Scars

by DarkHououmon

Ever since their formation, the Dino Squad have always managed to keep Veloci in the dark about their secret. But what would happen if he did find out? And what if he was far more capable than they initially thought? Despite what fairy tales may say, the bad guys don't always lose...

5. Tortured

"This, my little hairless ape," Victor explained, his finger straining against the trigger, "is the Stinger. So appropriately named too.. you see, it will shoot out bolts of electricity at you. And don't even think about dodging this one. The bolts hone in on your body heat..." He pushed against the trigger and there was a clicking sound.

A crackling sound followed, and a stream of yellow flashing energy, in the form of two beam-like bullets, shot outward and towards Caruso. Letting out a scream of surprise, Caruso jumped out of the way. The bullet streams bypassed the wall and made a sharp turn in his direction again. He made another dash as the bullets came nearer, but in each attempt, the bullets would change direction, attracted by his heat signature. Caruso kept on dodging, but it only seemed like the bullets were getting closer. Eventually he almost ran into Victor. He gasped when he realized this, and skidded to a stop only a few inches in front of him. Victor looked down at him, sneering.

"Are you having fun, Caruso?" Victor taunted, brandishing the weapon in his hand.

Caruso didn't answer, instead pausing to think of a solution. There was something that crossed his mind, something that could help him get out. Victor had forgotten to close the door this time around. He could try to run behind him, but then Victor would catch him rather quickly, being a Velociraptor and all. And he could just fire his weapon at him again, sending more bolts heading his direction.

The bolts! That was it! He would trick the bullets of energy to hit Victor instead of him. It was a risk, but he couldn't think of anything else. He turned to quickly glance behind him. The bullets were still heading his way. They would reach him in seconds. In his mind, he began to recall Ms. Moynihan's lesson, the way she tricked him into going too close to the volcano.

He glanced up at Victor, and smirked back at him. "Oh yes..I'm having fun... And so will you."

"Hmm...? What?" Victor's expression turned to that of bewilderment. "What are you...?"

Before Victor could finish his question, Caruso suddenly dodged to the side. Victor turned quickly to grab the teen before he ran out of the open door. But he suddenly screamed in pain. A sharp blow struck him from the side. He realized quickly what had happened. The boy used the homing shots to his advantage, and tricked them into striking him instead. The electricity coursed through his body, causing Victor to let go of the gun. It clanked as it hit the ground.

"D-Darn..!" Veloci cursed as he fell onto his knees, clenching his teeth against the pain. He looked up to see Caruso running out of the door. Victor's eyes glowed fiercely, his teeth sharpening as he emitted a raptor-like growl. Fighting against the pain, he reached in his pocket and pulled out his communicator. He pressed a button and hissed into it, "The prisoner has e-escaped! Don't let him get out of the building!"

The ground of the Earth shook heavily as a massive leg slammed down onto it. Cars skidded to a stop. People scrambled to get out of the way as a lumbering giant stomped in their direction. Cracks and holes were created each time the gray legs came down. The road nearly split in half. Signs and street lights were smashed. Abandoned cars were demolished. Smoke billowed out among the wreckage. Some people lined the side of the road, holding out their cellphones to record the monstrous creature as he strode past them.

The creature let out a bellow, as though announcing his arrival. The creature had a set of glowing eyes on top of his enormous neck. It was Peter, still making his way back towards the lighthouse. Raising his neck a bit higher, he could see it off in the distance. He was getting close now. If he could break into a run, he could get there a lot faster. But a creature this size may not be able to harness the energy to make such an effort. Still, it couldn't hurt to try.

He stopped suddenly, his tail lashing from side to side. He turned to look at the people gathered around him. His eyes widened a bit as he realized that a few people were snapping photos of him, or recording live video. He narrowed his eyes, obviously not liking all this attention. He turned his long neck towards the lighthouse in the distance once more. He could just try to run over there, as quickly as he could. But how was he going to lose all these people? They were, no doubt, going to try to follow him. He would have to discourage them, somehow. He glanced back down at him, and a series of flashes nearly blinded his eyes.

He reared his head back and let out a loud bellow that shook the ground. People on the ground wobbled and some lost their balance and fell backwards. Peter roared again, lifting up a massive leg and stomping downward. He didn't aim directly at anyone, instead slamming his foot only a few feet away from them. The fake attack worked on some of the people, who rushed back to their cars to drive away. He quickly turned around and reared on his hind legs. Letting out a third roar, he slammed heavily into the ground, channeling his body weight on one section of the road. The force was enough to crack the concrete, splitting it wide open. The cars nearby were knocked away, and any people too close dashed away in time, screaming in horror.

A bright flash caught his attention. The enormous dinosaur turned in the direction of what appeared to be a young boy holding up a rather large camera. The flash had come from the camera as the kid snapped a picture of the large dinosaur. Peter narrowed his eyes, obviously not pleased with the little kid. He turned his massive body around and stomped heavily, slowly, towards the little boy. His long neck lowered until the tip of his snout was almost right up against the boy's head. As the boy took a step back and Peter got a good look at him, it was revealed this boy was a teenager. He was pretty fat, had very short hair, and a red sweatshirt. Peter snorted, causing the boy to take another step back.

Then the feeling of something tiny slamming against his back leg caught Peter's attention. He turned his head to the side, and spotted a man, looking to be in his mid-50's, balding in a brown corporate suit, throwing a few rocks at him to get his attention. The man threw another rock, and the dinosaur roared in response.

"Keep away from my son, you monster!" The man yelled defiantly, not budging even as the sauropod was turning around to face him. The man glanced quickly at the teenager, and called to him. "Run, son! Run!"

"But..what about..." The large kid asked, his eyes planted nervously on the enormous animal.

"Just go! I'll be fine!" As he said this, Peter had his snout inches away from his face. His jaws were slightly open, exposing the rows of peg-like teeth. They weren't the teeth of a carnivore, but they could still do some serious damage.

Hesitating for a moment, and then, reluctantly, the teen took off, disappearing in beyond the line of foliage that was on either side of the road. He ducked down, peering through the thick bushes, praying his father would make it out all right. The gigantic animal opened his large jaws, a long tongue hanging out from the side, and bellowed once again. But the man remained perfectly still, staring at the creature straight in the eyes. He was not going to be easily subdued, Peter could see. He hesitated with his next movement, unsure of what to do next. He didn't really plan on actually hurting anyone. He thought his size alone would be enough to deter anyone from getting too close to him or following him.

But here was a man, obviously overcoming his fear to save his son, standing in defiance even though the sauropod could easily crush him. Peter was growing frustrated, and it showed as his eyes' glow intensity increased. He lifted his foot and stomped it thunderously on the ground, the aftershock being enough to knock the man down. The boy watched in horror as the creature shot forward with his head, looking as though they were going to clamp down on his father. He closed his eyes tightly and waited for the scream of death. But it never came.

The kid opened up his eyes once more, and could see that his father had dodged the attack, now rolling across the floor a few feet from the creature. Peter shook his head violently, rocks falling from his jaws. He had bitten a loose piece of concrete. The horrible taste hung in his mouth, and he quickly hacked it back up. Drool dripped from his jaws, wetting the ground in a disgusting manner, and his tongue hung further to the side, allowing more spit to drip down.

The man took this opportunity to pull out his gun. Despite his corporate uniform, he was actually a police officer, and always carried out his trusty pistol. He hadn't pulled it out earlier because he was afraid he might accidentally hit his son. But now that his son was nowhere in sight, he had pulled out his pistol. He leveled it up towards the monstrous reptile, sighting along it to get a good angle. His finger pushed against the trigger, and there was a loud bang, and the scent of smoke. A split second later, the sauropod roared in pain. A small but noticeable wound appeared on one of his thick strong legs. Blood started to ooze from it. But due to its large size, this did not cause any serious damage.

As the sauropod turned to face him once more, the man struggled to reload his gun. He had fired the last bullet that was already in the gun. Now he must quickly put in a new bullet before the creature was upon him. But the Apatosaurus moved faster than he had anticipated. Before he had time to fire the next bullet, the Apatosaurus's head, with his neck acting like a whip, smashed into him, knocking him on the ground.

"DAD!" The boy screamed, forgetting that he was supposed to be hiding. Lucky for him, the dinosaur did not seem to hear him. His attention was focused on the cop on the ground.

The man struggled to his feet, his legs a bit shaky, and stared up at the animal. Peter's eyes were narrowed dangerously, and the reptilian lips were pulled up to reveal his teeth. He snapped them down a few times, a clear warning that he was not happy and if provoked further he would bite. The man still stood his ground, his finger once again on the trigger. He knew his chances of getting a shot now, with the animal upon him, were slim to none. Any second, the sauropod could lift his massive leg and stomp him into the road, leaving not much behind.

Peter snorted as the man did not make another move. Feeling satisfied that he had finally subdued him, Peter turned back in the direction of the lighthouse and began to slowly walk away. The man glared as the monster started to walk away and, without thinking, he held up his pistol once more, and fired another shot.

A stinging pain in the thigh of the same leg made Peter stop in his tracks. His eyes were shut tightly. No, this was not the worst pain he had felt, or could feel. But it was still bothersome. It was like a splinter had gotten lodged in his leg. He could feel his warm blood dripping down, now from two points in his leg. He turned his head to stare at the man, infuriated that he had dare shoot him again, even after the head butt and the threat of biting him. But he didn't have time to stay around for much longer. Instead of turning around and biting the man, Peter lifted his long tail a bit higher in the air, and struck down quickly.

The tail caught the man in the side, knocking him clean off the road several feet, flying passed where his son was hiding, and slammed against a thick tree truck. Peter snorted angrily, but continued on his quest. These darn humans had delayed him long enough. He could not spend anymore time standing here, trying to scare them off. He couldn't waste more precious seconds knocking away pesky humans. His destination wasn't far ahead. And once he got there, it should not be too hard to destroy the lighthouse. It would not take much effort for an Apatosaurus like himself. His only concern was that the Dino Squad would be able to defeat him. But how could they, when he was so much bigger? This was going to be a piece of cake.

"Dad!" The young boy rushed to his father's side. "Are you all right?!" He grabbed his father's arm in an attempt to help him up.

"I'm all right. Just a little bruised that's all." He responded, struggling to his feet. He didn't look too worse for wear. A bit scratched up, a bruise or two, and a bit dirty, but otherwise fine. As he started to put some weight on his legs, he hung onto his son for a bit of support as he tried to keep himself from falling down again. He wobbled a little, but remained standing. "You can let go of me now."

As the boy nervously released his father, the cop stammered forward a bit, and nearly fell down again. But he quickly caught himself, remaining perfectly balanced on his two legs. That was a good sign. He didn't appear to have any broken bones. He slowly walked back to the road to watch the dinosaur walking off. He felt angry that he wasn't able to kill the beast. He had only angered him, and put himself and possibly everyone else who was on the road at risk. But at least the creature was now wounded, and would probably eventually get some sort of infection, which would slow him down and make him easier to terminate. "At least we are out of danger, for now."

The fat boy glanced nervously to where the creature was walking off to. "I sure hope so..." He said softly, wiping his forehead. As he watched the creature walking off, a realization slowly came over him. He looked around the road, and the direction the dinosaur was walking off to. He realized that the dinosaur was walking straight toward the lighthouse. The boy could not see the lighthouse from where he was, but he knew this road would lead straight over there. The boy had little concern over the lighthouse itself. He never visited it before, and didn't really have any plans.

But there was someone he knew that was probably in that location right now. And while they were not too good of friends, he wasn't going to just let this guy get killed by this monster of a dinosaur. He quickly pulled out his cellphone, and began to dial a number. As he held the phone to his hear, and he could hear the ringing sound, he said to himself, "I hope he answers."

Back at the lighthouse, Buzz was laying on the couch with Rump laying next to him. The others were at the table, either in a chair or standing nearby. He couldn't hear what they were talking about because he was lost in his own thoughts. He was at just as much of a loss of what to do as everyone else here was. He was starting to feel a little depressed that the computer, their only chance of finding Caruso, blew, and he was feeling frustrated that the handheld tracker was still lost. If only they could find that tracker, then they would be able to find Caruso. Why couldn't they find it? Why had they not found it yet...?

"Hey Buzz." He heard a voice say. He opened up his eyes and glanced up. Standing next to him was Max. The jock had left the group and came over to talk to him. Buzz didn't respond right away, giving the teen a soft glare before looking away. Max sighed, shaking his head. This reminded him of how things used to be, before they had their dinosaur powers. Buzz had never seemed to like him much. He seemed to have something against athletics, and against being in a team in general. Buzz had always been the lone wolf kind of person, and continued to express that even today.

Buzz had started to grow more tolerate of his presence since they became a team. It took some time, but Buzz eventually regarded Max as a friend, especially after the way Max had stuck up for him when McFinn used to bully him. Buzz had regretted how he treated the jock, although he never truly apologized for it. Max had never asked for an apology, and he never expected one. After all, it was all in the past, and was not of concern any longer.

But today, Buzz had started to distance himself from Max a bit, for an obvious reason. Buzz was still a little upset with the way the jock had treated Caruso earlier in the day. He had nearly become a bully himself, insulting Caruso without a second thought. He had wondered if that act had effected the outcome of the situation. But even though he was upset with Max, he couldn't possibly blame him for Caruso's capture. How could he anyway? Max tried just hard as the rest of them, even harder, to save Caruso. He had tried to run after the truck to get Caruso back, but unfortunately failed.

Buzz finally looked back at Max after about a minute of silence. He sighed and asked, "Hi, Max..what do you want?" He tried not to sound bitter, but felt he failed in doing that because he saw Max wince a little at the tone of his voice. "Sorry." He quickly apologized. "I just not feeling myself right now." The recent events were starting to wear him down now. He almost laughed to himself at the irony of him wanting to watch TV, just like Max before Caruso's capture.

"I'm sorry you're not feeling well." Max said, reaching down to pet Rump. "We're all going through a tough time now."

"Especially Caruso." Buzz added in sharply, eyes narrowed. "Who knows what Victor might be doing to him right now..."

"Now now..let's not get carried away..." Max started to say.

But Buzz cut him off. "What do you mean? You heard what Ms. Moynihan had told us. Victor would use us as lab rats if he ever caught us! He probably has wires hooked up to Caruso, and..."

Max tightly gripped Buzz's shoulders and shook him a little. "Settle down, Buzz! If there's one thing we know about Victor, he would deem Caruso too valuable to just kill off! He'll survive, and we'll find him!"

Just as Buzz opened his mouth to offer a response of his own, he felt his cellphone vibrating in his pocket. He had turned off the ringer, but kept on the vibrator. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the cellphone, quickly opening it up and holding it up to his ear. He hesitated briefly, realizing he hadn't bothered to check to see who it was. He said, "Hello...?" He heard an enthusiastic yet frightened voice answer him from the other side. "McFinn? What do you want?"

"McFinn...?" Max pondered. "I wonder why he is calling."

"What?!" Buzz cried, sitting up so quickly he nearly knocked Rump off the couch. "Are you absolutely sure of that?!" He could hear McFinn's voice on the other side chatter away frantically, and as he revealed more information, Buzz's eyes widened more. "Okay, thanks for the warning!" He quickly said. "I'll get out! Bye!" He quickly shut the phone before McFinn could respond. He knew it was rude, but he couldn't waste anytime in warning the others of this oncoming threat.

"What is it Buzz?" Max asked, sounding very concerned. "What did McFinn want?"

"He says there's a giant gray dinosaur heading straight for the lighthouse!" Buzz cried before jumping off the couch and rushing to where the others were to warn them.

"What?!" Max gasped as he ran to catch up to Buzz.

McFinn shut his phone and shoved it in his pocket. While he understood that Buzz was probably in a hurry to get out when he learned of the dinosaur coming in his direction, but he could have at least stayed on long enough for him to say goodbye. What nerve, just hanging up on him like that. But McFinn couldn't dwell on that matter now. He turned to his father. His father was surveying the road, probably making sure the creature was not coming back.

"So what do we do now, dad?" McFinn asked, glancing nervously at the sauropod, who was still in view.

"We have to get back to our car and get out of here." His dad responded, heading for the road again.

"But what if that monster turns around and attacks you again?" McFinn asked, nervous.

"Oh don't worry, son. I don't think he'll notice us getting in the car." He said with confidence.

"I hope you're right..." It wasn't like McFinn to doubt his own father. His father was rather intelligent, and almost always knew what to do when danger strikes. But this situation was unlike any they have ever encountered before. His father couldn't possibly know how this dinosaur would react. He couldn't possibly believe the dinosaur would ignore them. As soon as they stepped on the road, the dinosaur could turn around and attack them, or even eat them. He wasn't even sure if their car could move faster than the dinosaur could run.

But he didn't protest. As his father stepped onto the road, he followed in pursuit, cautiously placing his foot on the broken concrete. There was still enough road to ride along to get away, but it would going to be touch. As McFinn and his father made their way towards the car, they could feel the ground shaking as the beast lumbered away.

"Oh man..how much does that thing weight?" McFinn thought out loud.

"I'd say over a ton at least..no a lot more.." His father said, trying to keep his balance long enough to reach the car. Their car was parked on the side of the road, and stood out among the other cars because it was a pitch black with red tiger stripes on it. The man placed his hands on the front of the car for balance. He made his way to the driver's side, and gripped the door handle and pulled on it. The door opened up, and he got inside the car slowly. He carefully shut it, and motioned for his son to follow.

McFinn went over to the passenger's side, and climbed in, although not as quietly as his father did. But the dinosaur didn't seem to notice them, and McFinn shut the door quickly. His father turned the key in the ignition, and they sped off in the opposite direction of the dinosaur, careful to avoid anyone still on the road.

The interior of the warehouse was glowing a bright red as an alarm was sounding off from all over the building. Caruso ran along a corridor, unsure of what was ahead. But he knew he had to get out of here. He would eventually find the exit. That was all that was on his mind now. Getting out and getting back to the lighthouse was all he was concerned about. He had forgotten to take into account that not only was he close to Raptor Dyne but that the warehouse was crawling with Veloci's men. He hadn't run into any yet, as luck seemed to be on his side for the moment.

He reached the end of the corridor, where he could see a bright light shining through. It wasn't red like the alarm lights were. It was a whitish color. Cautiously, he stepped through. He had stepped into the largest room of the warehouse. Caruso stifled a gasp as he looked around. The room was enormous, looking to be around twice the size of a football field. Scattered along the room were rows and rows of stands made of wood. Stocked all along them were weapons of many different types.

Another part of the room had a row of large cages, many big enough to hold a dinosaur as big as a Stegosaurus. Next to the cages were gigantic chains and thick locks that looked strong enough to hold even an Apatosaurus in one of those cages. A few of the cages looked as though they were made of chicken wire. Caruso winced as he looked at the viciously hooked wires. They were probably designed to hold smaller dinosaurs. Surely these wires couldn't effect a Stegosaurus like himself.

And still in another part of the room, he could see multiple cylinder-shaped tanks filled with bubbling fluid. Several wires were attached to them, either pumping in something or sucking away something. Caruso couldn't tell from where he was at. But from what he could see, these tanks were far from empty. Inside he could see something floating inside each of them. He knew he should be running. It would only be a matter of time before someone would find him in here. But the sight of these strange things in the tanks caught his attention, and he felt like he just had to know what was inside them. Throwing caution to the wind, Caruso slowly approached the tanks. They weren't far from where he was, and he reached them within a minute.

The cylinders were much larger than he previously thought. They towered over him, at least 8 ft tall they were. Now he could see clearly just what was inside the tanks. They were some of Veloci's failed experimental mutations. They all had a dinosaurian look to them, but they didn't look like any dinosaur he has heard of before. One of the creatures had a frill but no horns and an elongated neck with sharp claws and spikes along the back. Another creature had a long beak and wings but no wing membrane. A third creature had a Tyrannosaurus-like head but the body was more close to that of a Triceratops. And still another creature had a head that reminded Caruso of a crocodile, and its back was covered in Stegosaurus spinal plates, but the tail sported a club. Even though Caruso knew not much of dinosaurs, just by looking at these creatures he knew they weren't natural.

"Man..Veloci needs a lesson in cloning, big time." Irwin muttered to himself. As he said this, he continued through the room to find another exit. He walked along the side of the room, looking left to right to find another door. As he did so, he passed along the shelves covered with weapons. As he got a good look at them, he shuddered at their sight. They all looked so vicious and dangerous. He didn't know what they were capable of, or even if they worked. But he did not want to stick around long enough to find out the answer to that question.

As he passed the weapons section, moving passed the cages as well, and was now at the far side of the room, a cold realization came over him. There was no other door! This was a one-way-in kind of room. The only exit was the same place he had come in from! Caruso felt like slapping himself in the face for this mistake. He could only hope they hadn't checked down this corridor just yet. He made his way back to the door, and raised his hand to it. He gripped it and slowly opened it up and stepped out of the room and back in the corridor. As he started to make his way down, he suddenly spotted a figure standing not far from him. He didn't need much time to realize who was in front of him.

"Oh no.." Caruso whispered before quickly turning around, but not before he heard a shout from behind him.

"THERE YOU ARE!" Shouted the figure from behind. "STOP!"

Caruso winced at the sound of Victor's voice. Victor must have tracked him down by scent. Caruso was starting to feel a bit foolish. How could he have forgotten about Veloci's raptor sense of smell? Surely a raptor's sense of smell was extremely keen, like a wolf's or bear's. Even if he had gotten out of the building, Victor could have still tracked him down. The blue-haired kid felt a painful pang in his stomach as he realized his escape would have been in vain without a means of traveling much faster. There was no way he could ever outrun a Velociraptor.

Caruso quickly ran back into the room and slammed the door shut. He glanced around the room desperately, looking for a place he could hide. He saw that there appeared to be some room behind the cylinder tanks. Not much, but maybe enough for him to squeeze through. He glanced nervously at the door, and then bolted for the tanks. He went between two of them and squeezed through. He pressed himself against the wall behind one of the tanks, and prayed that Victor would not be able to find him. The tanks gave off a weird smell. He hoped that this would deter Victor from looking over here by masking his own human scent.

Just as Caruso settled down snugly behind the large containers, there was a loud crashing sound. He peered over cautiously and saw the door had been slammed open. Stepping into the room now was a red Velociraptor. Victor slowly walked forward, shifting his head from left to right, trying to figure out which way to go first. He lifted his head upwards, and took in a couple sniffs. He snorted as he caught Caruso's scent, and took a few steps forward. He sniffed a few more times, and turned in the direction of the weapons. Caruso nearly sighed in relief.

Victor came up to the shelves, and lowered himself to the floor, and placed his head as close to the ground as possible. His golden eye searched the floor for any signs of a human foot, but he saw nothing. He lifted himself back up and turned around. It was clear Caruso was not over here.

'Where are you Caruso?' Victor called out in his thoughts. He was certain Caruso would hear them, even if he didn't know where the boy was. 'I know you were in here... I can SMELL you..'

Caruso flinched at that remark, but he kept himself quiet and calm. He wondered if Velociraptors were like dogs. Maybe they could smell fear. If he let himself become frightened, Victor would, in theory, detect him faster. Caruso could not simply squeeze through the containers and make a run for it. Victor would most likely spot him and chase him down, or hear him or smell him. For now, the containers hid his scent from this location. But it wouldn't be long before Victor would grow wise to this and come to the fluid-filled tanks.

Victor walked along the side of the room that contained the cages. This was a bit further from where Caruso was, but closer than the weapons. It was on the wall right next to where he was hiding. Caruso knelt down a tad further and watched as Victor came up to the cages, obviously catching a whiff of him. Victor tilted his head to one side then the other in a bird-like manner.

'Come out come out where ever you are...' Victor cooed as he gazed between the spaces of the cages. Victor could see clearly there was no one there, and let out a dinosaur sigh of frustration. He pointed his snout in the air again, taking a few more sniffs before walking towards the tanks.

Caruso pressed his back against the wall as the Velociraptor drew closer and closer to where he was hiding. Victor stopped in front of the containers, and tried to get Caruso's scent. He snorted. It was obvious that the strong smell of the tanks were masking Caruso's scent, if it was even here at all. He stepped a few paces back, and overlooked the cylinders filled with liquid. He turned his head from one side, and then to the other, like he was trying to analyze whether or not Caruso could be hiding here. Caruso held his breath, and hoped Victor would bypass him. His lungs started to ache, but he refused to take a breath until Victor passed.

However, Victor did not move from the spot. He continued to stare and ponder. He lowered his body down and crept forward slowly, like a predator that was stalking its prey. His body was low to the ground, his nose pressed up against the floor. As he sniffed, the raptor caught the slightest scent of human, and his tail raised in alertness. He sniffed harder, and began to follow the faint trail.

Caruso stifled a gasp. From the look of things, it seems Victor had caught his scent. Victor must have realized that if he couldn't get his scent from the air, he might be able to get the scent from the ground. The strong smell of the containers hadn't had as much effect on the ground as it did in the air. Victor probably caught the scent of his socks or shoes. There was no way Caruso could run away now. If he were to budge from the spot, even just a little, Victor might hear him and lunge in to grab him. If he tried to stand up, Victor would spot him for sure. He braced himself, hoping to be able to fight off Victor if he had to.

The trail led Victor to a space between two large fluid-filled containers. He raised his body back off the ground, his eyes narrowed slightly. The space was rather small, he thought. Could Caruso have possibly fit through there. But when he thought about it, it did seem to make sense. Caruso was thin enough to fit through the space. The shadows were probably concealing the boy, or he was hiding directly behind one of the cylinders. Victor took a step closer and began to sniff around. He pressed the side of his face against a container, growling softly as he tried to locate Caruso.

As he tried to squeeze in further, he realized his body was a bit too wide to fit through. He would have an easier time in human form. While wider from the side, his human body was also thin enough to fit through. In a flash of blue light, Victor returned to his human form, and approached the space between the cylinders yet again.

"There's no other place you can be, boy." Victor said as he pressed his hands against the sides of the containers and leaned in a little. He knew that if Caruso was here, he was not just going to come on out. But maybe he could encourage the boy a little. "Why don't you make it easy on yourself and come on out? Or do I have to drag you out myself?"

Obviously there was no answer. Victor smirked slightly. Caruso was probably trying to make him believe that no one was there. But Victor knew better. He squeezed himself through the opening, edging closer and closer. He heard a slight shuffle, and quickened his pace towards the source of that sound. As he edged closer, he could see a figure in the shadows, and grinned. He did not need to see a clear shot to know who this was. There was only one prisoner in the warehouse, only one person who would have any reason to hide from him like this.

As Victor peered behind and became face to face with the boy, Caruso gasped. He had been spotted, and now cornered up against the wall. He bared his teeth, and formed fists with his hands in cheap attempt to warn Victor off. But Victor could tell the boy was in no position to fight, and he could see Caruso was struggling to keep himself as far away from him as possible. But he couldn't back away any further. And he could not squeeze behind the other containers fast enough. He could only watch as Victor got closer to him, and reached out with his red-sleeved arm, hands open.

"You thought you could get away from me, did you?" Victor asked, smiling. "Well you thought wrong kid. You thought wrong..." Without hesitation, he reached forward swiftly and grabbed Caruso by the collar of his shirt, and started to yank forward.

"Let me go!" Caruso snapped, grabbing Victor's hand and trying in vain to pry it off. He tried to plant his feet on the ground and tried to pull himself back, but it was in vain. Victor's stronger body was able to pull him further forward than Caruso could pull himself backward. His feet skidded slowly but steadily across the floor, getting closer and closer to the front. He continued to struggle to push Victor's hand off of him, but the raptor wasn't about to let go. He could see Victor was very close to the opening of the space, and it would only be a matter of time before he was completely out, and then he would follow soon afterward. Baring his teeth once more, Caruso did the only thing he could think of doing in a small space, faced with this situation. "I said let me go!" With that, he suddenly clamped his teeth on Victor's hand, something that Victor did not see coming.

"AAARRGHH!" Veloci cried as he felt Caruso's jaws try to drive the blunt teeth into his hand. While human teeth were not generally as sharp or as dangerous as a raptor's, their molars were designed for crushing and Caruso had clamped onto a finger, where the bone was close to the skin. Caruso continued to clench his jaws tighter. His teeth wasn't cutting the skin, but they were causing considerable pain. Victor was not letting go, but his grip loosened up a little.

"Stop biting me, you little brat!" Victor snapped as he continued to pull Caruso forward. But every inch Caruso moved forward, his jaws squeezed the raptor's hand tighter.

Though muffled, Victor could make out the boy's remark. "Continue to pull me forward, I'll hurt you more..."

"The only thing you're doing is making me angry!" Victor retorted. With that, he reached forward with his free hand. He grabbed Caruso's left ear and pulled hard. Victor knew this was a sensitive spot for humans, and pulling here would cause considerable pain. He had learned it was used as a disciplinary measure at times, and as a means of forcing one human to follow another. He dug his fingernail into the thin skin of the ear as he squeezed harder and pulled again.

Caruso's eyes closed as he tried to ignore the pain. He continued to drive his teeth into Victor's finger. But he continued to be pulled forward, and the pain in his ear was increasing. He could feel the fingernails changing into raptor talons. He could feel the talons cutting into his skin, causing more pain. Finally Caruso couldn't take it anymore. He released Victor's finger and yelled in pain.

Victor released Caruso's ear, and, ignoring the pain in his finger, tightened his grip on the boy and, with one strong yank, pulled the boy all the way out, and then pushed him against one of the containers, and held him there. The human teeth marks were still visible on his finger. His face drew close to Caruso's, and he snarled, "How dare you trick me like that! How dare you bite me with your pitiful human teeth!"

"Well.." Caruso said, trying to think of a comeback. "What did you expect? That I would just fall in line and obey your every command just because you think you're all that?"

"It seems you need to be taught a lesson boy." Victor growled.

"Oh yeah right.." Caruso said, rolling his eyes. He gave Victor a sly look. "It seems to me like you're the one who needs a lesson. You wake up after a sixty-five million year hibernation, and, in a closed-minded decision, right away decide that we humans are inferior and that dinosaurs should still rule the planet. Hasn't it ever occurred to you, Mr. Veloci, that these changes you are planning to make could have more dire consequences than positive results?" Caruso knew then he was spending a bit too much time with Ms. Moynihan. "If you cared so much about the planet, then why are you taking such huge risks? One small change could destroy an ecosystem, and poof! There goes your chances of creating a balanced environment."

Victor growled softly. "I do not need a little brat like you to tell me how to carry out my plans! When they come full circle, everything will be transformed almost all at once! There will be no loopholes, no imbalances! Nothing but perfection!"

"Perfection...oh brother." Caruso shook his head. "There is no such thing as perfection...Nothing in this world is perfect."

"Yeah..especially you humans!" Victor snapped as he gripped Caruso a little tighter. "For years I have watched this planet suffer under your wretched kind's hands! I'll be doing this world a favor by getting rid of all you humans! Like the world will even miss you!" His voice was increasing in intensity and anger.

"Well the planet didn't miss the dinosaurs now did it?" Caruso said, smiling slyly. Victor's eyes widened a little. "Take a look around, Victor. Do you see any signs of the Earth itself mourning for the loss of your precious dinosaurs? The planet moves on. It didn't even flinch when the dinosaurs disappeared."

Victor bared his teeth, now forming into fangs. He was growing angrier and angrier with this boy as he continued to speak with him. "We dinosaurs have dominated the Earth for two hundred million years, you pathetic creature!" He snarled, a bit of saliva dripping down the side of his mouth, a sign of increasing anger. "There's no way that you, a mere human, could possibly comprehend that! You pathetic humans have only ruled this world for two million years, a very lucky feat at that!"

"We weren't lucky." Caruso said, narrowing his eyes a little. "We ruled for two million years because we dominated the other species! We outsmarted all other creatures, and advanced further than many other creatures. We managed to wipe out entire species, and conquer entire continents, possibly at a faster rate than you dinosaurs!"

"It was all dumb luck for you stupid primates!" Victor retorted. He pushed the boy harder against the wall of the container. "If any other real dinosaurs were around, they would certainly agree with that!"

"What about Moynihan?" Caruso asked suddenly. Victor opened up his mouth to say something, but shut it, as he could not think of a response. But his expression had not changed. "She is a Velociraptor, much like yourself, is she not? And yet, unlike you, she recognized humans as the new dominant species. She did not try to wipe us out. She joined our side."

Victor's eyes narrowed further. The mention of Moynihan was making him more temperamental. He did not think fondly of Moynihan all that much. It still boils his blood the way she just outright betrayed him like he had, and after all the progress that they had made together. "Ms. Moynihan is nothing but a traitor! She turned her back on me to be with you inferior insects! She had forgotten about her potential when she was my partner! If she had realized the mistake she was making and come back to me, we could have perfected the DNA together. We would have brought back the reign of the dinosaurs!" He was started to shake slightly from anger. "But she just had to turn he back on me, turn her back on everything that once meant so much to her, to be with YOUR KIND!"

Using a large amount of his strength, Victor roughly pulled Caruso away from the containers, and threw him across the ground. Caruso rolled a few times across the floor, grunting as he came to a stop near the middle of the room. As he struggled to get up, Victor stalked towards him slowly and deliberately. Caruso looked up at Victor, panting a few times. "The only reason she was ever with you was because you were another Velociraptor, not because she actually liked you! And besides, Moynihan does not have the guts to take on the human race! She's too much of a coward herself! She never fights with us on our missions! She just sits back in her nice safe lighthouse! If anything, she is the weakling!"

Victor's eyes widened a bit before narrowing even further, and a faint yellow glow appeared in his eyes. Yes, he agreed that Moynihan was a bit of a coward. Yes, he was still furious at her, even hated her for joining the human's side. But she was still a dinosaur, just like he was. She did not deserve to be insulted by a pathetic creature like this human. He quickened his pace until he was standing next to the boy on the ground. He glared down at him harshly as the boy struggled to his feet. "I'm really getting sick of your attitude, boy!"

Caruso continued to stand up to Victor. He wasn't going to run from him. He was not going to show fear. He was going to show Victor what humans were capable of. He tried to stand tall against the insane raptor, staring at him in the eyes. "And I'm sick of your stupidity, sickle clawed freak! You Velociraptors are not so smart at all! In fact, if your brains were gasoline, you wouldn't have enough to power a tiny motorcycle around the outside of a penny!"

That was the final straw. Victor could not hold himself back any longer. The human had angered him beyond the boiling point. His insults were eating away at his nerves and mind. The pathetic creature obviously did not know who he was dealing with. Now was the time to show him who was really in charge. His legs glowed, changing into the distinct legs of a raptor. The large sickle claws, raised above the ground, seemed to glisten sharply. Before Caruso had time to realize what was going to happen, Victor raised a foot and struck forward, making contact with his arm.

The sickle claw dug deep into the skin, and slashed along the side. As the claw slide across the skin and eventually was wrenched free from the arm, it had left a deep gash from the elbow to the wrist of the boy's left arm. Eyes closed in pain, Caruso backed up a few steps, trying to stifle a scream of pain. He held his arm to himself, and examined it. He looked horrified as he saw his own blood seeping from the deep cut. He tried to press his hand against the cut to stop the bleeding, but every time he did, it would increase the pain, causing him to pull his hand away. He looked over at Victor with eyes filled with fear.

Victor smiled darkly as he advanced on the boy. "Do you still think I'm a joke..?"

"G-Get away from me!" Caruso said in defense, trying to sound brave.

"You're in no position to give me orders..." Victor said as he continued to get closer. Caruso took a few steps back, but was clearly trying to stand his ground. "All you humans are the same. Your arrogance and ignorance both astound me. I'll never understand how you ever got to be in charge. It was just some sort of fluke..." He reached out with one hand, the same hand that Caruso had bitten earlier, and gripped the boy's lower jaw tightly. He forcefully tilted the boy's head to one side, and then to the other, as if he were examining him. "You humans are just a bunch of bags of flesh I could easily rip open..."

Caruso felt the fear rising up inside him, but he had enough rebellion left in him for one more retort. "L-Lizard lips.." He managed to say.

Victor's eyes narrowed dangerously, and he shoved the boy roughly, knocking him onto his back. Before Caruso could try to get back up, Victor placed his foot firmly on the kid's chest, and used some of his weight to keep the boy from getting back up. He pushed on the boy's chest with his foot a little harder, causing him to have slight difficulty in breathing. "You little whelp... You obviously have no idea who is really running the show here..."

"Please get off of me.." Caruso said, his voice no longer filled with the energy it once was.

Victor smirked. "Feeling the fear rising up inside you? Good... You should be afraid boy." He applied more pressure, causing Caruso to gasp. "You're dealing with a superior species now." He bent down and enclosed his raptor hand around Caruso's neck. His grip on the boy's neck tightened, and he smirked as the boy continued to struggle to breathe normally. "Such a weak boy you are.."

"Such..such strong words coming from a...tiny brained creature like yourself.." Caruso said without thinking, his hands trying to pry off Victor's foot. He continued on to say, "D-Dinosaurs were s-stupid... brains the size of walnuts... Just complete idiots..they were..."

Victor's eyes glowed intensely, and he quickly released Caruso's neck, and lifted his foot off of him. At first, Caruso thought he was being set free, but he was quickly proven wrong when he felt a sharp pain in his side. Victor slammed his foot against the kid's ribcage, and sent him sprawling backwards a few feet. He cried out in pain as he slammed harshly into the hard floor. He quickly stood up on shaky legs and stared over at Victor, who was again stalking in his direction. Caruso backed up against the wall, watching in horror was Victor drew closer.

"Puny little urchin...!" Victor quickly cornered the boy. He knew the boy was too frightened to think about going dino, and he used this to his advantage. Extending his finger talons, he held his arms in a threatening manner, like a Velociraptor would. His teeth were bared, the lips pulled back to reveal the sharp tips of his raptor-like teeth. The eyes glowed so intensely that the black eye-whites were no longer visible. "Since you seem to have no respect for your superiors, you will have to be taught a lesson..." He reached upward, beside Caruso just a few inches away, to grab something. "I did not want to have to do this..but you left me no choice, Caruso."

As he said this, his fingers fumbled around the shelf until he felt something thick and leathery. He quickly grabbed it and pulled it out. As he held the device in his hand, Caruso let out an audible gasp at the sight of it. It looked like nothing he had seen before. He could see one piece that looked like it would fit around a human head, and a larger section that could fit around the waist. There was a rope attached to it for some reason. But what frightened Caruso were the vicious spikes that lined the device, and he could see tiny gray wires that ran along it as well. He didn't know what they were for, but he didn't want to find out.

"W-What is that.." Caruso asked, stammering.

"It's a human war bridle..." Victor responded, holding it up closer with the intention of putting it on the teenager.

"No..don't put that thing on me!" Caruso begged, pressing himself against the wall as far as he could go. His body started to shake visibly, and he could have sworn he could hear his own teeth chattering.

"Oh I'm sorry." Victor said sarcastically. "But I'm only doing what must be done.." He then lunged forward and pinned Caruso on the ground. He struggled to keep the boy pinned on the ground. Caruso kicked and punched blindly, trying in vain to get the criminal off of his back. But Victor was stronger, and he managed to subdue Caruso long enough for him to fit the head piece onto him. A band wrapped around the boy's forehead, the sharp tips of the spikes starting to dig in slightly. Another band wound around his lower jaw and the back of his head. The bit, the mouth piece of a bridle, had forced its way into his mouth. It was lined with sharp spikes as well, and it scraped against his tongue.

As Victor put on the rest of bridle, hooking it to his body, Caruso could feel the spikes drive deeper into his forehead, and he could feel the bit pulling painfully against his lips. He tried to talk, but every time he attempted, the bit would cut into his tongue painfully. Eventually Victor released him, and held the rope in his hand. Caruso realized, in horror, that the rope was attached to the bridle in such a manner that if pulled it would painfully drive the spikes into his head and possibly activate the wires, sending who knows what through his body to increase the pain.

"You will find out, boy, that I am not like Ms. Moynihan. I am not a soft fool... I know how all you humans are like. You're all the same... And I know how to break you..." Victor took a step forward. "The bridle won't hurt you as much if you do what I say, and it will hurt even less if you go dino. But mark my words, child, continue to defy me, and I'll make your life a living nightmare..." To prove his point, he pulled on the bridle roughly, causing Caruso to scream as he felt not only the spikes digging into him but electricity as well from the metal wires. He struggled in vain to free himself despite the pain he was feeling, especially the bit cutting painfully into his tongue.

Victor watched the young boy struggle against the bridle, attempting to fight it. Victor's lips pulled back into a vicious grin. He knew no creature could stand pain for very long. He just needed to be patient, and the boy will eventually have his spirit broken. He gave one more pull, driving the spikes deeper into the boy. He could see that already blood was trinkling a little from the boy's forehead. "You can't stand the pain, can you, human?" He asked in a soft, sarcastic voice. "If you can't..I suggest you go dino. Now."

Caruso's eyes, previously tightly closed, now opened up as he listened to what Victor was telling him. He realized, just as he suspected, that Victor was trying to gain control over him. He knew Victor was going to use this dreaded bridle he was now condemned to wearing to cause him so much pain that he would have to submit to him. He wasn't about to let that happen, and he would offer a sarcastic remark, but the pain prevented him from doing so. All he could do was look up at Victor's smiling face with terror-filled eyes...

"Are you sure there isn't anyway we can help?" Jack asked as he stood in the door frame of the lighthouse. His wife was standing next to him, her hand and arm wrapped onto his shoulder. In front of them stood the four remaining members of the Dino Squad. Their gear was one, and they were standing next to their dinosaur motorcycles. While she was reluctant at first, Ms. Moynihan decided to allow the kids to try to fight Peter. It was the only chance they had.

"Yes..isn't there anything?" Amanda asked carefully. These weren't her kids, but she couldn't help but feel responsible if they ended up being killed by the sauropod that was stomping its way towards the lighthouse. She tried to hide a gasp as she looked up and could see, barely, the figure of a large dinosaur coming in their direction. This reminded her of how she reacted when she first found out Caruso was a Stegosaurus.

Rodger pushed open a compartment on the Styraco-Cycle and gently placed a bag holding the Chiller and Spiller in it. Ms. Moynihan had suggested trying the Chiller and Spiller on Peter. Maybe there was a chance that his dino DNA wasn't contaminated. If it wasn't, then the Chiller and Spiller should strip him of his dinosaur form. It was a long shot though. She had never tested his DNA for herself. She had never even met him personally. Ms. Moynihan had only known about him through spying on Victor, and had known for some time that he could transform. She had kept this information a secret from the Dino Squad all this time, something she was starting to regret now.

Max saw this as an opportunity, regardless. If they could successfully subdue Peter in either dino mode or in human form, they could force him to talk and tell them where Caruso was being held. He could lead them straight to Victor's hiding place. Fiona and Buzz partially disagreed with him. They stated that Peter could pretend to agree to their terms and then just lead them straight into a trap. Max had taken this into consideration, but still thought they had a chance to negotiate with Peter. During the discussion, Rodger had thought about what Ms. Moynihan had said, about removing the dinosaur DNA, and, while he did not suggest it, thought they could warn Peter that if he wants to keep his dinosaur form, he would spill the beans. But so far no one really had a fool-proof plan.

"We are certain, Mr. Caruso." Rodger said as he placed his helmet onto his head. "We don't want to endanger your lives. And someone needs to stay here with Ms. Moynihan."

"But isn't she a Velociraptor?" Amanda asked, her grip on her husband tightening a little. She never did get completely used to the idea of her son being taught by a prehistoric predator. "Can't she take care of herself?"

Rodger shook his head. "Not with that injury she can't."

"Come on, guys." Max said, interrupting the brief chat between Rodger and Caruso's parents. "If we don't go soon, Peter will run us right through."

As the Dino Squad got on their respective bikes and rode off into the distance to face off with the encroaching Apatosaurus, Jack and Amanda sighed and went back into the building, shutting the door behind them. Ms. Moynihan was still sitting down. She had gotten out her knitting equipment and was slowly knitting something resting on her lap. She briefly glanced up as the couple as they sat back down on the couch closest to her chair. She gave him a sympathetic look before returning her gaze back to her knitting. She didn't know why she was doing this other than to keep her mind off of the things that had happened in such a short period of time. First they are tricked by Michelle and her accomplice into letting Michelle into the lighthouse. Then Michelle sneaks in after the Dino Squad leave, attack her, and destroy the monitoring equipment. Then the next day, Victor arrives at the lighthouse and captures Caruso. Then they try to get a computer to work and it blows on them. Now Peter was coming, obviously to destroy the lighthouse. Things just couldn't get any worse.

And she was becoming a bit frustrated at her inability to do anything. It would be around this time she would be up at the top of the building, aiding the kids from the sidelines with her equipment. But today, she could not do anything but sit and pray they would make it. She couldn't even go with them to help them fight. Her ankle still bothered her and walking was almost impossible even in dinosaur form. What use would she be if she kept falling down due to the pain in her ankle? She would only get in the way. And she also started to feel like a burden to Caruso's parents. They had to stay behind just for her due to her ankle. She sighed, feeling a bit guilty about this.

"...Professor Moynihan...?" Amanda heard a masculine voice ask her. She looked up, although she did not need to to know who was talking to her. Jack looked as if he was struggling with what he wanted to say. He was not looking directly at her or his wife. Instead his gaze was distant, pointing towards the ground although he did not seem that focused on it. He was nervously fumbling with his fingers, feeling himself succumbing to the feelings of despair and crushed hope, even though it hasn't even been twenty-four hours yet.

"Yes, Mr. Caruso?" Moynihan said gently. She continued to knit a little, but at a extremely slow, delicate pace.

Jack opened up his mouth to say something, but no words were coming. He shut his jaws, and let out a sigh of frustration. Ms. Moynihan was patient, and allowed the man enough time to come up with something he wanted to say. She could tell he was going through a tough time. At last, the man sat straight up, and managed to sum up the courage to look at her straight in the eyes. "Do you think.." He gulped. "Do you think that those kids will be able to...defeat that guy? I mean I know they can turn into dinosaurs and everything, but..they're still just kids. They-"

"I can assure you, Mr. Caruso," Moynihan interjected him, "They are quite capable of taking care of themselves. They have faced off with countless different types of mutants and have made it out all right. This will be no different."

"How can you be so sure about that?" Now it was Amanda's turn to say something. "Have they ever fought against a dinosaur larger than themselves before?"

"Well...no...but..." Moynihan tried to say, but Amanda interrupted her.

"But nothing! Those children are risking their lives out there and you aren't lifting a finger to help!" Amanda yelled, surprising both her husband and the elderly teacher. "You're just sitting here..knitting! You aren't helping!" She tried to say more, but she felt her husband's gentle hands on her shoulders.

"Now..dear..." Jack said to her softly. "I'm sure she wouldn't just let them go if she did not truly think they could do this for themselves."

Joanne gave a nod, attempting to give a small smile although her guilt was making it difficult to do that. She said, "Your husband is right. I would not dare risk the children's lives if I believed the challenge was too great for them." She lifted up a hand and pressed a finger on her forehead to push her glasses back. "And I wish I could help, but I would just get in the way. How can I help the children if I can't even stand up for very long?"

"I..." But Amanda couldn't think of a comeback. The brief anger she was feeling was seeping away quickly. Her husband and the teacher were both right. There was really no point in blaming Ms. Moynihan. Even if the old woman had tried to stop the kids, they would have gone anyway. "I'm sorry." She said, closing her eyes lightly.

"It's all right." Joanne said as she offered a comforting smile. "You don't need to apologize."

"What about Caruso?" This question from Jack almost caught Moynihan off guard. The question seemed to have come out of nowhere. "What do you think Victor will..do to him if we don't find him quickly?"

Ms. Moynihan gulped audibly, and fell silent. Her gaze slowly casted onto the cloth she was knitting. Her mind was soon invaded by many thoughts and regrets. She hadn't really fully explained to Caruso's parents what might happen if Victor ever found out the truth and successfully caught one of them. She knew that if she had told them, they would have gone hysterical. And there would be little she could do to comfort them. And now she was faced with this very question. And she could tell that Jack was not going to let it go unanswered, and he wanted the truth. Feeling guilt rising up inside of her, Joanne took in a deep breath and told them the truth.

"I have..told the children not long after they joined what could happen if Victor found out they were not perfect dinosaurs, but rather humans who can change back and forth. He would do everything he can to capture them all. Because he has only seen this ability in himself and I, he would want to know just how they are able to perform the same feat. So he would..turn them into his personal lab rats and use all kinds of untested material on them." Moynihan explained solemnly. She heard both parents of Caruso gasp loudly, and she could not bear to look at their expressions. "While I would like to believe that Victor would not kill any of them and deem them too valuable to just destroy, Victor is not above ending the life of anyone whom he believes stands in the way of his dream." She had recalled how Victor looked determined to kill her off in that final battle so many years ago. Even though he spared her life, the look in his eye told her very clearly that he would have killed her, and not hesitate to do so. She prayed Caruso would not fall under a similar fate.

Peter continued to travel along the road. He hadn't had any trouble with people for some time now. He figured that he must have frightened everyone off. He hoped so. He couldn't afford drawing attention. He gazed off into the distance and he could see his target: the lighthouse. He smirked mentally as he noted that, like all lighthouses, this one stood precariously close to the edge of the cliff. With his powerful body, he could easily topple it over the edge and send it crashing into the water below. He did wonder briefly of what might happen to the ships that sail by this area if the lighthouse is destroyed, but he quickly dismissed it. The outcome of the act will be irrelevant once Victor's plan is fully realized.

He felt a cool breeze swaying against him, and he paused momentarily. There was some kind of scent mixing in with the air. Sauropods' sense of smell isn't too strong, but it is good enough to detect certain odors. The smell was almost metallic in nature. It didn't smell like smoke, and if it was he should have been able to see it by now. His eyes remained focused on the stretch of land in front of him, as the smell was coming from over there. And then something else caught his attention. He could feel a slight rumble in the ground. It was being made by something rather small in comparison to him, but still considerably heavy. And it felt like there was more than one source.

He stood his ground, stomping his foot into the road. A loud bellow escaped through his long, tube-like neck. His challenging call went unanswered, but whatever was coming towards him was not stopping. His eyes narrowed, trying to figure out what could be coming his way. He had a choice. He could either make a break for it and stomp his way past the intruders to the lighthouse, or he could stand and fight and make sure they don't interfere with him. He had chosen to spare the last intruders. Instinct was telling him to spare these ones too, but his mind was telling him otherwise.

Then, just as suddenly as the rumble started it stopped. There was nothing but silence, but the smell still hung in the air. Peter lowered his neck in nervous anticipation. He didn't know what he had to worry about in this dinosaur form. But working with Victor has taught him to always be on his toes. Something unexpected could always happen.

And in this case, something unexpected did happen.

There was a bright flash, orange-yellow in color, that illuminated part of the road and foliage alongside it. He briefly heard a weird sound, a sound that he had associated with dinosaur transformation. It didn't take him long to realize just what this was about. Eyes widening, he realized that he had caught the attention of the Dino Squad, also known as the perfect dinosaurs. But how had they known he was coming? Their equipment was destroyed and he was still too far away for them to realize who he was and why he was approaching. His mind flashed back to the kid who he had harassed earlier. As he was walking away he did happen to look back briefly to make sure they weren't following him, and he happened to notice something shiny in the kid's hand. He didn't know what it was, and he paid it no mind then. But now he wishes he had done something. The stupid kid had alerted the Dino Squad to his presence! Well there goes the element of surprise.

Before he could try to take another step, a large Tyrannosaurus Rex jumped onto the road. Green with maroon blotches, eyes as intimidating as Victor's, and massive jaws full of sharp teeth, he was definitely the same T-Rex that Raptor Dyne has tried to deal with time and time again. He was the same T-Rex that Victor was so obsessed about capturing since he is purebred. And yet he is the same T-Rex that has been helping foil Victor's plans all this time. But despite his fearsome appearance and massive size, he was still dwarfed by Peter's dinosaur form. His head towered well above the snarling T-Rex.

But of course, the Tyrannosaurus had not come alone. Soon joining him were three more perfect dinosaurs. One was a very muscular and large Styracosaurus. He was gray with dark maroon markings all over his body. He let out a bellow that closely resembled an elephant's call. Peter had always assumed that Styracosaurus wouldn't have brow horns, as that was more traditional with a Triceratops or Torosaurus. When he had expressed this to Victor, the billionaire had told him that the human scientists just never found a perfectly preserved skull of a Styracosaurus. It appears that, despite fearsome appearances, the brow horns were quite brittle compared to the other horns and could not fossilize easily.

Standing next to the T-Rex was the golden female Spinosaurus. Victor identified her as female because she had a crest on her head. Victor claims that some species of dinosaur have crests on the female members, but none on the males. This was also true for Velociraptors. Victor lacked a crest but Ms. Moynihan sported one. Peter still had a hard time believing at how fast this animal could move. She was pretty fast on land, but very fast when she was in the water. This was because she was streamlined, reducing the amount of water resistance against her body as she moved through the liquid. But although a predator like the T-Rex, she did not appear nearly as fearsome. Peter didn't know if that was because Spinosaurus was generally a fish-eater, or if it was because the teenager behind the dinosaur just wasn't the type into conflict.

Flying above them was the bright green and orange Pteranodon. Contrary to what Peter had learned growing up, this purebred Pteranodon had a long tail and sported a beak full of sharp teeth. The name Pteranodon, which meant toothless flyer, no longer fit the description of this animal. Peter knew the Pteranodon did not have as much strength as the others. He had to remain lightweight and thus did not have as much muscles for fighting as the other dinosaurs. His beak was not relatively strong and his feet weren't well designed for gripping. But despite that he has seen the Pteranodon holding objects with his feet, and he can't really figure out how he does it. Despite the Pteranodon's overfall physical weakness, he has the flight advantage, and this ability has helped the Dino Squad escape in the past.

'Greetings, perfect dinosaurs.' Peter called out, taking one step forward. He did not flinch as the dinosaurs in front of him growled at his approach. 'Or should I say Dino Squad?'

'Shut up, Peter.' Fiona opened her jaws to display her teeth. Peter did not look surprised that they knew his name. Ms. Moynihan probably found out during her spying sessions and told them. 'Where have you taken Caruso?'

A growl rumbled in the throat of the T-Rex. 'Where are you hiding him?'

Peter turned his head to the side, his eyes still focused on the smaller dinosaurs standing before him. He opened his jaws in a dinosaurian laugh. 'And what exactly makes you think I will tell you?'

Buzz narrowed his Pteranodon eyes, the glowing slightly intensifying as he softly growled a statement. 'We will make you.'

'Oh please.' Peter shook his head. 'After working with Victor for so long, it's going to take a lot more than a bunch of teenagers to frighten me.' He lowered his head a little, and baring his teeth in a dinosaur grin. 'You have a much better chance at winning the lottery than getting information from me.'

Rodger moved his head a little, and pointed his nose horn towards the direction of Peter's long neck. He used one foot to kick up dirt in a threatening manner similar to rhinos. 'If you don't tell us, we will have to strip you of your precious dinosaur form.'

Peter blinked his eyes a few times, and tilted his head. He seemed to be contemplating this information. He was quite aware that the Dino Squad did apparently have the equipment to remove prehistoric DNA from living creatures. He was wondering if they were possibly bluffing. But he did not see a reason for them to do that, as the bluff wouldn't last long. And it would only work once. He then wondered just how they would pull it off. They would need to subdue him somehow as he was likely to strike them down if any of them turn back into human. And they could not operate the Chiller or Spiller in dinosaur form. He concluded that there was little chance of the Dino Squad subduing him long enough to remove the DNA from his body.

Peter narrowed his eyes and bared his teeth. His tail raised up high and lashed from side to side. He stomped his foot into the ground a few times, cracking the cement on the road. Letting out a sauropod battle cry, he announced, 'All right then, Dino Squad. If you want to know where your precious friend is...fight me. And if you defeat me, I just might tell you where to find your pitiful friend.'

Max was the first to answer. 'Don't you dare talk trash about my friend!' His large jaws opened up quickly and a loud roar tore through his throat and jaws. He took off towards the large dinosaur, his feet stomping so heavily in the road they were making footprints. Despite his heavy body, he managed to lunge forward and attempted to knock Peter onto the ground. But when he hit the gray body, it was only he himself who fell to the ground. The sauropod towered over him.

'Is that the best you've got, punk?' Peter teased. He lowered his long neck down and gripped Max's tail with his long jaws. He bit hard enough that his peg-like teeth broke through the thin skin of the T-Rex's tail. Max let out a bellow of agony as blood seeped through the cuts formed by the teeth. Peter pulled his head back, pulling Max with him. With a fling of the neck and head muscles, he tossed Max aside, sending him crashing onto his side. Peter turned his attention back to the other dinosaurs. 'Who is next?' He asked.

'If strength won't work,' Fiona charged forward. 'Maybe speed will!'

Peter barely had time to react. It took only seconds for Fiona to get from where she was before to getting close enough to land a bite on one of his thick trunk-like legs. Peter pulled his head back and bellowed in pain, and pulled his leg roughly from the jaws of the fish-eating predator. There were a few shallow lacerations across the leg and a little bit of blood, but nothing serious. Fiona wasn't finished through. As Peter moved in to attack, she backed up quickly and ran around behind him. Apatosauruses could not turn very quickly due to their massive size.

'What are you planning..?' Peter asked, even though he knew he was not going to get an answer.

Almost as if to answer him, Fiona jumped onto the villain's back. Her small but formidable claws sank into his scaly skin, making it difficult for him to knock her off of his back. Aiming carefully, Fiona shot her head forward and sank her teeth into the base of his neck. 'This is what I was planning.' She told him, smirking to herself.

With Fiona on his back distracting him, this gave the others a chance to move in. Wanting revenge for having his tail bitten, Max went behind Peter and snagged the thin end of the tail in his powerful jaws. There was an audible cracking sound as the vertebrae at the tail tip were crushed. Overwhelmed with excruciating pain, Peter bellowed loudly, his voice filled with agony.

'Why you little brat...!' Peter said through the pain. 'When I get my hands on you, I'll...!'

'You'll..what?' Max asked, biting the tail harder and threatening to rip the tail tip off.

Buzz rose up into the air further until he was several feet above Peter. He brought out his talons and aimed carefully. He had to make sure he was right on target. Making a call like that of an eagle, he dove towards Peter's head, his sharp talons aiming for the face. They made contact, and he took pleasure in digging his sharp talons into the villain's face. The sudden assault had left Peter temporarily blinded, and as the gray dinosaur struggled with three dinosaurs hanging off of him, Rodger took his opportunity to step in.

Rodger lowered his head, his jagged horns aiming at Peter's side. He kicked up dirt as he prepared to charge. He had to charge at just the right time, when Peter's side was facing him. He had to be careful not to hit any of his team mates. If he did, they would be at a disadvantage. He wanted to call out a warning, but believed that if Peter knew what he was about to do, he would find someway to stop him. Rodger would have to trust that his teammates would get out of the way in time. Letting out a bellow, he charged forward. The sharp tips of the horns aimed directly at Peter's right flank. Within seconds they connected.

His horns did not drive that deep into the flank, but deep enough to draw blood. The force of the impact nearly cracked his horns and had caused Peter to topple a little. But to Rodger's horror, the force of the impact was not enough to knock him over completely, yet succeeded in knocking Fiona and Buzz off of him. Rodger shook his head and took a step back. Peter quickly regained his balance and stared at the Styracosaurus. 'Heheheh..I guess I should thank you for freeing me of those two pests...' He turned his long neck to face the T-Rex who still had a hold of his tail. 'And as for you...' He lifted his tail up into the air despite the pain, pulling the T-Rex with him. Ignoring the pain further, he started to slam the Tyrannosaurus Rex against a tree a few times before he finally released his tail.

Max shook his massive head as he struggled to his feet. 'Nice going Rodger...' He said, clearly disappointed in his friend. 'We almost had him!'

Buzz nodded. 'We could have defeated him if you hadn't charged in like that. If Max couldn't knock him down, what made you think you could?'

'I'm sorry guys...' Rodger said, bowing his head. His effort to help hadn't paid off and had instead backfired. 'I was just trying to help...'

'Enough sulking and arguing.' Fiona snarled as she kept her eyes on Peter. 'What are we going to do about him?'

Max tilted his head. 'What can we do? I can't knock him down. Rodger clearly can't knock him down.'

'Hey, I tried!' Rodger said defensively.

Buzz flapped his wings as he hovered above the group. He nervously watched as Peter approached them. 'Well I hope one of you gets an idea soon. Otherwise we're gonna be sore losers and the lighthouse will be history!'

Max turned his head to face the lighthouse. He thought about the defenseless occupants inside. He imagined what it would be like for him if Peter reaches them. He didn't want to be the one who let this happen. He knew he must figure out a way to stop Peter and fast. Thoughts ran through his mind, and he tried to analyze them, trying to think of some sort of weakness Peter might have. His massive body makes him difficult to attack, and his large bulk made it nearly impossible to knock him down. If they knocked him down, his own body weight could break some bones.

'Oh man...what are we going to do?' Fiona asked as she showed Peter her fangs in an attempt to scare him. Peter only brushed it off and started to walk towards them.

Max shook his head. 'I..I don't know. But we'll have to think of something fast.'

Michelle walked down one of the hallways in Raptor Dyne. She and Oscura had been left here, along with other staff members. Victor said he did not require their assistance any longer on this mission. Oscura was really bummed about it, but Victor had made up his mind. Oscura and Michelle were both off-duty until further notice. Michelle didn't mind too much, although she silently wished Victor had given them something to do to pass the time. Raptor Dyne was closed, and mostly empty. Many of the lights were off, many hallways were dark, many rooms almost black in color. Several large doors had been shut and sealed, preventing anyone from crossing, including staff members with authorized cards.

Michelle had little reason to wonder why these doors were sealed. Although this was Raptor Dyne, there were some staff members who weren't let in on the secret of the company. To guard against unwanted visitors, Victor had designed door locks that only open when he gives the command. Only the rooms with the most important experimentations were sealed off. Other rooms, such as the one Michelle had accessed the same day she was given the assignment to infiltrate the lighthouse, were deemed safe enough to avoid the mega seals. Only staff members who shared Victor's vision were given authorization cards to be allowed in.

The brown-haired girl reached a large door, beige in color with a gray metallic border. She pushed it open to enter a large room filled with long tables with circle chairs and a large food bar. Various types of food, including rice, chicken, broccoli, mashed potatoes, steamed carrots, and pasta, lay under heat lamps in small containers. She strode over and grabbed a plate, and began to take a bit of chicken and broccoli. She wasn't really hungry, but she had a bad habit: when she's bored she eats. When her plate was full, she walked over to one of the empty tables and sat down.

As she began to eat, her mind began to wander. She didn't know why, but she couldn't stop thinking about Caruso. She didn't know exactly what Victor was going to do with him. She knew that Victor isn't exactly the gentle type. She would label him more of a manipulator, but she's never known him to be especially cruel. She's never seen him do anything that had frightened her or gave her reason to call the cops on him.

But she knew, deep down, Victor was not the one to mess with. She knew what he was capable of, and what he might be capable of. She couldn't help but worry about Caruso because his attitude may push Victor over the edge. And then what? How could she defend herself against the charges of murder? She would not be guilty of first-degree murder, but she could be found guilty of helping Victor capture Caruso. Even if she tried to explain that she did not want it to happen, she'd still be found guilty and sent to prison. And if that happened, she'd have no one to bail her out.

Oscura had mentioned to her, when entering the Raptor Dyne building, that Victor's secret plan to control Caruso was going to be a shocking experience. When Michelle had prompted her to explain further, Oscura just smirked at her and wandered off into the building. Michelle has not yet been able to locate her current position, and she won't answer her communicator. She could not really expect a direct answer from Oscura. Teasing, talking in riddles, and giving hints has been the nature of their relationship since day one. And barely anything has changed.

Still, she wondered what Oscura had meant by shocking experience. There were probably many things it could be, all or most of which were unpleasant or disturbing, maybe painful. And as she began to think of pain, her eyes narrowed, but not because she was feeling sympathy for Caruso. No, this time she was getting upset with the idea of the Dino Squad finding them. She could feel it; the Dino Squad would eventually find them. And if Victor does anything to Caruso, and the squad finds out, they could be in big trouble.

Sure, they weren't much of a match for her and Oscura before, but back then they weren't powered by raw emotion. If they became pissed off for one reason or another, their own anger could fuel their strength, and make them hard to beat. But then, this same emotion could cause them to make irrational or stupid choices, and one slip-up could give her or Oscura the upper hand, or claw as this case might be. Yet even with Caruso out-of-commission, the squad would still out number them four-to-two. Two small dinosaurs against four large dinosaurs powered by raw anger and hatred, that was going to be a challenge that even Oscura herself might have doubts about.

The Dino Squad's reaction would be based on the severity of Caruso's wounds, if any are inflicted on him. Michelle did not know yet what Victor had in mind other than experimentations. While they are generally unpleasant sometimes, she hasn't seen any of Vic's experiments go too far. But she could be wrong. There were probably plenty of experiments that she has yet to see or never will see.

"I knew I'd find you here." She heard a playful yet annoying voice say behind her. She groaned softly.

"Look who finally decided to show her face." Michelle muttered in between bites of food. She sat down a piece of chicken and turned around to face Oscura. What perfect timing too, she was just thinking about her. Perhaps she could convince Oscura to tell her exactly what Victor had planned for Caruso.

Oscura grinned. "I didn't know you were hungry already." The raven-haired girl teased, pointing at the plate full of food. "I thought you already ate about an hour ago. You're such a pig. I'm surprised you don't get very fat."

"Oh shut up Oscura." Michelle said bitterly. She picked up a fork and began to eat a couple pieces of broccoli. After she swallowed, she spoke to Oscura in a calmer voice. "Is there any reason why Victor doesn't want me to know what he has planned for Caruso? Oh I mean I know that Caruso is to be subjected to a few experiments. But this method of control.. why doesn't he want me to know? Thinks I'm too squeamish for it?" She forced a chuckle.

Oscura didn't reply right away. She walked slowly, deliberately, towards Michelle, and sat down on the chair across from where she was. When she answered, it was no longer a riddle or sarcastic remark. It was a very serious and yet somewhat calm response. "He is afraid you might rebel."

This statement almost caused Michelle to spit her food out. "What?!" She cried in almost disbelief. "I've seen Victor do all sorts of things, Oscura. I've even agreed to help him wipe out humanity! What could he possibly be going to Caruso that would make me even think about betraying him?"

"Are you really sure you want to know?" The seriousness in Oscura's voice was almost foreign to Michelle. It was like she was a whole other person entirely. "I don't think you could handle the truth."

Michelle rolled her eyes. "Just try me." She placed the fork, piercing a piece of meat, into her mouth, pushed the piece of chicken off, pulled the fork out, and began to chew. "There isn't anything you can say that will catch me off guard, Michelle. I know you."

"All right then." Oscura said. She leaned forward a little, holding her hands together and resting her chin on the crossed thumbs. She opened up her mouth to speak, but the words that came out would take even Victor himself completely off guard. "Get down on your knees and tell me you love me!"

"WHAT?!" Michelle gasped, dropping the fork from her hands.

Oscura said, "You gotta do better than that!"

"I have no idea what you are talking about!" Michelle said, becoming scared. She got up from her seat and backed away. Oscura had gone bananas! Well sure she was crazy before, but this was taking the cake!

Oscura chuckled and began to approach her. "Merry Christmas you filthy animal! And a happy new year!"

Suddenly the world turned bright white as if a light was shined in Michelle's eyes. She bolted up, her forehead a bit sweaty, and her vision a bit blurred. After a few seconds, it sharpened up and she looked around the room. They were in a room that resembled a teacher's lounge. She was sitting on one of the chairs of a long wooden table. There were other occupants, including Oscura. There was a TV mounted in a top corner of the room. Flashing on the screen was a relatively old movie from the 90s, a comedy movie.

Next to her was Oscura. She was holding her mouth, trying hard not to laugh. Michelle narrowed her eyes at her. She could tell Oscura was having a very hard time to hold back her laughter. Her eyes were starting to water, and were squinted so much she could barely see her pupils. "What do you want, Oscura?" Michelle snapped, almost completely over the shock of the dream. She felt a little embarrassed that she had fallen asleep to one of her favorite movies.

"Did anyone tell you that you talk in your sleep?" Oscura smirked, chortling softly so she didn't distract the others. "It could be an entertainment form all on its own!"

"Shut up!" Michelle snapped, blushing fiercely in humiliation.

"Transform!" Victor shouted as he gave a small but firm pull on the device that still ensnared Caruso's body. Sparks flew everywhere around his body, mildly burning his skin. The spikes dug deep into his skin multiple times. The bit in his mouth sliced his mouth up a bit, and blood was oozing out of the corner of his mouth. But still he remained standing, glaring at Victor defiantly, yet still retained that fear in his eyes. Victor was a little frustrated, but he knew the boy's strength was weakening. He gave another pull. "Transform!" He commanded again, shouting louder than the first time. "I said transform!"

Caruso attempted to speak. "I won't..take orders..from you..." His voice was full of terror, and after talking he couldn't help but cry out in pain as he felt his tongue get another deep cut in it. The corner of his lips were getting lacerated as well.

"I know you can't stand the pain, boy." Victor said calmly. He let the rope that attached to the human war bridle slack a little, but his grip on it remained tight. He walked over to the child, confident that he wouldn't try to run with that device still on him. He still had Caruso backed up against the wall. The boy's back was centimeters away from the hard surface. He had no where to go anyway. Just as before, Victor reached out to hold Caruso's lower jaw. This time though he was more gentle. He pushed the boy's head up a little, and locked eyes on the kid.

"Let me get something straight with you kid." Victor said softly, although Caruso could still hear the frustration and anger in his voice. "I don't really like to cause pain where it is not needed. I don't really like doing this to you. Why don't you make it easier on yourself and quit before I am forced to hurt you even further?" Victor was trying to sound sincere, but he was lying through his teeth. He had little sympathy for the boy, and he didn't really care if he had to continue to cause him pain. He was mainly telling him this lie for his benefit. If the boy stopped struggling, he didn't have to waste as much energy on him.

Victor had used this facade before when dealing with humans. Whenever a human were to spot one of his creations and they weren't on his team, he had to step in and reassure them that there was no such thing as monsters or mutants. He had to make sure they would not spread this news to anyone. Luckily for him, the human race was overall gullible, at least by his standards, and many were willing to believe him simply because he was a high-ranking individual. They will soon realize their trust in him would lead them to their own downfall.

Caruso glared at Victor fearfully, but did not try to respond for fear of cutting his tongue more. Instead, he responded physically. He jerked his head away from Victor, freeing the grip on him. He then turned his head to look at Victor. His eyes were still narrowed, and his teeth were bared, biting into the bit that rested inside his mouth. But Victor only smiled. He could still see that spark of fear in the boy.

"So it's going to be like that, is it kid?" Victor asked as he took a small step backwards. "Very well then..." Victor had to admit, he was a bit impressed at how the boy still tried to stand up to him, despite the obvious discomfort he was in. This high tolerance of pain could make him a valuable ally to his purpose.

But before he could even think about that, he would have to break the boy's will. He now knew this was the only way to make the boy listen to him, and obey him. Only after he broke the boy's spirit, or at least severely weaken it, could he continue his experiments on the kid, testing a few weapons as well as untested chemicals, plants, and perhaps even battle a few of his mutations. As he pulled the rope up ever so slightly, he smiled as he saw Caruso's eyes locked onto the rope, anticipating the next pull and the next wave of pain to overtake him.

Then Victor did something else. Instead of pulling on the rope itself, he reached out with his hand again. This time he grabbed two leather straps, both connected to the bit in the boy's mouth. Without hesitation, he gave a sharp tug. The action caused the bit to wrench free of the boy's teeth and cut deep into the corner of the boy's mouth. With lips being one of the most sensitive parts of the human body, Caruso's eyes watered and he screamed in agony. The scream soon diminished into soft whimpering as Victor released the grip on the straps. Caruso bowed his head as he felt both relief of the pressure off of his lips and in shock of Victor pulling on the bit so suddenly.

Victor took a few steps forward, heading in the direction of the door. He wanted to return the boy to his cell room to confine him for now. He believed the boy had enough pain for the time being. He would let him rest for the remainder of the day, but the next day, he wouldn't be so understanding. He stopped, and realized the boy wasn't following him. He turned around, and pointed his finger roughly to the ground, a gesture he's seen humans give to dogs when they want them to come. Caruso, however, just stood there, and took a step back. Veloci glared at him, and held up the rope, threatening to pull it again. Eyes widening and wanting to avoid the pain, Caruso lowered his head and started to walk forward.

Victor smiled arrogantly. "Good..." He entered the hallway and started to make his way towards the cell room, holding the rope in his hands as he led Caruso closely behind.

'Look out!' Buzz shouted as he pumped his wings to stay in the air. Below him, Peter had just smashed into the ground, narrowly missing Fiona, who dodged him at the last second. She retaliated by attempting to bite the leg closest to her, but Peter had anticipated this move, and proceeded to intercept her. His sauropod jaws clamped down onto her thin, flexible brown sail, and knocked her back into the ground. Keeping a hold of her sail, he held her in place as he raised up a foot above her head, intent on crushing it under his weight.

'Fiona!' Rodger cried, charging towards the gray dinosaur and ramming his jagged horns into his side. Peter's eyes widened in pain and he roared, releasing Fiona from his grasp and allowing her to slam her strong legs into his chest, which forced him to back up a couple inches. Fiona rose up onto her sturdy legs and let out a roar. Other than a visible bite mark, the sail on her back remained undamaged.

Max dashed towards Peter while the gray dinosaur's attention was on the Styracosaurus that still had its horns lodged in his flank. Max lowered his body to the ground, and opened up his maw wide. He twisted his head so that one side was close to being flat on the ground. Then taking careful aim, and keeping his legs as sturdy as possible, he pushed his large, heavy body forward, and clamped his jaws onto one of Peter's leg. Realizing what was going to happen, Rodger quickly pulled back, dislodging his horns from Peter's side. Max gave a quick pull backward, causing Peter's foot to slip and skid across the dirt. Peter bellowed angrily and went to attack Max. But a flash of bright green and orange blocked his path, and he soon felt talons digging into his face again.

Buzz had soared down and was using his own body to keep Peter from landing a bite on any of his friends. As he kept Peter's head and mouth at bay, Rodger and Fiona looked at each other, and nodded. Max seemed to be onto something. If they couldn't ram him down, maybe, as a team, they could pull on his legs and make him slip. Fiona ran over to one of Peter's other legs. She clenched her crocodile-like jaws around a leg. Ignoring Peter's cry of pain, she began to pull in a different direction than Max was pulling, using all her might to move that leg with her mouth.

Rodger went to a third leg, and proceeded to do the same as his team mates. His beak latched onto Peter's leg like a vice, and he back to pull back on the leg, moving at a slightly faster pace than Fiona or Max. As the three dinosaurs pulled on the legs, Peter kept trying to free himself. He used his head to knock Buzz away, and then tried to bite Max, but Buzz would come back, cawing loudly and pecking at his head with his long sharp beak. The assault would force Peter to rear his head back up.

'You little pests..Let go of me!' Peter demanded, attempting to bite the thin membrane of Buzz's wings. But thanks to being a video game nerd, Buzz used several maneuvers to keep close to Peter while at the same time prevent him from biting him. The villain was growing frustrated, and used his only free leg to pull back in an attempt to free his other three legs.

'I'm sorry, but you aren't going anywhere.' Rodger said as he gave a mighty pull to thwart Peter's attempt at freeing himself. Fiona and Max shared their enthusiasm for Rodger's statement by pulling harder on Peter's legs. There were shallow paths in the ground now from where they were pulling back.

Peter pulled his head away from Buzz again, his eye side glancing at the Spinosaurus below him. His eyes glowed a little brighter as he gave a soft growl. He then started to use the only appendage that was not preoccupied at the time. He lifted his long, whip-like tail and moved it towards Fiona. He was intent on grabbing her and tossing her away, and doing the same with the other two dinosaurs that held his legs. But as he moved his tail toward Fiona, Buzz immediately noticed what he was going to try to do and dove in towards the tail. He clamped his beak down around the same place that Max had bitten him earlier. Peter's eyes started to water in pain and he hollered loudly.

'Everybody, together!' Max shouted. 'Pull as hard as you can!' He had begun to use his powerful Tyrannosaurus Rex jaws to pull. The others followed his lead.

Clenching their jaws, bodies started to tire, nevertheless the three dinosaurs pulled as hard as they could, using every ounce of strength they had left to spare. The gray legs started to skid a little more on the ground, and the speed gradually increased as Peter started to lose more and more balance. He struggled to pull his feet back, but was at the same time distracted by the sheering pain in his tail as Buzz clamped on tighter in an attempt to avert the villain's attention.

As one of Peter's legs jerked violently into one direction, Fiona declared, 'We're almost there! Pull!'

Peter's glowing eyes widened in shock as he realized the Dino Squad were about to tip him over. He felt a new sense of urgency, adrenaline rushing through his body. He started to fling Buzz wildly in the air, constantly smashing him into the ground. Although in obvious pain, Buzz refused to let go. His beak only clamped on tighter, increasing the pain in the sauropod's tail. Peter tossed his head from side to side, trying to brush aside the pain long enough to concentrate on one of the dinosaurs holding his legs. As he lowered his head to bite Max on the head, he felt one of his legs give out from underneath of him. Max quickly let go and backed up quickly as Peter began to topple in his direction. The other two legs gave out as well, causing Peter to lose his balance completely, and start to fall onto his side.

Rodger and Fiona quickly let go of Peter and backed away just as Max had to avoid being hit. As Peter started to fall onto his side, his legs not all in the same position, Buzz released the dinosaur's tail and rapidly beat his wings to rise up higher. He soared down and landed on the ground in next to his friends.

'AAAAAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!' Peter felt his body crash into the ground with heavy force. Even though he did not fall from any great height, his massive body weight seemed to crush him nevertheless. He felt a few ribs crack from the force of the impact. His head slammed into the ground, kicking up dust and leaving a small cut along the underside of his chin. One of his front legs was splayed out at an angle as he hit the ground, his back legs were bent forward as though he were kneeling down. The other front leg had bent in such a way that when he slammed into the ground his body weight crashed upon it.

CRRRRAAAAAACK!

'YEEEOOOOOOWWW!' Peter cried as he felt a leg bone snap. Within a few seconds, his body started to topple to the side. Another wave of force, although milder than the first, spread through him, cracking another rib as his body finally came to rest on the ground. He let out another cry of pain as he tried to move his now broken left leg. But the slightest movement sent waves of unbearable anguish through his nervous system.

As he rapidly kicked his back legs to try to get up again, the four dinosaurs began to walk towards him from different directions, completely surrounding him. Peter managed to lift his head and look around, and hissed, 'You rotten little animals...' The remark seemed to go almost unnoticed as the Dino Squad continued to close in on him, trying to make a barrier tight enough that he didn't have enough room to get up. While his leg was clearly broken, bent at an odd angle, he could probably still walk on his remaining three legs.

With an animal his size, the Dino Squad could not take any chances of him recovering from a well executed blow like that. So they remained on alert, preparing for a sudden attack if it ever came.

'So now will you tell us where Caruso is?' Fiona asked.

'I don't need to tell you anything!' Peter growled, baring his teeth defensively.

'I'm afraid you do.' Max said, opening his jaws enough to expose his bottom teeth. 'We beat you fair and square.'

Peter shook his head rapidly left to right. 'No! Why don't you children just mind your own business?!'

Rodger snorted, narrowing his eyes. 'You aren't in any condition to give us orders, Peter. Now I suggest you cooperate.' He lowered his nose horn to emphasize his statement, the tip of it aimed for Peter's broad shoulder.

'I don't need to cooperate with you little whelps!' Peter snapped, gnashing his teeth together threateningly. 'Give me one good reason why I should tell you anything!'

Rodger took a step forward. 'Gladly.' He closed his eyes and a glow covered his body as his form shrunk back to that of a human. Peter laughed coldly at this move but Rodger paid him no mind. He went over to his bike, which was hidden behind some trees, and pulled out the large bag that he had stored in it. He unzipped it, and reached in to pull the Chiller and the Spiller. He made his way back to the fallen sauropod, holding up both weapons so he could see them. When Peter's eyes widened a little at the fearsome appearance, Rodger smiled faintly, pointing both at the large creature. "Do you know what these are, Peter?"

The large dinosaur rapidly shook his head. 'No..I don't.' Peter said, trying to sound like he was scared. But his voice betrayed him.

"They are the Chiller and the Spiller. I'm surprised Victor hasn't told you about them. He's encountered prototypes of these, hasn't she?" Rodger didn't know why he asked that question. He didn't believe Peter was even involved with Victor when Moynihan had fought Victor all alone. Just as he thought, Peter attempted to shrug his shoulders, but winced in pain when he put pressure on his broken leg.

Rodger started to contemplate what to do. He wanted to say something that would scare Peter enough into confession. He could tell Peter he might lose his dinosaur form forever if he uses the weapons on him. But then, he doesn't know just how attached he is in this form, and how protective of it he actually is. Would the fear of losing this ability really be scary enough to force him to speak out? Another idea that he had was to lie, to make the weapons seem more dangerous than they actually were. It wouldn't be hard to fool Peter. He already seemed to think they were dangerous just by the appearance. While the Chiller and Spiller were not designed to inflict harm on any living creature, they certainly looked vicious enough to seem to underline a malign purpose.

Rodger placed down the Chiller and held up the Spiller, resting his large finger on the trigger. The other dinosaurs, minus Peter, looked at each other, and were about to say something, but Rodger subtly put his finger to his lip to silence them. "The Spiller here, Peter," Rodger said, "is designed to shoot a hot acidic liquid over the opponent's body, causing severe third-degree burns."

Peter's eyes widened and he pulled his head back in shock. 'Y-You're kidding me!' He cried in disbelief. From what Victor had told him, Moynihan was not the type of person to hold such dangerous weaponry.

Rodger grinned, knowing he got him where he wants him. He lifted up the gun so that the barrel was facing directly at Peter's face. "Do you really want to take that chance...?"

Silence fell upon the group. No one moved much, remaining in their current positions. Peter's glowing yellow eyes locked onto the gun that Rodger held in his hands. Rodger nervously felt for the trigger, trying to make it look like he was threatening to pull it. But he had to make sure he did not pull it all the way. If he did, Peter would see that he was just bluffing and that the Spiller was not really that dangerous. Peter himself was trying to figure out if the african-american was speaking the truth. He continued to eye the weapon and the teen nervously. He could just be pulling some sort of trick. He could just call his bluff.

But then, he himself was in no condition to attack. And what if the boy is actually speaking the truth? If he were to make a move, Rodger could severely burn him. And if he was severely burned and could no longer work, Victor might have a cow. Could he really take that chance? Peter bowed his head, and let out a sigh. He could not see any way out of this other than tell the children what they wanted to hear.

'...fine, I'll tell you.' Peter said, giving into Rodger's threat. As the others leaned in to listen, Peter began to recite to them a sentence. 'Victor took your friend Caruso to his secret hideout.'

'And where is this secret hideout?' Buzz asked.

'I..I don't know...' Peter said, baring his teeth nervously. 'I just know that it's a warehouse of some kind, from what he told me. And it has a lot of failed or incomplete experiments in it. Many different weapons and creatures there too.'

'And just what did Victor say he planned on doing with Caruso when he got there?' Max growled. He and the Dino Squad were already aware of the experimentation part. And while that's bad enough on its own, there was probably more Victor could do to multiply the seriousness and urgency of the situation.

Peter lowered his gaze a little, hesitating slightly before responding. 'He said he was going to subject Caruso to a few of his incomplete weapons to see what effect they would have on dinosaurs. He also said he was going to force Caruso to eat a few of the plants he's successfully regrown to insure that they are safe to eat, and make him fight a few of his new mutantsaurs to test strength and endurance.'

"Doesn't he know that Caruso would just fight back?" Rodger asked, glaring at the big dino. "Caruso isn't the type to just submit himself to stuff like that. He could easily turn into a Stegosaurus and give Victor a run for his money."

Peter nodded. 'Right you are. But Victor anticipated that, and found a solution for that.'

'What kind of solution?' Fiona opened up her jaws to show off her sharp teeth. 'Tell us.'

'He planned do force the boy into obedience.' Peter explained solemnly. 'He was going to subject your friend to extreme pain if he refused to listen. He already had a plan worked out, but I do not know the details of it other than it was cruel and would eventually break the boy's will. And if it doesn't break his will, it could...' His voice trailed off, and he didn't want to continue. A growl from Max forced him to finish. '..kill him...'