We now return with our regularly scheduled update.
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The group stare at the alien world before them. This is the farthest back Nigel has ever gone for a rescue mission, and it shows: the world is almost barren. No plants cover the ground, and the only signs of life are the carcasses pilling on the shore. It is a nauseating sight.
In this time, there are no land predators on Earth, nor are there any land based scavengers. So, with nothing to eat them, any carcasses that end up on the shore are free to rot in peace. The lack of breathable air and cold temperatures forces life to dwell beneath the waves... for now.
The sight and smell of the world is not the only difference that unnerves the team. It's fairly cold in the water, but more importantly, it's quiet. No cries of gulls or pterosaurs fills the air, and there are no flies buzzing around the carcass. The only sign that something is (or, rather, was) alive is the putrid smell of rotting flesh. This, along with the briny scent of salt and a covering of dead animals, is the only trait that this beach shares with any modern one.
"Wow, I never expected see the world so... barren," remarks Vera, staring at the desolate, lifeless landscape. "...Well, actually I did, but I didn't think it would BE THIS COLD!"
"Well, believe it. This is a time long before global warming was EVER an issue," replies Alice.
While Vera tries to come up with a comeback, Alice examines the beach, irked by the smell of rotting flesh.
'Urgh, why does flesh have too stink so much?' she wonders.
Then, taking a moment to examine the beach, Alice notices something odd. After staring for a moment, she realizes what it is.
"Hey, look," she says, point at the area that separates the beach from the hard Earth further inland.
Vera and Tristan halt their arguments to see what has Alice,s attention, before going stiff with surprise.
Before them are a set of tiny plants. Now taller than a common weed, the consist of green stems ending in what appear to be mushroom caps colored red and blue. While they are very small, they COVER the edge of the beach.
"What are those?" ask both Vera and Alice, at the same time no less.
"If I'm right, those are Cooksonia. It's one of the first land plants ever. One day, these guys will give rise to trees, grass and flowers, but for now, they're just weeds. Still, these guys are giants in this time, and with nothing to compete with or eat them, they'll rule the land for the foreseeable future."
Alice and Vera stare on at the tiny plants, mesmerized by their colorful nature.
Guessing their thoughts, Tristan takes out some pots from the supplies Nigel gave him and moves toward the plants. He begins carefully uprooting the plants, but also rubs cloths against the tiny red and blue bulges on the tops of the plants.
"Wait, what are you doing?!" asks a confused Vera.
"Nigel said that we could take back plants as well as animals, and these ones are definitely keepers. Would you like to help me?"
Alice and Vera share a glance at each other, then quickly join Tristan.
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While the children devote some time for botany, Nigel is about to try a new strategy for saving arthropods.
Nigel is on a boat in the middle of large sea. In the distance are a large set of mountains. It's clearly not the same place as where he left the kids.
"Now, I've got a plan to catch some of the eurypterids."
Then, he pulls out what appears to be a giant mesh hour glass.
"This is a prawn trap. It works in the same way a wasp trap does: it funnels the prawns inside the funnels, where they become stuck and can no longer escape the trap. This one's been sized up so that I can use it for catching eurpyterids. Now, normally you'd use sandwich meat as bait, but mammals haven't evolved yet, so I'll stick with fish. I'm going to put it into a cage with the trap so that we can catch several eurypterids without losing the bait."
Nigel's plan may have an effective precedent, but will it work on arthropods the size of crocodiles?
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Back at the park, the rest of the team is busy acclimating some of the newcomers. The next few missions will involve many aquatic rescues, so the park has had to hire more marine staff. And they need quite a bit of training, considering what they're working with.
Marcus is in a wetsuit, looking at the assembled initiates. The group is a mix of people from varying ages, and ethnicities, with some staring at the water cautiously.
"Alright, welcome to training for the aquatic section of the park. I'm Marcus Joten, and its a pleasure to meet all of you. Now, before we begin, are there any questions... and before you ask, yes I'm a little young to be doing this."
No one raises their hands.
"Alright then, let's get to work. Now, you'll be working with a spectacular set of creatures unlike anything man has ever seen before, but we're going to start with the basics. So, your first set of charges will be familiar animals, such as pinnipeds, whales and sharks. Now, I'm going to start your training with feeding one of our more recent rescues. First, I'll need a volunteer."
The minute Marcus says volunteer, a hand goes up.
"Well, that was fast. Well, come up here."
The volunteer obliges. He's fairly bulky, but most of the bulk is muscle, and has brown hair and green eyes.
"What's your name?" asks Marcus.
"Ted."
"Okay. Nice to meet you. Now, I'm going to call out your first charge. He's on the smaller end of animal sizes here, but he's still rather large, so don't panic when you see him. Ready?"
"Yes."
"Alright, here we go."
Then, Marcus whistles loudly. After a moment of suspense, a large object bursts out of the water and lands near the assembled recruits, revealing itself as a seal-like creature.
"This is an Enaliarctos, one of the first walruses. This guy's a bull, so be careful around him."
The walrus proves this point with a loud growl. Marcus then takes out a fish.
"Now, this guy is just like modern walruses, ecept that he's more aggressive and has teeth meant for hunting, rather than dueling. So I suggest you don't take your time feeding him, unless you want to get some new scars."
Marcus tosses the fish at the walrus, who promptly bites it out of the air. Satisfied for the moment, it retreats back into the water.
The minute it leaves, another, even larger Enaliarctos bursts out of the water, landing right by ted, who flinches for a moment before regaining his composure.
"Alright," says Marcus as he hands Ted a bucket of fish, " now it's your turn. This guy's gonna need a few fish, so don't stop with one."
Ted quickly grabs the bucket and yanks out a fish. This excites the walrus, which starts moving toward time. Ted starts shaking, paralyzed with fear at the approaching giant. However, he manages to calm himself an throws a fish at the beast, which quickly digs in. He throws three more at it, at which point the now full predator returns to the water to rest.
"Well, you did great. Looks like you're off to a great start." Then. Marcus turns toward the rest of the recruits.
"Now, you guys might want to steel yourselves, because there are plenty of these guys headed our way."
Marcus moves aside, revealing well over a dozen more walruses headed their way.
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Back in Prehistoric New York, the away team has finished gathering the plants. Now, they're taking a rest.
Alice and Vera are sitting down, taking turns sharing an oxygen tank. Meanwhile, Tristan is... fishing.
"Why are you going fishing?" asks Alice, obviously confused.
"I'm bored, plus I might get a good resident for the park."
"Fish with jaws haven't even evolved yet!" complains Vera.
"Maybe I'll catch a eurypterid."
The girls share a look, before just deciding to drop the subject.
Then, something starts tugging on the pole.
'That was fast.'
"I've got a bite!" remarks Tristan, reeling in his catch as fast as possible.
Alice and Vera stare on, dumbfounded, at their friend's luck, while also wondering what he managed to hook.
Especially since it's pulling back HARD on the line...
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AN: Alight, finally got this one finished.
First off, from here on out, all segments will be at least 1,000 words long, if not bigger, to address concers about length.
Second, Ted is an OC provided by SonOfHermes23. Thank you for your submission.
Third, the catch is not Pterygotus, otherwise Tristan would currently be headfirst in the sand from it yanking the pole out of his hands.
And finally, you're free to imagine Alice and Vera being in swimsuits while watching Tristan reel in his catch, even if they are fully clothed, because I think its funnier that way. For some reason.
Anyways, read and review. This is Flameal15k, singing off.
