A/N: If you're a returning reader looking for the newest chapter -cough-afterthreeyears-cough- go back! The addition this time was a prologue, plus I've done some cleaning up on the previous chapters. :D I originally stalled because I wasn't sure where this story was going to go. Eventually, I realized that I didn't know how book three of the Rilogy was going to start, so it made sense to combine the two books into one.
Buzz, Fiona, and Caruso are still playing a random card game in this chapter, and I still don't know which one. :D
"Can I go with you next time?"
Several weeks had passed since the incident with Rob. Riley had stayed put at the lighthouse, not sneaking out or begging to be included on missions. Nothing exciting had happened, making her wonder if maybe seeing Rob had been a coincidence.
Eventually, though, Riley grew bored. Thus, her tentative question directed at Max.
"I don't see why not." Max glanced at Ms. Moynihan.
"I agree," Ms. Moynihan said.
"Really?" Riley asked, expecting to have to argue again. "Even after last time?"
"Especially after last time," Ms. Moynihan said. "Since you've joined, Veloci has only become more determined to catch the squad and find you. We can't hide you forever. We need to get to Veloci before he gets to us."
"And Rob might be able to help us," Roger added without looking up from his computer screen. "If he's one of Veloci's top scientists, he might be able to shed some light on how to stop Veloci."
"I'm pretty sure Father won't stop until Earth has been returned to the age of dinosaurs," Riley said. "It's been his dream since college."
Roger spun his chair around. "Unless we can find a way to keep that from ever happening."
Buzz looked up from the card game he, Fiona, and Caruso were playing. "We can't even get rid of the dino gene in ourselves."
"Yet," Roger said. "We need more people to figure this one out. Veloci's formula is beyond even me."
"Woah, somebody write this down!" Caruso said as he triumphantly laid a card down. "Roger admits to not knowing something!"
"Lay off, he's the smartest kid in the room," Fiona said as she laid down two cards.
"We need more," Roger said with a sigh. "Ms. Moynihan and I have tried everything. But we think Veloci must have really changed his formula in the last twenty years and we can't get a good sample. We need someone who's working on the current formula."
"Rob wouldn't help us," Riley said. "He's too loyal to Father. Even if we could convince him that Father's dream is a bad idea, he might not even help us."
"But if he believed us, why wouldn't he help us?" Buzz asked as he intently studied his hand of cards.
"Father gave him a home and a purpose. If he hadn't stepped into Rob's life, there's no telling where he could have ended up."
"So, to get Rob on our side, we'd have to have Veloci on ours?" Max asked.
Riley shrugged. "Probably. We're practically brother and sister, but he still feels indebted to Father."
"So, he'd have to choose between family or a sense of loyalty," Max summed up.
Riley sighed. "Yeah. And right now, he thinks that I'm the one with the wrong idea."
"What if he saw what Veloci was doing?" Fiona said. "If him being with the rest of the goons is so unusual, then he must not see when Veloci experiments, right?"
"He's got to know," Roger said. "How else would Veloci test the ooze?"
"In a lab. Rob never experiments outside the lab." Riley rubbed her chin, then added slowly, "He might actually not realize what Father's doing."
"Do you think he'd change his mind about Veloci if he did?" Max asked.
Riley shrugged. "It's like I said before. Even if Rob did know or find out, he still might side with Father just because he's loyal like that."
"It's our only plan so far," Max said. "The next time Rob is with the rest of the goons, we'll have to isolate him and try to talk."
"That shouldn't be too hard," Riley said. "He can keep a cool head when faced with a dino, but he has no self-defense or fighting skills whatsoever. Max, Fiona, Roger, or Caruso could pick him up easily and carry him."
"As long as Veloci doesn't realize who we have," Roger said.
"I don't think even Father knows who is who under the helmets," Riley supplied.
"So, if we could sneak him off, no one should be the wiser until they regroup?" Fiona asked.
"We have to remember his comms," Max said. "Even if Veloci doesn't know who we have, he could call the other men."
"We can scramble Veloci's communications from the lighthouse," Roger said. "All we need is a portable, mini version to cut out Rob's comms and whatever tracking devices Veloci might have hidden on his goons' suits."
"And we can bring him to my family's mountain cabin," Fiona added. "It's in the middle of nowhere, and it'll just take a quick trip to remove anything that could connect us to my family."
"Rob wouldn't have any idea of where he's at," Riley said. "He'd have to stay and listen."
"And we can convince him that what Veloci is doing is wrong," Max finished.
The squad fell silent. Fiona put down her last card and leaned back. Caruso glared at his handful of cards before looking up.
"So… we have a plan now?"
The teens looked at each other. What had started as a request for an outing had turned into a game plan for bringing Rob to them.
"I guess we do," Riley said with a nervous grin.
The next week was spent making preparations. Roger and Ms. Moynihan got to work on a miniature scrambler, while the rest of the teens cleared out the Flagstaff cabin. The cabin was filled with food and water, a couple cots, spare blankets and clothes, and other camping gear. A smaller version of the lighthouse's scrambler was installed as well. Fiona found caves big enough for the transformed teens; any members of the squad aside from Riley would have to remain transformed when they were around the cabin.
Once everything was ready, they had to find a way to attract Veloci's attention. Dealing with mutants while grabbing Rob would be tricky, so they hoped to lure Veloci to them.
It didn't go that way, of course.
"Guys, we have mutants," Roger suddenly said one Saturday afternoon.
The other teens left their books and science projects to peer over his shoulder. Roger pointed to two bright spots on the computer screen.
"Something big, and not far from here."
"Everyone, get to your bikes," Max said.
"Are we going on with our plan today?" Fiona asked as they rushed down the stairs.
"We have to," Max said. "Every day, the risk of Veloci finding us increases."
"And the signal coming from a town not far from the cabin," Roger added. "Now is as good of a time as any."
Riley grabbed her helmet and hopped onto her Tyranocycle. Both were similar to Fiona's, but slimmer in the front.
The squad raced onto the road with Roger in the front. They reached the town in less than an hour, then Roger led them onto a side road. When they were close to the signal's source, the squad pulled the bikes into some trees to hide them.
"Buzz and I will see what sort of mutants are out there," Max said. "Riley, transform and move along the treeline. We need to flush out the mutants and de-ooze them before Veloci gets here. When Veloci and his goons arrive, Fiona and Caruso, transform and scramble them. Riley, once we get a chance, you tell me which one is Rob, and I'll grab him. Roger, stay close in human shape so you can scramble his comms. Stay out of sight, though. We can't have anyone seeing you as a human."
"Veloci and his goons have seen us before," Caruso said drily.
"Yeah, he probably thinks we're a bunch of dino-chasing nuts," Buzz said with a grin.
"Still. The less they see of us, the better," Max said. "Now, everyone got the plan?"
"Got it!" the teens chorused.
"Alright then," Max said. Buzz and Riley joined in as he said, "Go dino!"
The three transformed teens took off in separate directions. Buzz flew to where the trees thinned out some, while Max followed from the ground. Riley ran to circle around them.
"See anything?" Riley asked after a minute of nothing happening.
"There's nothing here. Not even normal animals," Max said.
"Is it just me, or is the ground weird?" Buzz put in.
Riley stopped and looked at the sky. The ground was weird? She turned her attention to the ground. It didn't appear any different.
"Weird how?" Max asked.
"It's all bumpy," Buzz explained.
"It's the ground, Buzz. It's not going to be flat," Riley said.
"Ha ha. I know that. It's something different. It's familiar, too. Like… like that time on the beach!"
Riley didn't know what beach he was talking about, but the jolt of alarm from Max meant that he had.
"Not those worm mutants again," Max groaned.
"Worm mutants?!" Riley exclaimed.
"Hey, they weren't so bad," Buzz said nonchalantly. "Besides, it's not like you almost got eaten by it, Max."
Riley resumed running. Now that Buzz mentioned it, Riley did notice that the ground was covered in small hills and ridges.
"Exactly how big are these- woah!" Riley had to skid to a halt when she noticed a hole in the ground. Max could have easily fit into it while transformed! "Um, yeah, never mind."
There was a weird, warbly shriek that Riley didn't recognize. It was quickly followed by a jolt of panic and a roar from Max.
"Found it!"
Riley spun in the direction of the shriek and took off. She barely made it three steps when the ground rumbled and something huge and pink burst out of the ground. Too close to stop herself, Riley ran right into the slimy mass.
"Ew!" Riley said, leaping back and shaking herself. "But, the good news is that I found the second one!"
"See if you can lead it to the others," Max said. "Buzz, you fly ahead and warn them."
"You sure you got this one?" Buzz asked Max.
"I'll be fine on my own. Just… hurry back with chillers and spillers, huh?"
"On it!"
Riley roared and snapped at the mutated worm in front of her. Once she had its attention, she turned in the direction of the SUV and started running. The ground shook, and Riley spared a glance back to see the worm-a-saurus disappear into the ground.
"Uh-oh," Riley thought, speeding up.
With the mutant underground, there was no way to tell exactly where it was. The only reason Riley knew that it was even following was because of the ridges it made in the ground when it was close enough to the surface.
Riley pushed her paws faster, ducking branches and jumping roots. After a heart-pounding minute of running, she spotted the SUV. Buzz was standing in human form with the other teens, each armed with a chiller or spiller. Throwing her body to the side, Riley ground to a stop and spun so she faced the direction from which she had come.
Nothing happened. The forest was silent beyond Riley's panting. She heard clicking as her squadmates shifted their tools.
"Did you lose-"
An explosion of dirt in front of Riley cut Roger off. Riley flinched away. Blinded by the dirt, all she could do was screech and snap at the dusty air.
"It's okay, Riley, we got this!" Buzz yelled.
There was a hissing sound from either side of Riley. The air temperature dropped slightly, then there was a hum. Once the dust settled, Riley looked around to see the worm-a-saurus gone. A harmless earthworm was squirming its way into the dirt.
"One down, just one to go," Roger said.
Everyone turned at a roar from Max. He sounded furious, though he wasn't saying anything telepathically.
"Uh, we'd better go help Max," Buzz said sheepishly.
"Bring it back here as well," Fiona said. "Caruso and I can't transform until Veloci and his goons arrive."
"Guys!" Max called telepathically. "I need help!"
"We'll be right there, keep your scales on," Riley said in amusement.
"No, right now. Veloci's here!"
At the announcement, Riley's head jerked up. She roared at the others. When they looked at her, she ducked her head and grabbed a duffel. She shoved it at Fiona and nudged the chiller she held. Once Fiona put the chiller inside, Riley went to Roger to do the same with his spiller. She draped the handles of the duffel bag on his arm, and went to Buzz to tug on his shirt.
"Woah, what's the matter?" Buzz asked. "Is Max in trouble?"
Before Riley could respond, Veloci's copter zipped overhead.
"Oh, boy," Fiona said. "Buzz, Caruso, come on!"
Riley turned and ran while the others transformed. She sniffed frantically until she found Max's scent, then called telepathically to the others. Max wouldn't stand a chance against a mutant and her father's men by himself!
When she reached him, Max was laying on his side in a small clearing. The ground was torn up and full trees were toppled from the worm-a-saurus' tunneling. A net covered only one leg, but more men were running toward him with more nets. A group of men were trying to contain the mutated worm, but it vanished underground.
Riley hesitated, then roared and leaped over a fallen tree. She charged into the group of men surrounding Max. She flung them to the side and snarled before ripping the net off of Max.
"Behind you!" Max called as he struggled to stand.
Riley spun to see one of the goons lift a net gun and shoot. Riley dove to the side, and Max rolled in the opposite direction.
Before the man could fire again, Fiona burst out of the trees in her full dino protective mode. She grabbed the gun in her jaws and jerked it out of the man's hands, then threw it into the trees.
"We have to get out of here!" Max said. "The mutant's loose."
"We'll take care of it later. Riley, where's Rob?" Fiona asked.
"I'm not sure yet."
The three transformed teens grouped up to face Veloci's goons as they started to advance again. At the same time, Caruso came tearing out of the trees and knocked them in all directions. Buzz dove from the sky and landed beside Max.
"Veloci's in the copter, and he does not look happy," Buzz cheerfully informed them.
Max nodded. "Good. Buzz, see if you can keep him there. Everyone else… They expect us to remain coordinated and organized. Well, this time, we've got to be a little more unpredictable."
"Unpredictable?" Fiona repeated.
"Run around, roar at nothing, maybe throw some things around."
"Are you suggesting we act like wild animals?" Caruso asked.
"They caught us off-guard, so now we'll do the same for them," Max said.
"Okay… I don't know how to do that," Caruso said.
"Improvise," Max returned, then bellowed at the goons.
Riley grinned at Fiona, who returned it. While Buzz flew up to distract the copter, Max and Fiona raised their heads to roar, then spun and darted off in separate directions. Caruso gave a large sigh and stomped off, waving his tail wildly to trip up the goons. Riley turned toward one of the goons who had been attempting to sneak up on her.
With a threatening growl, Riley tackled him. She shoved her muzzle in his face and snarled while quietly sniffing him. The goon cowered away. The scent wasn't Rob's, so Riley bounded off.
Five goons got the same treatment before Riley found him. Rob yelped at the tackle, but he didn't sound or smell worried. A tar gun with which he had been armed slipped from his fingers.
"What are you doing?" Rob asked as Riley sniffed him over.
Riley didn't respond. She gave a raptor-like hiss and showed her teeth. The mild act of aggression didn't faze Rob, though he opened his hands in a surrendering gesture. Riley grabbed the front of his armor and hauled her brother to his feet while telepathically calling to the others.
"I found him!"
Taking a second to glance around, Riley saw that the rest of the squad had really gotten into the act. Max was chasing random goons around, roaring like he was off his rocker. Fiona spun in excited circles as she snapped harmlessly at the goons. Buzz kept blocking the copter from getting closer, and occasionally pecked at its sides. Even Caruso was getting into it as he shoved tree trunks around. Her father's men were in disarray as they tried to avoid tails, teeth, and trees that would never hurt them in the first place.
Riley turned back to Rob, who hadn't moved. She grabbed his sleeve in her jaws and tugged on it, like when she was younger and they would play tug-of-war.
"Riley, what are you doing?" Rob asked, planting his feet.
Riley playfully snarled and released him to spin in a circle. She had to keep his attention on her while Caruso "accidentally" knocked a tree trunk nearby so that Rob was hidden from the rest of the group.
Rob flinched as the tree landed a few feet away. Riley ducked around behind him and shoved him forward. He stumbled on the uneven ground, then fell beside his dropped tar gun.
"Okay, Max!" Riley called.
Max paused in his mini-rampage. A very feral grin was on his face, evidence that he was enjoying letting himself go wild. A couple of Veloci's goons decided to rush him. Max roared as he was forced to check his paws and turn.
"Just a second!"
By then, Rob had stood. He held the tar gun, but Riley doubted he'd actually use it. Sure enough, he instead made a break for it. Riley didn't react quick enough, but Fiona appeared in front of Rob with a growl.
"Time to improvise," Fiona said, opening her jaws wide.
Before Riley or Rob could move, Fiona angled her head and clamped her jaws around Rob's middle. Rob yelled in genuine fear, then suddenly went limp.
The chaos in the clearing fell silent. The other squadmates turned quickly in the direction of the scream and the rest of the goons froze. Riley couldn't move as she stared at Rob's limp form.
Fiona lifted her head with an audible growl. Riley was afraid that she had somehow gone full feral, but her eyes were clear. Fiona scanned the clearing with narrowed eyes, then turned.
"Guys, chill out," Fiona said, amusement clear in the mind link. "He's fine. I must have really scared him and he passed out."
A sense of relief came from the other squadmates as they resumed their wild antics. The goons scattered into the woods as the possibility of getting eaten became more real. Riley ran after Fiona as the older dino walked into the trees.
"Rob passed out? He's dealt with me in full feral and can stand up to Father," Riley said, relieved but confused.
"I'm bigger than Veloci, and he doesn't know me as well," Fiona said. "For all he knows, I really do want to eat him."
The two females trekked deeper into the woods until a screech interrupted them. They paused as Buzz landed on a pile of rocks nearby.
"Veloci's copter is grounded for now, and Roger says Ms. Moynihan is scrambling all of their comms to buy us some time while they regroup." Buzz chuckled. "You should have seen Max and Caruso. After Fiona's stunt, they decided to do the same and dumped a half dozen goons away from the clearing. It'll take even longer for the goons to figure out who is missing."
"That's good and all, but we need to regroup now," Fiona said. "Rob still hasn't woken up. Someone needs to check him."
"I don't get why he fainted in the first place," Riley mused.
"We'll figure it out soon. For now, keep heading in this direction. I'll find us a place to stop," Buzz said.
Fiona and Riley continued walking while Buzz took off again. After they had gone a couple miles, Buzz returned. He led them to a small valley with thick tree cover.
The valley was shallow and rocky with enough room for Max, Buzz, Fiona, Riley, and Rob. Caruso and Roger -now in dino mode and carrying the duffel bag on his nose horn- joined them soon after.
"Okay, we'll have to get going once we check Rob," Max said, serious once again.
Fiona carefully put Rob down. The tar gun, which had gotten pinned between Rob's body and Fiona's teeth, fell beside him.
"Rob?" Riley roared gently. "Hey, Rob, this isn't funny anymore. Wake up."
Riley nudged Rob, but he still didn't respond. Caruso stuck his head beside Riley's.
"Are you sure we grabbed the right guy? They all look the same to me."
Riley headbutted his muzzle. "I know my brother's scent."
Riley turned back to Rob at the same time that he burst to life. He sat up, snatching his tar gun as he did. Caruso bellowed as the tar gun was pointed at him. He turned like he was going to run, then his tail whipped around to smack Rob in the back of the head.
The impact was enough to send Rob over forward and onto his chest. The tar gun flew out of his grasp, and shot a blob of tar that narrowly missed Fiona when it hit the ground.
"Caruso!" Max scolded.
"Sorry, but I can't stand that stuff!"
Riley ignored them as she kicked the tar gun away. Buzz picked it up and flew away to hide it.
Riley turned her attention back to Rob. He hadn't moved from where he landed.
"Okay, Rob. We know you're faking again," Riley said.
Rob groaned, but didn't respond. Riley glared at Caruso.
"Great. He's unconscious for real this time."
Caruso lowered his head sheepishly. Riley shook her head, then turned human so she could properly check Rob. She carefully pulled off his helmet and disconnected the oxygen tube to set the helmet aside.
Rob's eyes were closed and slightly clenched. His normally curly yellow hair was pressed flat with sweat. There was already a good-sized goose egg on the back of his head.
"You really did a number on him," Riley said with a sigh. "But, he'll live. Come on, we have to get him to the cabin."
Roger set the duffel bag on the ground. Riley dug around inside until she found the palm-sized scrambler. She slipped it behind the oxygen tank, where it then magnetized to the suit.
Fiona stepped forward to carefully pick Rob up. He was put on Roger's back, since the Triceratops' back was best for carrying. Riley gave the duffel bag to Caruso and transformed. Buzz returned a minute later, then Max gave the final orders.
"Buzz, Caruso, and I will go back to take care of the last mutant and make sure Veloci and his goons aren't following. The rest of you, get to the cabin as quickly as you can. The three of us will take the SUV and meet you there."
The squad nodded and went their separate ways.
A/N: This was a fun one. :D
