was interested in joining his games one of these days," stammered Justin to Compy's defense.
"OVER COMPY'S DEAD BODY!!" snapped Teryx, Itchy, Tricero, and Sarah.
Feeling that the other Dinosaucers could settle this quibble, the dinosaur leader then turned his attention to Ryan, emotional concern and pity saddening Allo's eyes.
"Ryan, you know better than to tell me that. I've known you too long to suspect when something is troubling you...and I mean it when I said I would be here for you if you needed a friend. We've always trusted each other before when you were a teenager, and you can confide in me now if you still wish too. Nothing has changed, Ryan."
"All right! A whole set of the 'Harry Potter' books! Paul, thank you!"
Ryan wanted to snort at the allosaurus, to self-righteously shoot down that "promise", but he kept quiet. The blond adult then sighed again, almost jadedly, "Allo, I said I was fine. It's just work. Can you please just leave it alone?"
A bit disappointed, Allo nodded respectively. Hoping to break the subject, Ryan then asked the Dinosaucer, "How come you're not there with Justin? Don't you want to give him your egg day gift?"
Justin was then heard to exclaim, "Wow, thanks Bronto-Thunder, thanks Tricero!"
Bronto-Thunder smiled as Justin hugged him, "We figured you could use some new tennis shoes since your old ones were falling apart at the seams."
"And the black windbreaker would be suitable for the times you need to train in the desert," Tricero added amiably, "we designed it to keep you warm enough during the artic nights but it contains temperature-based releasing mini-coolants that will aid you under the sun."
All smiled warmly looking at the scene as he finished taking a swig, "Actually, I wanted to save that until the very end after the cake has been cut. I thought it would be best to wait until you and the others have finished giving him their presents before I give him mine. And speaking of which, I was about to ask you the same thing myself, Ryan."
"Actually, both Sarah and I chipped in together for Justin's present...and it looks like he's opening it now," Ryan stated as he and Allo looked at Justin pull a black, leather trench-coat from the box. It was exactly like the black coats worn in "The Matrix" movie, and Justin was a big fan of the character Neo. Justin was ecstatic.
"Thank you both! This is a great present! Ryan, Sarah, you two are the coolest!"
Ryan gave a forced smile, but inside, he was still a bit resentful. Trying to quell the bubbling emotion, Ryan then asked Allo with growing curiosity, "So, what did you get Justin for his birthday?"
"You'll have to wait and find out like everyone else, Ryan," Allo smirked mischievously.
"Wow, how nice of you! Now I can finally take pictures of my own! Thanks, Teryx! Thanks Itchy! I'm so using this!"
"Something tells me giving Justin a digital camera wasn't the brightest of ideas," groaned Itchy softly to Teryx.
"Will you just leave it be, honey?" Teryx sighed, rolling her eyes at her fiancée, "Just because Compy blackmailed you into doing his share of the laundry with that photo of you in your underwear doesn't mean Justin will do the same."
"Open mine next, Justin!" David said as he gave Justin a large white box with a red ribbon on it.
"This isn't something vulgar and dirty, is it?" Justin asked David with one raised eyebrow. He hadn't forgotten when he was eleven, David secretly introduced Justin to his first Playboy magazine on one of his visits to the Lavadome. It was a bit intriguing...except that Allo happened to find out when he and Bronto-Thunder found the magazine haphazardly stuffed in one of the toolboxes on the main hangar bay. Needless to say, Allo was not very pleased with his son at that time.
David put on an innocent face. He said, "Would I do something like that?"
"YES!" everyone chorused, laughing, although one could notice Sarah and Allo looking at David with narrow-eyed scrutiny. David shook his head as he nervously chuckled.
"Nah, I wouldn't do that to you again...especially on your birthday. And besides, I have the most wonderful girlfriend to make all those supermodels be put to shame."
"Good cover," Paul wryly commented as Sarah tweaked David's ear playfully.
Justin smirked, "Easy for you to say, David. You weren't the one who got a two-hour lecture by Sarah and Allo, and not to mention I was the one who got grounded for a month."
He then opened the present; it was an XBOX game console, complete with four game controllers, a USB headset, and the game Halo. A few of the other Dinosaucers were also eyeing the console very readily, for it would certainly add much more fun to the living room of the Lavadome.
"Oh wow! This is great! Now we can start holding tournaments and play on the Internet with other on-line players without needing to leave the base! David, thanks! Me and the other guys could really use this!" Justin marveled.
"You're welcome, sport," chuckled David as the adult ruffled Justin's hair again affectionately.
"I get dibs on playing the first game with Justin!" Struthio declared. Teryx clapped her hands, gaining everyone's attention as Allo and Ryan, finally finishing their beer, ambled up to the crowd.
The archaeopteryx announced, "Well, since all the presents for Justin has been opened, we can finally celebrate with the -"
Raptor rumbled lowly, "Actually Teryx...there's still one more, if you don't mind."
Justin turned to see to his amazement, Raptor holding a small box in front of the teenager. The adolescent was stunned as he numbly accepted the box. So were the rest of the Dinosaucers and the Secret Scouts. Out of all the Dinosaucers, Raptor never had once given a gift to anyone regardless of the holiday, and Justin was no exception. Raptor looked extremely awkward and uncomfortable as he gave Justin his birthday present.
"For...for me?" Justin asked dumbly. Raptor gave him a deadpanned look.
"No Justin," he sighed sarcastically, "it's for the other human teenager who has lived his entire life and childhood at the Lavadome with us and who also coincidentally has an egg day same as yours."
Justin smiled as he opened the box with great interest. Both he and the other Dinosaucers knew Raptor wasn't sentimental, so to be given a gift by the Dinosaucer was as much as a surprise as the present itself. Inside the box was a large mineral of blue stone, so intense in color, it was like looking into the deepest, purest parts of the cleanest ocean, and it somehow was refracting the sunlight into a wide array of soft, rainbow hues and blue sheen. The crystal was wildly shaped in natural quartz form, and it was about the size of Justin's hand, sitting perfectly on a bed of hardened, blackened charcoal.
"A rock?!" sneered Compy at Raptor insultingly, "A rock?!! Oh wow, what a thoughtful gift to give to Justin, you lousy Tyrannos! Must have been appropriate considering you've got rocks in your head where your brain used to be!!"
"It's better than having an empty space of air where yours should be, garbage eater!" snapped Raptor.
"Oh, kiss my ass, jerk-face!!" shouted Compy with his teeth bared.
"Try taking your head out of it first, vermin!!" growled Raptor, getting close to Compy's face.
"Dino-Traitor!"
"Puny Mud-Lizard!"
"I may be puny, but I'm still strong enough to mop the floor of the Lavadome with that wrinkled, greasy mat you pass off as a hide!!" Compy stuck out his tongue at Raptor and razzed him.
"Prepare to lose that tongue, dino-rat!" snarled Raptor as he was just about to pounce on the compsognathus, but Bronto-Thunder and Struthio managed to leap in between them and stopping the two quarrelling Dinosaucers from coming to another set of blows. Bronto-Thunder literally had to grab Raptor from behind in a bear hug to stop him.
"Have you two kids finished with your bickering yet, or are we gonna have to send you both to a timeout?" Bronto-Thunder grunted as he managed to calm down a panting Raptor.
"Oh shut up!" Compy and Raptor both simultaneously snapped at the brontosaurus as they both hurriedly and sheepishly backed away from one another, fuming and embarrassed. Justin cleared his throat as he spoke up to Raptor's defense to cover up the awkwardness.
"Actually, Compy, it isn't just any rock. Raptor told me a Reptilion legend that revolves around it when he showed me one piece he found in the mountains. This is called a moonstone. Raptor told me that moonstones were believed to be prayer stones of mystical power back at Reptilion."
Allo then sighed with attached memory, "Ah, yes, I remember that legend. Moonstones were described to be prayers planted directly into the earth by the spirit of a dinosaur prince who was born into the kingdom of a very cruel and malicious tyrants and devious, wicked dino-warmongers. The prince was abandoned and betrayed by his royal family who saw him unworthy of being the next ruler because he loved his people and was loyal to what was right rather than who had authority or had more power. So the prince was killed and buried in a wasteland. But the legends say that the soul of the prince formed the moonstone as it bonded with the earth, and as such, the poor subjects of the tyrants' kingdoms prayed in desperation to the prince's spirit for deliverance from the oppressive hold on them. Upon hearing the prayers under the light of the full moon, the moonstone eradicated the kingdom, killing all the tyrants with surges of energy, saving the poor subjects and giving them a life of freedom. Thus, that was what a moonstone is to our culture. It is a sacred stone of love and devotion and raw strength. In fact, they were the stones used for prayers when my aunt and uncle, the Dinosorcerer and the Dinosorceress, utilized their magic."
There was a pause as everyone took in the story.
Sarah then supplicated, "Moonstones are also supposed to be rare minerals, and judging from the size and color, that one you have Justin is probably worth a lot of money if you sold it here on Earth. You'd probably get at least over a hundred thousand. Not only are they rare crystals that can only be found in scant places, but blue moonstones are very popular for necklaces and earrings. And coincidentally...it's your birthstone, Justin."
"Leave it to Sarah to know everything about jewelry," smirked David.
"If I were you, I would take that as some sort of hint, buddy," Sarah shot back sweetly at her boyfriend, making the raven-haired adult blush.
"Looks like someone's going to be shelling out a lot of moolah for Sarah's next birthday present, sucker," Itchy snorted as he gave David a sympathetic pat on the shoulder, "She certainly got you whipped and on a leash, hasn't she, David?"
David then got an evil idea.
"Oh really, Itchy? Then tell me...when is Teryx's egg day??" At the question, Itchy turned even redder than David as the Secret Scout's question was heard by everyone, including the female archaeopteryx, and all of the audience was listening with great interest. It was clear after a few moments of awkward fumbling that Itchy forgot when his fiancée's birthday was.
"Uh...heh heh, not now, David," he hissed in a sheepish undertone. Teryx looked annoyed as she crossed her arms in front of her chest and glared at Itchy.
"No, Itchy, I would personally love to hear you answer this one. When is my egg day?"
Itchy looked as if he wanted lightning to strike him down right then and there.
"I'll bet you another week on the cooking roster duty that Itchy is going to be sleeping alone for the next month," whispered an excited, gleeful Compy to Plateo.
"Certainly not!" huffed Plateo, "I would only take a wager with a scoundrel such as yourself if there was a distinct possibility that Teryx wouldn't be angry at Itchy. I am unquestionably not dense enough to think otherwise."
Raptor then gave an irritated growl as he gracefully interrupted the side discussion, temporarily ceasing it, yet whether he did it because the Dinosaucer wished to speak to Justin or because Raptor wanted to spare Itchy from further melodrama wasn't clear.
The black velociraptor gruffly said, "It isn't much, Justin. It was simply a crystal I happened to stumble upon one of my walks in the mountains at night. But, I thought it may as well been appropriate to bequeath it to you. If there is any person who could remind me of that legend of the foolish prince, it would be you."
Sarah had to secretly smirk. Moonstones were rare to find due to the fact that they had to be dug deep within the Earth's crust before one could even find a small cache of the stone, and central Montana was not famous for being rich in those crystals. Wherever Raptor got the stone, it must have taken him much energy and time to retrieve it.
"Thank you, Raptor," Justin said, touched and beaming, "it...it means a lot to me."
Raptor just simply grunted as he grumpily crossed his arms across his chest and leaned against the edge of the table, not bothering to look at Justin. Compy just gave Raptor an evil eye, fuming, as Stego dumbly pestered the small pygmy next to him.
"Wow! What a cool gift! That moonstone's a much more thoughtful present than your..." but Stego then stopped when he realized Compy was now looking daggers at him poisonously, daring Stego to finish the sentence and receive a good amount of pain in the process. The stegosaurus Dinosaucer then shut up; he realized Compy didn't like being one-upped, especially by Raptor, of all people. Bronto-Thunder and Bonehead then both brought out the cake, setting it gently in front of Justin as everyone started singing the traditional song (except notably Raptor).
"Happy Egg Day to you, Happy Egg Day to you, Happy Egg Day dear Justin...Happy Egg Day to you!" the crowd roared gleefully, and Justin was about to blow out the candles and make a wish when it happened.
Justin cried out in pain as he held his head which suddenly started to throb and scream in agony, his skull feeling as if someone cracked it open and filled it to the brim with hot, melted lead. It was pure torture, and already, Justin sank to the floor on his knees, sobbing.
"AAAAUUUUGGGGHH!! MAKE IT STOP!! MAKE IT STOP!!! IT HURTS!! IT HURTS!!!" the teenager hollered in despair.
"Hey, our singing isn't THAT horrible!" Itchy protested, but Teryx irately elbowed the itchyosaurus in the side.
"I don't think now is a time for jokes, Itchy! Something's wrong with him!" she snapped as Allo knelt down worriedly in front of Justin, grasping his son by the shoulders.
"Justin, what's wrong?! Justin?! Justin?!!" but his son was so overcome in pain that he couldn't answer. The feeling was incredibly excruciating.
"I'll ready the infirmary," Dimetro said briskly as he went towards the doors. Allo was about to gather the adolescent in his arms when Justin, though he had no idea why, opened his eyes wide despite the rivers running out of them and screamed.
"LEAVE ME ALONE!!!" and immediately afterwards, it was chaos.
The reinforced steel doors in front of Dimetro instantly were surrounded by hundreds of thousands of white, shimmering sparks, and startled, Dimetro backed off cautiously. With a slight gleam, the doors disappeared, vanishing into thin air.
"By the gods of Reptilion!" Dimetro gasped.
"What's going on?!" gasped a stricken Paul as he stared at the hole where the doors used to be in disbelief. Like magic, the gleaming dust appeared above from the ceiling before revealing the metal doors in their full glory. A brief split-second, the hunk of steel hovered in the air before hurtling down on the crowd below. It would have been disastrous had Bronto-Thunder not acted immediately.
"I got it!!" he bellowed as the brontosaurus managed to catch the two-ton sheets of metal before they could crush the Dinosaucers and the Secret Scouts, grunting a bit as he exerted all his strength to prevent himself from losing his grip. Unfortunately, it was not the end. All throughout the living room, multitudes and multitudes of glittering sparks and flashing lights engulfed various objects before causing them to vanish, only to materialize again somewhere else. Within seconds, over a hundred projectiles were being teleported throughout the chamber, flying everywhere.
"Hey, my earrings!" gasped Sarah as they faded away.
"My wallet!!" yelled Ryan as he felt his leather possession leave from his pocket.
"Yow, duck and cover you guys!!" Struthio warned as he and Plateo covered their heads as the shining auras brought forth a barrage of silverware which flew swiftly across the room, missing them by several inches, before embedding themselves firmly into the wall like bullets.
"The cake!" gasped Montacera as it disappeared from sight, but several seconds later, it loomed above Tricero and Bonehead before landing messily upon the two, hulking Dinosaucers, covering them with a mixture of frosting and dough with a loud thwap. Bonehead immaturely and dumbly licked some of the mess off his hand.
"Yum! Chocolate!" he grinned.
"Will you quit thinking about food for once, Bonehead?!" Tricero snapped as Ryan's missing wallet hit him in the face painfully.
"What is this?! Is this some sort of tactical assault of war?! By the Tyrannos?!" Plateo asked in a dazed manner as the big-screen TV from the living room hovered above the air and crashed to the floor next to him.
Dimetro then shouted, "NO! Can't you see?!! It's from coming from Justin!"
Allo firmly held his son's face as he brought his cool, scaled forehead against the teenager's, saying methodically, "Justin, calm down! The pain won't go away if you keep screaming! Calm down, Justin! Calm down! Just relax!! Don't focus on the pain!! Just relax! Please, Justin!! Listen to my voice, just relax!! Justin, relax!"
"Allo..." Justin whined as he tried his best to not give in to the hellish migraine of a thousand fires, and slowly, but surely, the dancing lights around the room started to lessen, flickering out and extinguishing bit by bit until they had all disappeared. When it was all over, everyone could see that the entire room was trashed and in disarray, food, shattered glass, and twisted bits of metal and wood everywhere. Bronto-Thunder gently let down the heavy doors he was carrying, and everyone else managed to shakily emerge from the floor and hiding places, still in shock. Tricero and Bonehead were covered with the remains of the cake, Compy had a cut on his cheek from a narrowly-missed piece of glass, and David had a bruise on his arm. However, everyone was pretty much unhurt and safe. Unfortunately, all the Dinosaucers and the Secret Scouts were fearfully staring at Justin, gasping and whimpering in Allo's arms, on the floor, as Allo worriedly and hesitantly stroked his son's head, bewildered beyond comprehension.
"What...how??" trailed off Teryx as she just breathless tried taking in what had just happened seconds ago. But it was Ryan's voice that provided the obvious answer.
"Justin's a mutant!!" he snarled, and everyone was startled to hear the accusing hatred in Ryan's voice.
"Justin?" Allo whispered in flabbergasted astonishment, and for once in his life, words failed him.
The stunned silence did nothing to comfort Justin as he just held on to Allo, his body slightly trembling. The teenager stared at his hands before he turned to Allo and the other Dinosaucers and the Secret Scouts, his voice cracking with disbelief and fear.
"Allo? What...what's wrong with me??"
---
In a distant castle far away at the same moment...
"Elder Gideon, my Lord, forgive my intrusion, but there is a matter of great urgency you must attend to..." the messenger apologized bravely as he bowed with regretful respect while entering the large study. Gideon was not pleased as he snapped his head up from his reading of the scrolls of Lord Oberon given to him by the fairy, Puck.
"I told you to not disturb me, Josiah!" Gideon snapped, "If there is an emergency, tell my sons Krygaw and Damionax immediately, and they shall handle the problem!"
"Our scrying crystals have picked up an awakened aura of our bloodline in the physical world, my Lord," the messenger persisted.
Gideon was outraged, furious beyond disbelief, unable to understand.
"WHAT?!!" he roared, "Amongst the human race?!! That cannot be!!"
"My Lord...it is from the scourge."
Gideon went white before his face flushed scarlet, his fists clenched and his goatee twitching with his mouth. That could only mean one thing...
"Your orders, Elder Gideon?" the messenger bowed again.
"Tell Damionax and Krygaw to take twenty of our swiftest and strongest soldiers and to prepare for the hunt."
"Your will be done, Elder," the messenger replied obediently as he turned and swiftly left to deliver the message to Gideon's kin and commander-in-chiefs of the army. Gideon strode over to the far wall of the study and took out an oaken box from the shelf, the wood gilded from age. Unlocking it with a wave of his hand, the Elder drew out a black dagger of dark magic, its blade razor sharp and begging for blood to spill.
"Damned half-breed," whispered Gideon to himself furiously, "This time, I will make sure that my mistakes never arise again to trouble me."
Author's note: Elder Gideon, as much as I wish, isn't mine. He is from another TV show, but it is NOT a cartoon or from the Marvel universe! All I can say is that all will be revealed in Chapter 11 and 12, but I think you might be able to guess what is Gideon's link to Justin. Also, the characters Lila Cheney and Paul Starr are Misfit Marvel characters made by fellow fanfic writer, L1701E! Even though I can't give them a cameo, I CAN give them a small mention since the Superstarrs band would probably have gone platinum 10 times over in any universe! However, the postscript in the paragraph above where Sarah was describing the cases her firm was dealing with, I will again bequeath a thousand fan points if someone can identify ALL the names and references Sarah mentioned. Hint: they're ALL from the Marvel universe! Until next Friday, read and review! Tune in for the next chapter "The Blame Game"!
Justin: This is beyond any doubt the most traumatic birthday I could ever have!
Rogue: Trust me, I'VE had worse! At least Red Witch isn't giving you a cameo in HER crazy universe!
Justin (scoffs): Oh please! No one could be THAT sadistic and crazy to torture me even more after everything I've gone through in my life! She can't possibly be THAT bad!
Misfits and X-Men and G.I. Joe: Famous last words...