A.N. Alright here's the official first chapter of the story. As always, we don't own anything :).

Soundtrack: Entering the Park by Daniel Pemberton

The young man had no idea what was going on. One minute he was coming out of the newly established recreation center after undergoing a daily workout and the next, he saw everyone heading towards one direction in the park. They all seemed rather excited about something, riled up even. He could clearly see the disbelief, the shock, the amazement, and some had hints of terror on them. Whatever the case, they were all headed towards one of the edges of the park.

Curiosity got the better of him and he followed. At first, he didn't see anything out of the ordinary. All of the buildings (most of which he assisted with) were already built. He didn't hear about any interesting events for the day so it couldn't be that. If it were somebody's birthday, this much attention was considered overkill. If it were some party, this was probably a bad way to showcase it if there were people that were half terrified. Now if someone was pulling a stunt, that would be a plausible explanation.

But who would be dumb enough to pull off a stunt here? And what kind would it be? It would have to be related to the equipment here or the animals. Even if it were one of those reasons, that person would be a complete idiot by doing any of those. They would find themselves expelled from the job!

As he made his way through the park, the man noticed that it wasn't just the employees that were excited. The animals were in it too. Those that were free-roaming (he still had no idea why anyone would allow numerous animals to go about the place with limited supervision, but his superiors kept saying there was nothing to worry about) were going in the same direction. Some people had to move out of the way when one of the elephant herds came charging through, with their human supervisors tailing reluctantly after them.

What would cause animals to get this crazy?

He didn't have to wait very long. Once he reached the large crowd gathering, his ears picked up a roar that was unlike anything he had ever heard. Looking to his left, his eyes fell upon the features of claws, sharp teeth, a tail, and a bipedal stance that could only be seen in museums, media, or in books. The creature stood nearly 12 feet in height and was nearly 40 feet long.

The man's brain had trouble registering the creature that ran through the valley. Soon, more of its kind joined in as it sauntered through its surroundings. They didn't seem to be going on a rampage, roaring and grasping at whatever came their way. Rather, they were investigating every feature of this place.

He was about to go on the defensive and have everyone around him organize a plan of attack or escape if it weren't for him seeing several humans riding jeeps riding close to the creatures. Rather than hearing them scream or them using their guns to shoot them, they were using hand gestures to lead them towards another part of the park. The creatures, awe inspiring as they were, obeyed and followed them.

He then found himself looking upon other creatures that should not exist at all. Large quadrupedal creatures with long necks and tails, creatures of varying shapes that sprouted horns, crests, and claws meandered by in a calm, organized fashion. Most of them either had feathers or scales, but very few had fur, such as that large pachyderm with the oversized tusks. What was even more surprising was the presence of humans there; they were literally guiding them like shepherds to a flock.

His brain was going into overload. He needed to see his superior about this. He needed answers. Muscling his way through the crowd, he eventually got where he needed to be.

Only, he saw his boss there, not only standing with a few other humans, but more of the fantastical creatures as well.

"Holy...what the fuck?" he stammered as he pointed to each and every creature that was present there.

The creatures that were there were similar to the ones that were now wandering through the park, but there was something about the ones here that was more different than the rest. And it wasn't because they were surrounding the heads of staff. He was literally in the presence of animals that should be dead, and yet these ones gave off a sense of superiority. The humans that he worked under were not giving them a wide berth and they were giving them utmost respect. It was like they were looking upon gods and they were mortals. And he had a niggling feeling the creatures shared the mutual prospect.

"Is that a...are they...uh that's a giant bird, wooly rhino...and those big things are...with the tails and the teeth and the-" he stammered as he observed the strange animals that were there. Amazingly enough, they seemed to be giving him ample space while he was in his growing delirium.

The man he came to find chuckled in a joyous manner. How is this sort of thing joyous!? "Yes Daniel! Those are the Sabers, our Resident Elasmotherium and Terror Bird, and everyone else that's not them are dinosaurs."

His mind finally clicked at the word that kept escaping him. He knew what they were. He just had a hard time registering it. "Uh uh uh...you said...Residents?"

"Yes. They all live here. We had to move them to our Temporary Facility in Late Cretaceous Alaska while construction goes on here."

Temporary Facility? Alaska? The Late Cretaceous!? This was all too much for him! "Erm...time travel...dinosaurs...giant mammals...?"

His head started to spin. He placed a hand on his head to try to ease the sensation, although it was futile. His vision was starting to get blurry and he started to feel hot. Already, he was struggling to keep himself straight.

In his disoriented state, he heard one of his other superiors speak to him. He also felt heavy hands press on his shoulders. "Hey it's okay, dude. Just take deep breaths. Nice and slow."

"It's impossible!" was what he managed to blurt out.

"Yes but they're all here," his manager inevitably confirmed.

When he opened his eyes, he saw the man, the engineer named Marcus Rey, before him. Gently pushing him out of the way, and charging through his headache, he sought to confront the man of this discovery of a lifetime. In his mind, he demanded answers, and not just for him alone.

"You...my...explain...oh…" was all he said before the headache overtook him. The man fell forward and he knew no more.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Daniel woke up in a cold sweat. His chest bare, the blanket slid down as droplets of sweat fell. He gasped and took in a few breaths before they normalized. A soft pang in his head rang for a moment, a result of how he was positioned.

"Just a dream," he thought.

A quick rub of his eyes and he made a note of his surroundings. Teal-colored walls encased what is his room; the product of a recent repaint from the custodian. Due to the recent renovations, all the staff in the park received new rooms while their former living spaces were worked on. Situated on a white bedside shelf was his touch screen phone. Right next to the door out of his room was his personal bathroom, which was darkened in the early hours. The only source of light came from the window that lay on the far side of the room. The blinds were down, but even then, the dim blue lighting of dawn leaked in the room.

His room was more amiable than the last one he had. It was a little bigger and he was the sole occupant. Although the loft bed was still the same. The white, tile floors were clear of any clothing or item, just the way he liked it. Back in his college days, he would get irritated when his roommates would dirty the floor rather than pick them up.

His wardrobe was situated to his far right, right next to it was his dresser, which had a large round mirror attached. The dresser had various items on top, like a hairbrush, a few utilities, and his phone.

However, the one item that caught his eye was an overstuffed file folder. His feet felt the cold sleekness of the floor as he slid off his bed. The only piece of clothing he wore were green pajama shorts, though had the climate been a little different, he would have worn a white T-shirt too. Each of the rooms in the complex included its own thermostat; it just so happened that he liked to keep his room at a cool 65 degrees. Going over to his dresser, his hands held the folder that contained the multitude of notes and pictures he accumulated.

Grabbing the phone on the shelf, he went back to the dresser and activated its built-in flashlight function. Flipping through the folder's contents, he saw the various notes he made on the park as well as the pictures he took. The section he stopped at were the pictures he took when he visited that grove on the mountainside. He took a look at the pictures that included his superiors and the life-like props of dinosaurs and prehistoric creatures. His eyes also fell on the other people that were shown, particularly a certain woman with long, dark hair.

Hazel Veran.

She is the daughter of the late Jacob Veran, who was the former partner of Nigel Marven, the leader of this park. She has ties to this place.

Daniel shut his eyes, his mind deviating to the dream that lingered, though it began to fade. She was there, right next to Nigel and those creatures. While he couldn't remember her reaction, she was definitely present. She had something to do with all of this, and it wasn't just because she was Jacob's daughter.

He couldn't help but feel that dream felt more real than he thought.

From his approximate two year stay in Prehistoric Park, he came to the conclusion that Nigel was planning on creating another documentary on the side of caring for endangered creatures. That would explain the life-like props in the pictures. But the fact that the park demanded more resources and was making more income in their shipping was proving hard to solve.

And that was his current assignment on his agenda. He still needed to send Director Rain a report on his findings, but with his findings, he felt he needed more evidence. After all, claiming his target's goals without substantial evidence wouldn't look good on his report. He wanted to make sure he made a clean sweep of this place before returning to the SAGES. He just hoped the Director would be lenient on him as he hadn't sent a report in a while.

Daniel's phone lit up and rumbled. His attention returning to his device, he saw a text message coming from none other than Nigel Marven. The message listed was simple.

"Good morning Daniel. I would like to meet with you today regarding something important. Please report to my office at 8:00 AM."

Daniel furrowed his brows. He wondered what sort of meeting this was about. The conclusion he came to was it was just a regular performance review. If so, then it was nothing major. He had been rather competent in his work, which was what Nigel told him at the last meeting. Still, it was a meeting and he needed to be professional.

After getting dressed into his uniform, he tidied himself in his bathroom. Taking a look at himself in the mirror, he noticed a change in himself. He had acquired more muscles on his arms and legs. His chest was buffed and he sported abs. The only thing that changed little was his face. He had the same dark eyes and the same shapely features. He cut his hair recently (thank goodness he had an updated sense of style and he knew how to use a razor) so it looked rather short. The work he had done around the park had proven useful as they toned his body, not that his work with the SAGES did the same but with multiple workouts did help.

Being so engrossed with blending in with the staff while on a secret mission had caused him to not notice himself.

Once he was done tidying up, he made his way out of the complex, out into the expanse of the park. The early morning brought about a coolness to it and a sense of quiet. The only difference was it was a little brighter now. Looking up, he saw the clouds were overcast and the slight chill in the air meant it was going to be a little cool today.

He made his way through the park. He didn't see many people as they were still getting ready for the day. Already, he was hearing the groans and the soft cries of the animals in the park. One such cry was that of a raspy screech that went off in a rhythmic pattern, which was followed by the groan of an elephant. The bird cries immediately stopped.

"Two years of being here and the animals are still weird," he muttered to himself.

A few minutes later he came across one of the senior staff members. It was a hefty man with a balding head and mustache. His hair is already turning white in some areas. Rather than wearing brown shorts like a few other employees, he was wearing working pants alongside his Prehistoric Park uniform. He was pushing a rather filled wheelbarrow full of grains. Upon closer inspection, they looked like duck feed.

"Morning Daniel!" the man greeted, letting the cart rest on the ground.

Daniel gave him a tired wave. "Uh...good morning, Bob."

"Had a restless night? Seems like you woke up on the wrong side of the bed."

Daniel scratched the back of his head. He let out a chuckle. "Erm...you can say that again."

So much for making himself appear prepped for the day. Upon getting to that topic, he thought about his dream last night. Bob Arthur seemed like an approachable person, even though he was a higher up. Daniel saw no harm in discussing it with him about it.

"Bob, if it's alright, can I talk to you about something?"

The man turned to him. When he did, Daniel caught sight of a peculiar earpiece in his right ear. He had no idea what those were. Normally, business people would use those, especially in a corporate environment. However, it looked like a mix between a Bluetooth earpiece and a hearing aid. And this certainly wasn't a corporate environment. Perhaps he was listening to music? If so, that would have to be the strangest earphone he's come across.

"Sure. What's eatin' you?"

"I uh...had a weird dream last night," said Daniel, tearing his attention from the earpiece.

Bob took upon an inquired look. "A dream?"

"Yes. I remember seeing you all gathered at the rear of the park in front of those strange poles. You were all excited about something. A bright light was shining and coming out were creatures long since dead. Mammals and dinosaurs. I remember seeing some people in the mix too. It was as if we were in Jurassic Park, except we weren't. Then I remember seeing Nigel talking to some creatures. And I mean talking! There was a girl there too and she seemed to be talking to them too," he explained. As he did, he was glad he left out the mention of Hazel Veran being in there...and how attractive she looked. "I know it sounds crazy, but that dream just felt so real!"

The head keeper's response came as an amused smirk. Daniel found that off-putting. Then again, dreams are mostly nonsense to a lot of people. If he had a mind, the man must have found the explanation amusing. This dream was probably making his day. So much for a good conversation.

Bob whistled. "Wow...that's some dream."

"You were all literally talking to them!" he shook his hands in front of him, parallel to each other. "I know some of the staff were just as surprised but it was impossible! Dinosaurs and those mammals have been dead for millions of years! And I remember Nigel saying this park was meant to be a home for them."

Daniel sighed. "Maybe I've been working too hard. And those videos given to me in the beginning must already be getting to me. Anyway, it was just a dream."

"Well...it does seem like you've been overworked," Bob agreed. "Although, I always feel like I'm in a dream, only then I found out it's reality. But that's every day for me."

The secret agent laughed. "Right, as if a dream can become reality."

A sonorous bellow made Daniel jump. The ground rumbled, but not to the point where he lost his footing. Every second or so, another rumble occurred, and it was getting stronger. Following the stronger tremors came more bellows on the same frequency as the one before.

Looking up, he yelped as he fell on his rump. Walking from the right and just passing behind Bob were four giant long-necked creatures. They sported sandy-colored hides and sharp spines that ran from their necks down to their freely twirling tails, which were black and white striped. Their muzzles were elongated, almost like a horse's. Their teeth were flat and pegged. Their eyes were small, but they held a sort of sentience to them.

Bob laughed as he turned to look at the creatures. He gave the creatures a wave and one of them let out a soft groan in response.

When he did that, something in Daniel's mind clicked. The dream he had. He recalled what occurred then. Upon further inspection, he finally realized what he had wasn't a dream at all. What happened really did happen! And it just so turned out it was from the day before.

"So I wasn't dreaming," he thought in surprise. "I did see them."

He also recalled what happened after he fainted. With the help of some other employees, he was brought to his room, where a vet had checked on his condition. He had been out for a couple hours or so. Other than his face being a little sore and his head throbbing, he was going to be fine. After she left, he took a quick shower and went straight to bed.

While his discovery had only happened in the past 24 hours, he knew this was going to take a while to get used to. He also wondered how the Director was going to take this bit of news.

"Uh...those are..." he stammered as he tried to get the right words out.

"Yup! Those are Diplodocus," Bob finished the sentence for him. Shockingly enough, the man wasn't as surprised as the rookie before him. it was as if he took this as a common occurrence. "Don't worry, I was in your shoes once. Sometimes I feel like I'm still dreaming, but then I see this valley and it answers my questions."

He picked up the wheelbarrow and hauled it away, but not before sending one last thing to him. "Welcome to Prehistoric Park!"

Daniel shook himself out of his stupor. Now he understood why this place was called Prehistoric Park. The props in those pictures weren't props at all. They were real! And the huge enclosures he spent two years helping on building were meant to house these creatures! Now it all made sense! This whole valley was designed to keep these creatures! Nigel's plan to house endangered creatures was actually a coverup to create a Jurassic Park rip-off! This was all too much for him.

Righting himself, he continued on his way towards the man that would give him the answers he needed. On his way there, he saw more employees going about their day. Observing them, he was shocked to see them interacting with the animals, and some of those animals seemed to be helping them with their chores. Not only that, it looked like they were all talking to each other.

He found solidarity when he came across a few other new recruits who were just as dumbfounded as he was. Before he could inquire more on the park, they took off towards a direction he wasn't taking. He even tried to ask some of the other staff members, but all they gave him were vague answers or were too busy with their duties. A quick look at his phone and he saw it was 7:45. He needed to get to Nigel's office.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When he arrived at Nigel's office, Daniel saw the place as messy as before. There were books and papers strewn all over the place, though they were applied neatly. There were a few tables that housed those books and his desk was filled to the brim with papers and files.

Coming up to the area, he found Nigel sitting alone at his desk reading a few papers. The start of the meeting went off as expected. Nigel greeted him politely and they went straight onto business. When Daniel wanted to get to speaking about the park, Nigel calmed him and asked if he could hold off on that for a bit. He promised he would answer all of his questions but wanted to check on his condition first.

Daniel answered in all honesty. He was fine, he had a good night's sleep. He was a little hungry but he said he could wait until after the meeting to get a bite to eat.

Satisfied with the answer, Nigel went onto the more pressing matter.

"I apologize for not meeting you sooner. I had my hands full with getting everything back in shape with all the Residents coming back. I understand you have all sorts of questions regarding our establishment."

"Oh you don't know the half of it," said Daniel. Where could he begin? He went with the first thing on his mind. "Why keep this in the dark? I mean, dinosaurs? Mammoths? This is all...well...too much to take in at one time."

Nigel lifted his hands up in a calming gesture. "I know. We wanted to keep this down low. The renovations this park was going through was for them. Before the huge hiring period, and your arrival, our Residents here have been needing extra space to roam around in. Hence this whole expansion period. We had to transport the Residents to a separate facility, at least the ones that can make the move. Besides, had we revealed what our real intentions were, none of the new recruits, you included, would have believed us."

Keep this on the down low? Something this big needed to be kept in the down low? How can someplace that was the equivalent of Jurassic Park be kept in the down low? How has the public not found out about this place yet? Daniel felt himself getting more frustrated by the minute.

"But why creatures of prehistory? What gave you the idea to do such a thing?"

He yelped again that day when a bipedal creature landed on the desk from a nearby branch outside the gazebo. The creature wasn't a bird, but it was indeed covered in colorful feathers. It was about the size of a large parrot, perhaps a little larger by a few inches. It was dinosaurian and it had sharp teeth to boot. The white and grayish-blue feathers were also striking.

The creature made numerous chirps and took a step closer to the terrified agent. The man scooted his chair back as a result as he wanted to put as much space as he could between himself and the creature.

The creature had proven his point, and he used it to back his claim. "You're allowing them to roam beyond cages! A number of them are carnivores no less!"

Right when he said that, the dinosaur spread its wings and hissed at him. Its teeth and claws were razor sharp. It let out a series of rasps and barks.

Before it could jump on him, Nigel placed a hand on the creature's back. The dinosaur turned and relaxed as the man calmly gazed at it. Just like before with the other staff members, he began to talk to the animal.

"Breezy, I'll handle this. I'll give you my cashews after this meeting."

Letting out a snort, the carnivore raised its head and turned towards the branches. One leap from its strong legs and a spread of its arms and it was now out of the office vicinity. Still reeling from that encounter, Daniel shakily relaxed and demanded once again to the park leader.

"What the bloody hell was that?"

"That's just Breezy," Nigel simply replied. "She and her friends always come here to see if I have some nuts on me. It's one of their favorite snacks. She likes to give me the rundown of the park every day."

"You're speaking as if they can talk to you. I've seen this happening around the park. Some of us are wondering about that," Daniel brought up. The answer from his "boss" didn't quite satisfy him.

"Oh. That's because they can."

Daniel stared at him as if he grew two heads. The nonsense he spoke of animals being able to talk was absurd. Except for parrots, animals can't talk. So what sort of being possessed him to believe animals can really speak to humans? In fact, was everybody in this park mental?

The reaction Daniel made caused Nigel to light up in realization. His eyes went wide and his brows went up.

"Oh! You still haven't gotten yours, haven't you?" he said.

"Gotten what?" went a confused Daniel.

"Hold on, I should have a spare here."

It was then that Nigel started to rummage through the drawers in his desk. The sound of multiple drawers opening and closing went off in the air. It was like a weird wooden block concert. Add that with the clatter of the items in the drawers and the papers shuffling around and it was just miniscule chaos. Still, Daniel waited in his seat patiently.

About two minutes later, the park leader sat back up and a drawer closed. He placed his hand forward and laid a small object on a sheet of paper.

"There we are. That should help you in the coming days," Nigel let out a breath, tired from having to go through the contents of his desk.

Upon closer inspection, Daniel saw it to be one of those earpieces he saw other people wearing. So much for deducing it as a new listening device.

"What is that?" inquired the secret agent.

"It's a Communicator. Specifically designed to allow a human to hear what the Residents are saying. It translates prehistoric speech into pure English."

He picked up the tiny device. It felt light and there were parts of it that were metal and others that were silicone, or a material similar to it. There was a small button in the middle of it. For a piece of tech said to translate animal languages, this looked simple.

"Now to answer your questions," Nigel righted himself and interlocked his fingers on the desk. The office visitor placed the device into his pocket as he would check on it later. "I'm not sure if you are fully aware, but I wasn't the only one on this project. In regards to the park I mean."

Daniel's ears perked at that. He was well aware of the history of the park. The debriefing at the SAGES and his sneaking around the park were the contributors to his knowledge. Still, he schooled himself to appear none the better for the park leader.

"I had a partner. Jacob Veran," said the park leader. "We both had an idea on wanting to bring back prehistoric creatures from extinction and help them flourish again in the present. So we worked together on time traveling technology and on getting this place ready. Sadly, before the park was finished, my partner and best friend lost his life."

He sighed and reached for a drawer on his left. Opening it, he rummaged through the contents until he retrieved a photograph. Taking a moment to look at it, he then gave it to Daniel. As he stared at the photo, he saw that it was younger Nigel along with the other heads of staff in front of some forested mountains. The trees were jungle trees as they had vines growing off of them. Save for Nigel, the staff present wore different outfits than they did now. Suzanne sported a Triceratops T-shirt with denim capris. Bob wore a blue polo with working pants. Marcus, being the most casual, wore a grey tank with the 1980's Batman logo along with grey shorts that had a few rips. Around his waist was his classic tool belt. Standing on the left of Nigel was none other than Jacob Veran.

"In a way, this place is his legacy too," Nigel continued. "We carry on his memory, especially his daughters. You've already met one of them. Hazel Veran."

"Oh...right," he said, placing the photograph gently back onto the desk.

"Quite a first impression you made yesterday," Nigel commented.

Daniel bit his tongue. He tried to hide his embarrassment from that incident, however judging from the amusement on Nigel's face, he was failing terribly at it. Wanting to deviate from that subject, he switched back to the more pressing issue. In this case, it was a series of questions.

"How is all this possible? What makes your technology work? How can this Communicator translate what the animals say into something humans can understand? What if someone gets hurt because the animals are roaming around? What about any problems with the carnivores? Surely there have been disasters in the past? What else are you planning for this place? Is there anything else about the park I should know about? What's going to happen if the public finds out about this place? Are you planning to release them all if such a thing happens?"

"Slow down, Daniel," Nigel stopped his tirade. The agent bit his tongue and retracted from his prodding. "You're getting ahead of yourself. I'll answer them one at a time."

And so Nigel explained everything he knew about Prehistoric Park. He didn't skip a beat in his explanation. He started out with how he and Jacob came up with Prehistoric Park as their brainchild, to their adventures in preparing for the park, and Nigel's own adventures within the park after his friend's disappearance. It was also a coincidence that he so happened to mention the DVDs he and the other recruits were given in the beginning; those were recordings of his other adventures and they were disguised to look like regular pieces of entertainment. Daniel and the other rookies were given those as clues to what they were dealing with!

He then went on to explain everything that happened when Hazel was involved, which included a brief rundown of the events that happened. However, he merely mentioned a summary of Hazel's adventures, but explained it would be best for him to speak to her or one of her friends to get a better understanding of the stories. It was after he stopped at the part where the new recruits came in that he fell silent on the summaries, as if he was leaving something out.

From what Daniel was gathering, this place was never slow. It had survived three breakouts. While the park had sustained damage during such crises, they always bounced back. It was surprising how the SAGES had no idea about the truth regarding the need for funds for the reconstruction. There was also that financial crisis the park nearly went through, which would explain the idea to ship fertilizer to other organizations. The companies had no idea they were using prehistoric animal waste. As far as the park, and Nigel, knew, the sanctuary was a world secret. Only a select few individuals outside the park knew of its existence, but that was it.

Not even the SAGES knew.

The park had its ways of maintaining its secrecy, even practicing a new "security measure" around the park borders. However, Daniel knew it was only a matter of time before this place was revealed to the world. Even if it were by his design or if someone stumbled upon this place. Such a reveal would not only be revolutionary, but problematic to a lot of people. Whatever the case, he needed to focus on the task at hand.

Nigel did well in answering his other questions, though some of them he could not answer properly. The communicators can indeed translate the animals' speech into English, but as for the specifics, they were near impossible to explain. Nigel bypassed that by explaining to him he can ask Marcus for a better explanation as the park leader would have a tendency to drag on the subject.

As far as safety in the park, none of the staff had gotten seriously injured. With the new infirmaries established, health care has been increased and the Communicators have helped in defusing situations. To add to that, the Socialization Fields that were established allowed the animals to roam further and to get to know each other, plus they had access to more resources. That explained why Nigel requested more land to be added to the park.

There had been problems with the carnivores before, mostly during the breakouts, but the ones that occurred more often were with a couple of them. Except for one of the Allosaurus, Nigel explained he had an emotional problem, the others had issues with the park in general. They had caused trouble in the past but there hasn't been any major trouble with them ever since those incidents.

With the sanctuary being a world secret, the public finding out was always a top concern. The park took several measures to make sure the outside world did not find out about this place. The people that did know of its existence were trusted individuals that Nigel and the park worked alongside with (whoever they were, the park leader did not specify). Nigel said if the park was revealed, they would do their best to work through it while upholding the safety of the Residents. However, with the measures they had, park exposure was a low possibility.

As for what other plans Nigel had for the park, he said he wished to introduce his rescued species back into the world. But such a venture would require much time and patience. Letting them go if things did go wrong was something he did not wish at all, not when his priority was to let the populations grow safely and properly. For now, he wanted to keep them hidden until the right time when they could be introduced into the world. To Daniel, it seemed like a child's dream to rescue dinosaurs and grow them before letting them loose. It was dangerous too. If they were going down this route, how would they know if it was the right time to release them? If these creatures can speak to them, are they trustworthy enough to keep their word and not cause any chaos? As far as he knew, they could cause an imbalance in today's world. Not everyone would be as accepting of that notion as the people here. Then again, Nigel mentioned the process would take a long time. Who knows what the world would be like by the time they reach that point. One thing was for certain, Nigel Marven did not want his park to end up like the Jurassic Park movies.

Twenty minutes had passed when Nigel finally answered all of Daniel's questions, including any others Daniel added in his list. With the inquiry tirade complete, Daniel slumped in his chair to allow all the answers to process in his mind.

"Wow…this is…a lot to take in," he did his best to grasp the explanations. "I take it you're planning on doing this to the other new recruits too?"

"I have some other people doing that right now," Nigel answered. "My priority at the moment is you."

"Me? Did I do something wrong?"

He shook his head. "Not exactly. You've exceeded my expectations, even going so far as to work overtime to help others. You also possess an eagerness to learn; I like that. So much so that I'd like to offer you an opportunity."

The young man was taken aback by the sudden news. To him, it sounded like a promotion of sorts. While that was not required in his primary mission, that sort of promotion can help in the short term when getting answers. "An opportunity?"

"Seeing that you have an excellent work ethic, you know how to operate park equipment, and you are fascinated with how the park runs, how would you like to undergo some special training to join on rescue missions?"

Daniel's eyes went wide. "Rescue missions? To find more...Residents?"

"Yes, we have a new program that's starting soon, and if you are interested, I'd like for you to join."

"A program?" Daniel questioned. He had not heard about this at all. This must be a new development that they came up with recently.

"That's right," Nigel then went on to explain the reasoning. "Due to some disastrous circumstances that occurred recently, we've decided to create a program to test individuals wishing to be a part of rescue missions. It's for us to see if they truly are capable of handling such missions. Before then, being a part of the rescue team was a first come, first serve basis, as long as they did the necessary research and were up to the task, along with some other implications they had to meet. Now, because of said circumstances from before, we need to take extra measures to make sure individuals truly are qualified."

Ah so that's what he intentionally left out. Something happened as of late and it was around the time he arrived. Following that, whatever occurred had caused some distress in the park leader.

"I see...what disastrous circumstances are you talking about?" Daniel wondered. "Did something happen in the park?"

The transition into that topic all the more caused Nigel to appear uncomfortable. "Well...that's a long story and it certainly will take a while to explain. This all goes back to the reason why the Residents were moved to a Temporary Facility while construction went on here. Let's just say problems arose and those that were chosen to be out in the field weren't fully prepared."

He sounded a little strained on the next part of his answer. "The good news was none of the staff were seriously hurt, although such a venture resulted in Resident casualties and a number of the staff present either resigning or taking administrative leave."

The reveal shocked the secret agent and intrigued him at the same time. This event was a disaster of sorts. No wonder there was a mix of emotions upon the employees that recently arrived. They were exhausted and grieving over the losses they received. And with several employees leaving soon, the staff roster would be down by a significant amount, either they were quitting or taking administrative leave. On his way to Nigel's office, he did hear about multiple Residents taking trips to the infirmary and them having some injuries or sleep problems. Whatever happened during this event, it was so bad that it made a lasting impression.

Daniel wanted to inquire more about the incident, seeing as that would satiate his curiosity and provide some interesting evidence to his report to Director Rain, but Nigel did not want to delve anymore into that subject. He made a note to touch base on it later or speak to someone else who knew about it.

"Anyway, back to the program," the man diverted the focus to a more business-appropriate subject. Daniel readied himself for another long explanation. "If the candidates of the program meet our expectations, they can be given a Partner Recommendation, a rather new thing that's been added here. For the first time, the staff here can pair up with a Resident of their choice and bond, teach each other about the world they live in as well as help each other in tasks. Not only that, but if they do well in the program and meet our expectations, they can go on rescue missions."

Daniel blinked. "Wait, I'm going to be paired with an animal?"

The zoologist frowned, giving him a schooling glare. From the short time Daniel had been in this place, Nigel had never done that sort of thing to anyone. "Be careful with your terminology, Daniel. Around here, they're called Residents."

The man briskly nodded, not wanting to cause tension with the target he was meant to investigate. "Sorry."

"And that's only if you wish it as well as if you pass the training with flying colors. You don't have to go for it if you don't want to. I'm just saying you've met the qualifications for the-"

"Okay," his answer was quick to the point.

Nigel stopped. He stared at him for a few seconds. "Really?"

"Yes. If this is a good way for me to learn more about this place and it's an opportunity to help the park, then yes. Besides, I've always wanted to experience time travel."

While that was true, this was an opportunity for Daniel for another reason. This way, he could get even more evidence he needed for his report and maybe learn even more secrets about this place and of its Residents. He's already earning Nigel's trust, so he was already in a good position. Might as well play along for now. That and he was curious on what this program entailed. Before this place can be revealed to his real boss, he might as well learn as much as he can for the fun of it.

"Well alright then," went Nigel. He turned to his left and opened a drawer below the one where he retrieved his photograph. Rummaging through the files, he retrieved a somewhat thick packet from the contents. Upon closing the drawer, he handed it to the recipient.

"Here is a packet detailing the information about the program. Pay very close attention to each detail as they are very important, especially the exceptions."

Daniel had not opened the packet just yet as he wanted to have his questions answered first. "So by going through this program, I'm guaranteed a spot in the rescue team?"

"Not exactly. You still need to show us you are capable of going through with a mission. Already you've shown us you have good stamina and knowledge on how to use park equipment. That's already two requirements out of the way."

"What about my partner? I can choose any one of the Residents?"

Nigel stopped him there. "Slow down, Daniel. You need to pass your training first. However, you can 'look around' and meet them, so to speak. If you are given a Partner Recommendation, you will need to adhere to the guidelines and be mindful of the exceptions."

"Oh, another thing to note. What you have is just a preliminary version of the guidelines. A more updated version will be released soon, but I wanted you to have this one so you can get more information about it. I will let you know when the final version is complete."

Daniel understood and opened the packet. The park leader and his team did a good job with detailing the specifics. The guidelines seemed straightforward; the candidates needed to have certain qualifications to be considered as additions to the rescue team. Then there was the tidbit about having Partners (in this case a Resident of their choice as long as they agree to it) join them in missions. As he read along, he also saw the candidate needed to pass certain tests in order to qualify for rescue missions. Such tests included testing their stamina and reflexes, their knowledge on prehistory, have basic survival skills, and know how each of the park equipment operates. If the candidate can pass their final test that includes all 4 aspects, they will successfully pass.

"Seems simple enough," he thoughtfully acknowledged.

While he hasn't had experience with wilderness survival, he has experience in going on missions around the world with stopping black market organizations and taking down poachers and the like. That and his time with the park helped him keep physically fit as well as teach him how their equipment operates. He only had a limited amount of knowledge on prehistory so he needed to study up on that. Daniel felt he really was qualified but he figured there was more to it than what was listed. He needed to see what else these requirements entail.

Upon further inspection, he noted a section called the Exceptions list. The list seemed to be listing 17 individuals, with the last entry showing "more to be listed on the way". The names listed were odd. He had no idea what each of them meant, with the exceptions of Suri and Kerato. He heard of the name Suri before, mostly because the daughter of the actor Tom Cruise had a child named Suri. Kerato seemed to have a Greek origin to it, thus he translated it to "horn". He guessed that meant this was a horned Resident. Regardless, he wanted to know what sort of inspiration the staff got when they created these names.

A thought clicked in his mind. Or these Residents were already named when they were brought here. They must have asked them thanks to these Communicators.

While he was interested in this program, Daniel had his suspicions. With this program just being created (and still being updated), he had no idea of the safety protocols this entails. Someone could get hurt if this was not set up properly. It could end up like a disaster like what happened in this Temporary Park. However, the park leaders seemed to have put up most care in creating this program to try and prevent a crisis like that. One thing was for sure, Nigel and the park will have a lot to say when the Director gets wind of this.

"Now as part of the rescue team auditions," Nigel went on, "you'll be undergoing certain tests to prove you qualify."

"What will I need to do to prepare?" Daniel answered as he gently placed the packet next to his new Communicator.

"You'll find out as you go along. I suggest you do some research into prehistory and on the Residents as we'll ask you questions every now and then. And I suggest getting to know the Residents. They have some stories to tell you. And if you pass all of our qualifications, you'll be eligible for a final test that combines all the aspects of the other tests."

The new recruit eyed him with a hint of amusement. "Is this really a park you're running? Or is it a school?" he asked. If anything, this program was sounding more like a prehistoric Hogwarts.

Nigel merely laughed. "You bring up a good point there. Now, before we conclude, there's one other thing you need to know now that you're going for this program."

"What's that?"

"I'm assigning you to one of my employees," he informed him. "She will be your trainer until you get the full grasp of things in the park and she will help you with getting through the program."

"Alright," the man nodded.

"She's quite a nice girl. She knows her stuff and she practically lives here. Although, like me, she is quite sensitive about the Residents so keep in mind about that. She does have a knack for leadership."

Daniel nodded in acknowledgement. "Sounds like quite a character. What's her name?"

Nigel smirked. "Why, it's Hazel Veran."

While the secret agent managed to hide his reaction, he was quite stricken by that bit of information. He is literally being paired with Jacob's daughter, of all people. Judging from prior knowledge, Hazel is considered his protégé. It was as if the universe was playing with him right now. Rather than being close to the park leader, he was given another route to learn about this place. It seemed like whatever he does on this mission, Jacob's daughter will be involved. Talk about coincidence.

"This is sounding more like a family business," Daniel prodded playfully. "Would Jacob happen to have any other relations connected to this place? Just out of curiosity."

Nigel's face lit up. "Oh. Why yes, he does. His youngest daughter, Hanna, happens to be our newest intern. It's kind of a new venture we're exploring so this is an experimental process, but it should overall prove to be advantageous for her in the long run. And then there's the girl's mother, Beth Silva. She's Jacob's widow if you're aware."

"Actually, if I remember correctly, Hanna and Beth are now living here too. They're just working things out with their business outside the park before they are fully moved in. But you'll see them around here."

"Definitely a family business," he understood.

The park leader chuckled. "Well, in some aspects, it sort of is. We are all one big family."

Daniel pondered the situation he is now in. "It seems I have a lot to learn about this place."

"Hazel will help you in getting to know the Residents," he reassured. "Be mindful of everyone, especially towards specific Residents here. They can be interesting characters. And be sure to give them respect; do that and they'll respect you."

"Got it."

Nigel thought for a moment before speaking up again. "Oh that reminds me. There's a party happening in a few days with Hazel and her teammates. It's mostly for them, but I believe it will be beneficial if you join in too."

"Oh. Sounds like a good way to meet them," the now interested Daniel piped.

His manager nodded. "I will give her a notice then."

Daniel stood up and pushed the chair closer to the desk. He then gave him a polite nod. "Thank you for your time. I'll do my best out there."

The man smiled. "I know you will. Oh and a word of advice."

The agent raised a brow. "What's that?"

"Be sure to watch where you step. With everyone free roaming, the whole place is also their bathroom."

He strained a smile. "I'll watch my footing then."

With that, Daniel made his leave. His eyes focused on the boardwalk and everywhere he walked in case there were any...waste particles. While he was just given some new opportunities, both with the park and on his mission, he had a lot to learn in regards to this place.

A.N. Daniel, you've got a lot to learn. So as shown in this chapter, this was basically a catch-up from the end of Book 4: Long Night of Winter up to the present, this time in Daniel's perspective. The next chapter is the official start of what we'd like to call the "Training Arc". Training because Daniel will start his official Rescue team training. We also want to clear up that while he is "part of the Crew" (as mentioned in the end of Book 4), that doesn't mean he's required to stay in the Crew's safari cabin. He still has a ways to go, but that may change. Also, did you notice what we did with the "rasping/screeching sounds followed by an elephant sound"? If you did and you understood the real meaning to it, you deserve a cookie ^.^. Anyway, see you on the next chapter!