AN: This chapter is a long one. Also, I apologize if Michelle's scene seems to be pointless, but it's kinda important, just not at this exact moment.

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Tristan and Cassandra stared on in horror as the quadrupedal beasts scampered down the various structures, all heading toward the descending room. Though most were far away, Tristan had a feeling that they were snarling in glee, looking forward to carving up the humans and sinking their teeth into the hominids' flesh. The rational part of his mind noted that this was unlikely, since the only animals confirmed to be sadists were humans, great apes, and toothed whales, but that did little to ease his conscious. Especially with all of the predators headed this way.

Tristan glanced at the various people he had been tasked with rescuing. "Does this room have any defenses?"

One of the security teem turned to look him in the eyes. "There are some defensive turrets onboard, I can get them online."

"Then please, do that."

"On it. Also, do not think this means you can order me around."

"Hey, same team!...Also, why do you have turrets on an escape system for a research base?"

"These were built based about escape modules for ships used in the Third Pearl Cluster Conflict," replied Cassandra, eyes focused on advancing carnivores. "They were meant to carry weapons to fend off pirates looking for survivors to ransom. Nobody saw the need to remove the guns in case something went wrong."

"...Smart move."

"Surprised you didn't know about that, stowaway."

"Again, not a stowaway."

"Sure, whatever you say," Cassandra sarcastically replied, before turning toward Pythagoras' hologram display. "Pyth, how long will it take us to escape this facility?"

"Five more minutes to get to the transport tunnels, then ten more to reach the designated exit point. I am already formatting myself for transfer, so we will be free to leave as soon as the exit is reached...Also, aren't you short a few people for the defense turrets?"

'Not really, but then again there are a lot of extra turrets.' "Perhaps a little. I shall see to it that we get volunteers to staff the guns."

Cassandra then turned her attention toward Tristan. "Hey, how good are you at simulator arcade games?"

"Wait, those still exist?" 'Really?! He still thought it was okay to joke around?!'

"I have no time for jokes. Answer the question!"

"You mean like the Star Wars Battle Pod?"

'Why must he mention that overly convoluted franchise that has had too many people go back and forth on canon? "Yes, I suppose."

"Um, pretty well."

"Then join up with the defense team - the guns aren't too hard to control."

"...Why make guns that work like arcade machines?"

Pythagoras saved her from having to answer the stowaway's bullshit. "They were meant to be used by civilians, thus simplicity was deemed an advantage. Now, please, get over there and start fending off the monsters!"

XXXXXXXXXXXX

As the creatures continued to make their way toward the escape room, its floors, walls, and ceilings began to shake as the sonic turrets emerged from their resting places.

Within the topside turret control, Tristan couldn't help but stare at the console he was using, which for all the advancement present in this future world, looked a lot like an arcade machine., or maybe a flight simulator.

"Before you ask," interjected Pythagoras via his earpiece, "these are sonic suppression turrets, designed to repel animals, humans, and machinery. I've removed the safety restrictions and upped the firepower such that all shots should kill the predators in one hit. Additionally, the guns cannot run out of ammunition, though continuous firing of the weapons will lead to the turret overheating. I assume that anyone familiar with video games will know how to manage this properly."

"Shoot in controlled bursts, make every sot count."

"Excellent. Also, you needn't worry too much about the creature trying to board us via the elevator system - I've electrified the tram cable and elevator frame so that they will be cooked if they try to climb on them. Be advised, though, that they can just crawl down nearby cables to reach their targets."

"I see. Anything else to know?"

"The sonic weapons do too much damage to defend at close range. Grab and twist the handle on the right to switch them out for a close-range electric dispersal system - a lightning gun, if you will."

"So the handles work like Voltron Bayards?"

"..So that's what time you come from. Also, yes, more or less. Any last questions?"

"..Does this facility have a self destruct system?"

"Yes, but the timer is set at five minutes. I will activate it once you are at the three minute mark to ensure you have time to escape. Also, enemies incoming."

A glance at the targeting screen revealed a pack of predators crawling down a strut to reach them. Smiling, Tristan pulled his trigger and watched as one was flatted against the strut, while the rest scrambled to get down faster, only to meet similar fates as their fallen pack-mate. Soon, the other turrets joined in on different packs, and the slaughter began in earnest. Dozens of the creatures were killed within a minute, their corpses littering the ground. Yet more kept coming, but why? Why would a carnivore continue an attack that had killed so many of its kind? It didn't make sense.

Watching the fight in the observation deck, Cassandra had to agree with him - why were these beasts so belligerent?

Movement from one of the underground buildings made Cassandra squint in confusion, only to bolt away in fright as a predator slammed into observation deck, snarling at her. Briefly, it tried to break in, but seeing how scientists had managed to replicate the fabled transparent aluminum from a popular Space Opera, those efforts were futile. Said aggression did allow Cassandra to notice one peculiarity about this creature, though - it had thin, fleshy membranes stretched between its arms and legs, similar to the furry ones used by flying squirrels and sugar gliders. Was that how it had reached the platform?

Realizing that its attacks were futile, the predator began climbing upwards, until it disappeared from view. One flash later, and its smoking, twitching corpse fell back into view, before vanishing into the tunnel basin.

"Oh come on!" groused the stowaway. "Why do they get gliders?!"

"No idea," responded Cassandra, "but I think you have enough trouble as is. Pythagoras, can you patch me into the control network for these buildings?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Time to send some of these things into the abyss..."

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Tristan wasn't actually sure what Cassandra meant by that, but was saved from needing clarification when a nearby structure began shuddering, before suddenly collapsing into the abyss, taking many of the predators with it. More soon followed, significantly cutting down on the number of predators to kill. Yet more still seemed to be coming to take their place.

"HOW MANY OF THESE THINGS ARE THERE?!"

"No idea, kid," replied one member of the security team, "but it's amazing they haven't bolted yet."

"Any ideas on where they are coming from, Pythagoras?" asked a senior member of the team.

"Not sure - perhaps they were migrating to find more food, or breed, or...huh. That's odd."

"WHAT?!" shouted literally everyone in the entire room.

"Well...it appears there are numerous unidentified objects scattered around the Northern side of the facility that appear to be...human in origin."

Before anyone had time to ponder that, some sort of spike flew into one of the walls and embedded itself within. Turning to the source of the launch, the humans found another weird looking predator, this one with quills on its back...which it was now throwing at them.

"...Seriously?" snarled Cassandra in outrage. "WHAT THE FUCK?! WHERE DO THESE NEW CREATURES COME FROM?!"

"Well, at least it can't get any worse," remarked Pythagoras, only a predator to land on the roof. A large, heavily armored predator.

"...Shutting up now.

Every turret on the roof concentrated fire on the predator, with most switching to using sonic shots on the beast, but it seemed to shrug them off. Soon, it was trying to tear into the room.

Desperately, the humans intensified their fire, only for the guns to overheat. Tristan actually punched his 'booth' in frustration, which only succeeded in hurting his hand. Just as the creature appeared to be on the verge of breaking in, though, a huge creature slammed into it, sending it hurtling to the ground. The new arrival promptly let out a screech of victory, allowing the humans to get a look at it.

Much to Tristan's surprise, it was the same insect queen he had found just outside of the stasis room. Only this time, she wasn't alone - dozens of her kind were now flying through the tunnels, attacking any predators they found.

"...Um, Pythagoras, are these things hostile?"

"Negative, team - I have detected them all throughout the tunnels, but it appears that they are more interested in reaching the exits than attacking us. It appears they are merely here to eliminate rival carnivores."

"...Well, then I guess we are lucky," noted Tristan, glad that they weren't about to get slaughtered.

"indeed we are," noted Pythagoras, though to Tristan's shock, he said so both through the intercom and his earpiece. What he said next, though, was solely done over the earpiece. "Do you have blueprints for the time portal device?"

"Yeah, I have a physical copy in my pack. Why do you ask?"

"There is a scanner right under your console, scan the blueprints so that I can start fabricating a charger - it won't take more than a minute, but you are at the halfway point of the escape. Now would be a good time to get it built."

"...Understood."

XXXXXXXXXX

"Nigel, you're going to have to tell Tiberius about this soon."

"I know, Suzanne, but I'm just not sure how."

"Strikes a little close to home, doesn't it?"

"It does, Bob. It does."

Nigel was once again in his den, planning out a mission, but this time, it didn't revolve around rescuing a creature. Instead, it involved something he'd never wanted to tell his partner in building this park - that one of his kids was missing. It was something no parent wanted to here, and hit especially close to home for Nigel - if someone told him that Theo or Eleonora had gone missing, he would've had a heart attack. He held off breaking the news to Tiberius for a few days, but he knew that time was running out - while his partner had been unusually busy as of late, that wasn't likely to last too much longer, and he couldn't keep this disappearance a secret forever.

Knowing that the he would have to reveal the truth before too long, he'd assigned other keepers to fulfil Suzanne and Bob's duties so that he could obtain their assistance in deciding how best to break the news to Tiberius. That didn't mean it this any easier.

But it had to be done.

XXXXXXX

At the Coelophysis Exhibit, Michelle sighed as she finished corralling the small hunters into their pen. Suzanne had wanted to check to see if any of the females were pregnant, necessitating them being herded up to be checked for pregnancy.

As she was about to enter the truck, though, her keys were suddenly tugged away by an invisible force. Surprised, Michelle grabbed them with both hands, only to be pulled to the ground. Looking up, she was shocked to find a natural time portal standing before her. Then, without warning, something darted out of it.

What she saw was...weird. It looked like a saber tooth...but it was also a machine.

Oh, and it was looking right at her.

The moment seemed to last forever, but then the machine surprised her by running off. A moment later, the portal closed, leaving it trapped in the present.

Michelle watched the machine run off for a moment, then grabbed her keys and got in the truck. She could think about this later.

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The group was at last nearing the exit, as were the bugs. Most had already left, fleeing through tunnels they had burrowed through, which they hastily sealed to trap their hated foes within the caverns. Almost two hundred predators had died, but more were still on the group's heels. It seemed blind fury was what drove these beasts to kill.

A sigh of relief was released when the group finally reached the exit. The defenders hastily slaughtered the last of the predators on the room's surfaces before retracting the guns into their storage positions. A few more creatures tried to take advantage of the lack of defenders, only to find themselves at the mercy of the decontamination system (read: flamethrowers). The charred corpses were hastily cleared off the room as entered a sort of airlock, and upon the airlock door sealing, the room's doors opened, allowing the thirty survivors and one time-displaced arrival to exit the facility. In his haste to escape, Tristan almost missed the portable generator prepared for him, but managed to snatch it in time. Struggling to make up lost time, he was the last to reach the exit. Once he had arrived, Cassandra activated the door, which opened to reveal a drone...which was promptly batted away by a predator...

'HOW HAD THAT THING ESCAPED?!' was on the minds of everyone in the facility. Just as it was about to attack, though, a three toed foot slammed down, flattening its skull. A moment later, the feathered form of a tyrannosaur wandered into view, looking at the survivors in confusion.

"...Thanks Terence."

Slowly, Cassandra turned to Tristan, face perfectly capturing an expression of WTF. "Is that a Tyrannosaurus rex?"

"Yes."

"..How did it get here?"

"Time travel."

"Time travel?"

"Yes."

"...You know what, fuck it! I'm too exhausted to argue. Let's just leave."

"Okay."

As the group made their way out of the facility (being sure to grab everything Pythagoras had prepared for them, including his portable AI core), they briefly turned their attention northward, where the majority of the bugs seemed to be heading. The buzzing was rather hard to miss, after all.

"Any idea why they are heading there?" questioned Cassandra's father.

"Negative," replied Pyth, "all of my sensors in the northern parts of the facility are frying from surges as part of the self destruct. Though oddly, the surges are spiking faster than expected."

"Can we just go?" groused Tristan.

"...Yeah, let's get going."

"Wonder what challenges remain ahead of us?" idly inquired Cassandra.

"Don't jinx us," scolded her mother.

XXXXXXXX

The giant road-runner descendant hissed at the cavemen, who refused to put down their torches. Nearby, other creatures were also trying to coax them into moving, so that the caravan could continue onwards, but that wasn't happening.

The cactus forest had expanded as far as it could, and if these creatures wanted to survive, they would have to lay the foundations for a new one elsewhere. Already, many had formed caravans of sorts to find new pastures in which to start forests, with this group being just one. So long as they were on the move, the enmity of predator and prey was forgotten, with hunter and hunted instead uniting to face common foes - like the humans and the mammoth that were blocking their way.

The scuffling was interrupted, though, by the distant sound of an explosion - the laboratory had finally gone up in flames. Within, predators had tried to claw their way out, but only a few succeeded - the vast majority of the human slaughterers, be they elders or infants, had been consumed by the fires, their corpses reduced to ash.

The explosion provoked a truce of sorts, with both sides taking a few minutes to gawk at the smoke, unsure what to do next. Hostilities briefly resumed, only to once again be postponed when more humans arrived, alongside a tyrannosaur. Hastily, the one human in the new group who looked different from his peers pulled out a strange object and carried it toward one of the tents.

Not even bothering to take a break, Tristan began charging the portal device. The machine was powerful, but it needed quite a kick to get started again if it somehow depleted its stores. Fortunately, the generator had plenty of power to give, and the portal sticks were soon charging nicely.

An alarmed call from one of the wolves that had been outside the camp tore his thoughts away from the portal device. When Tristan saw the reason for this, his heart sank - several of the predators had survived the facility going up in flames, and they were barreling toward the camp. As he prepared to try and engage them, though, all of the other creatures suddenly united against the carnivores, massing together to keep them at bay. Though the sight is a surprise for Tristan, it is a welcome one, and he returns his attention to charging the portal sticks.

Just as the device nears completion, though, the thundering of footsteps once again turns Tristan's attention upward. Once again, his heart sinks, and this time, there is nothing to relieve it - a herd of bison and antelope are thundering toward the camp, driven by forces beyond Tristan's comprehension.

With no other choices left, Tristan sets the portal device for the present and moves to set it up...

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A flash of light interrupted Nigel's conversation with Suzanne and Bob. Much to his shock, a portal had opened in the clear nearby his den. For a moment, everyone gawked at the sight, before the heads of staff got their acts together, pulled out radios and started barking orders to the staff. Those who were already nearby approached the portal, where creatures had already begun to pour through into the present.

As it happened, Sean, Michelle, and Elise had happened to be among those workers, having been asked to bring in Big Al for a checkup, alongside several of the Coelophysis - the park wanted to see if they were breeding. The teens were careful to keep their distance from the creatures, though their eyes were darting around in search of Tristan.

Then a human walked out of the time portal...but they weren't Tristan. Yet that was just the start of their shock - before they knew it, a total of forty seven humans had exited the portal: seven looking as though they had come from the Ice Age (and one among those was a baby), while the rest almost look like they had come from...well, the future.

Then one final human tumbled out of the portal. One that the three teens recognized.

"Tristan!"

Instantly, Elise and Sean were upon their brother, trying to help him up, while Michelle offered him water.

"Tristan!" she exclaimed. "Quick question, who am-"

"You are Michelle Griffin, you two are my siblings Elise and Sean, and I'm Tristan Saurus, NOW CLOSE THE DAMN PORTAL RIGHT THE HELL NOW!"

Though stunned by Tristan's assertiveness and anger, the teens moved to comply. They weren't quite fast enough, though, as a horde of quadrupeds began to exit the tear in time.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!"

"There are creatures coming through the portal. If we close it now we could kill-"

"THAT'S THE GODDAM POINT!"

Like some crazed animal, Tristan crawled to the closest of the portal devices and twisted it off. Most of the quadrupeds made it through, but a few that hadn't were...essentially turned into meaty salsa. The three teens could only stare on in horror at the sight, unable to believe that their brother would be so cruel. Most of the quadrupeds didn't notice this, though, instead choosing to antagonize the other gathered creatures. Unfortunately, one did witness its comrades' deaths, and swiftly charged at Tristan.

Before it could strike, though, a dart flew through the air and impacted in its flank. Shocked and enraged, the creature turned to find Nigel pointing a tranquilizer rifle at it, with two more staff doing the same next to him. Letting out a snarl of rage, it leapt at them, knocking Nigel to the ground. Then, without missing a beat, it grabbed his rifle and used it to club the other two into unconsciousness, before slamming it into the ground hard enough to snap the gun in two.

Then it looked a Nigel.

As it prepared to sink its teeth into Nigel's neck, an enraged squeal filled the air. Then, from out of nowhere, a boar charged into the predator, goring it on its tusks. Angered beyond belief, the predator grabbed the boar, heaved it into the air, then slammed it into the ground. Before the pig could respond, the predator jabbed a finger into the porcine mammal's throat, and with one swift motion, disembowled it.

Before it could turn its attention back to Nigel, though, the sound of hisses, roars, and breaking metal turned its attention toward a transport truck. There, snarling in rage, was Big Al. Nearby, several Coelophysis were also gathered, ready to attack.

A somewhat distant roar also told the predator that Terence was still here, as was the mammoth, though both had caught the ire of the rest of the predators.

Oh, what a pain. But not a big one. After all, how hard could it be to kill a few animals?

XXXXXXXXX

All around the park, the staff watched on in confusion and fear as the various land animals seemed to go insane. One moment they were all come, the next they were railing against their exhibits, trying to break out. Why was a conundrum - none of them seemed to be in discomfort before things had gone to hell.

The only clue the staff had was that the creatures that had already escaped were headed toward a clearing outside Nigel's den, where Tristan had apparently returned. But what was there that was driving everything crazy?

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AN: The Final Battle Is Here!

Read and Review! This is Flameal15k, signing off!