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...

12. Home

"What happened? You were really zoning out there." Max asked. Rodger took one look at him as he asked that and slowly turned his head towards Caruso and nodded in his direction. "Oh..."

"I was just..thinking about... You remember when my...experiment failed...?" Rodger asked without looking at Max. Even though he wasn't looking, Rodger could sense that Max had nodded. He knew that Max would remember that incident. After all, it had effected all of them in someway, mostly thanks to pranks that Rodger himself had pulled later on as a form of revenge. Rodger hadn't realized just how childish he was acting until later on. He had nearly pushed the others too far. "..well I was just..thinking about what I did to Caruso..." His eyes closed as he tried to fight back the tears. "I was..so cruel to him..."

Max looked at Rodger sympathetically and wanted to hug him to console him, but refrained from doing so because he thought it would look and feel awkward. But he wanted to do something to try and help Rodger feel better. "Rodger...we all have regrets." It was all he could come up with to say.

"B-But you didn't break him..like I had.." Rodger stammered, inhaling sharply as he stifled a sob. "You didn't make him run out of a classroom because of a stupid prank..." He placed his face in the palm of his hand.

"I did yell at him..." Max said, drawing in a long, soft breath as he recalled what happened. "I said things that I had bottled up inside..for so long... I never meant to let them out like that... I didn't mean to hurt him like I had." He slowly closed his eyes, placing his face in the palm of his hand. He felt a stinging pain in his stomach as he remembered what he had said to Caruso. "I only wish that I had the chance to..properly apologize."

"Yeah..." Rodger said, eyes narrowing a little. He spoke in a somewhat angry voice. "You were harsh on him."

"Don't remind me." Max looked away.

"I'm sorry..." Rodger said, turning his head away as well. "I didn't mean to..come off like that...I guess I'm just..not feeling like myself."

"Neither am I." Max responded, agreeing with Rodger. "I don't think any of us will..feel the same for a while, if ever again."

The two friends sat down in silence, not daring to look at each other. Buzz looked over and saw them, sitting there and talking for a little while before growing silent again. Wanting someone to talk to, he slowly got up onto his feet and walked over to them. He stopped within about a foot away from them and sat down, feeling a little better to be in close company of others. He struggled to find the words to say, but nothing was coming to mind. He would open up his mouth to speak, but no words would come out. What could he say anyway? There was nothing he could say that he felt would make them feel better.

When Buzz thought of something to say, he turned his head towards Rodger and Max. He said, "Man...I...I wish there was..something we missed." It was true too, and he knew everyone else was thinking the same thing. Rodger and Max turned to look at the punk kid and nodded once, agreeing with what he was saying.

"I know...but there's nothing that..." Suddenly Max stopped his sentence short, his eyes widened a bit as he remembered something, something important. Buzz and Rodger tried to snap him out of his trance, but to no avail. They tried talking to him, but he wasn't responding. His mind was being filled with thoughts and memories pertaining to Moynihan and her science class. There was one lesson in particular that was sticking out in his mind, and it could turn this whole thing around. Moynihan was talking about how wolves would disguise their scent so that other animals wouldn't know they were wolves. He slowly turned towards Caruso and started to wonder if the death scent was his own or...

"Max...?" Rodger asked, placing his hand on his shoulder. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah..." Buzz said in a concerned voice.

Max didn't answer them. Instead he immediately got off the ground swiftly and turned towards Moynihan. "Moynihan!" He called out. When he saw that he got her, and Fiona's, attention, he continued, "Could you sniff Caruso again?"

The question made everyone stare at him in shock. Moynihan snapped her head back, shaking her head as she was in complete disbelief that Max would ask him something that morbid. "Why...? All it will prove is..."

"Just do it!" Max almost demanded. His voice had a strong sense of urgency. "Please..."

Releasing Fiona and standing up, Moynihan looked at Max with a mixture of confusion and anger. "Maxwell...how dare you ask me to do such a thing..." She said, doing her best to keep herself from getting too angry. She felt somewhat offended that Max would ask her to scent Caruso again, even after she had already done so with no good news. "How could you even think of asking me that...?" She asked him in a soft voice.

"Yeah...what are you, some kind of sadistic person or something?" Fiona said, her eyes narrowed and her arms folded tightly against her chest.

"I know..it sounds weird..." Max admitted, feeling guilty about asking in the manner that he head. "But..just listen to me... Ms. M, don't you remember when you gave us that lesson..the lesson about the wolves?" Moynihan nodded slowly, her eyes still narrowed in confusion, though her anger was starting to melt away a little. "And how they disguise their scent to confuse other predators as well as their prey?"

"Where are you getting at?" Moynihan asked.

"What if this horrible smell...isn't Caruso's?" Max asked urgently. "What if it's not his..scent of death? What if..it's something else?" He knew he was probably just doing some wishful thinking. He knew that Moynihan, being a Velociraptor, couldn't possibly mistaken another scent for death. She was a predator and had probably smelled this scent more times than she cared to count. But maybe there was still a chance that it wasn't Caruso who was emitting that scent, but something else...

"Max..that sounds so.." Fiona started to say.

"Ridiculous? I know." Max finished her sentence for her. But he wasn't deterred. "But what if there's a chance that..the scent isn't his? What if..Victor wanted us to think he was dead? I mean think about it. What if Victor found out we were coming and wanted to find some way to make sure that we wouldn't leave with Caruso. And what better way than to fool us into thinking he's dead?"

"But..." A voice said behind him. Max turned around to see Rodger and Buzz walking towards him. Buzz was the one who had spoken up. "...how could he fake a scent like this?"

Max held up his hands and arms, shrugging. "Well, he has a lot of chemicals, doesn't he? Couldn't he just..fake the scent somehow?"

"As much as I'd like to believe your claim," Moynihan said, slowly shaking her head. "I'm afraid that I find it hard to do so...I..." She was caught off guard when Max gripped her arm firmly, but gently at the same time. He looked up at her with wide, pleading eyes, and she had a hard time looking away.

"Just..please...do it..." Max begged.

Moynihan hesitated for a few seconds before giving a soft exhale. "All right then..." She said, turning away from Max and made her way towards Caruso. She did her best to ignore the smell that was filling her nostrils. She could feel anxiety and fear rise up inside of her as she drew closer and closer to Caruso's prone body on the ground. When she reached him, she knelt down beside him and leaned in a little. She took in a few deep breaths, the death scent almost as strong as it was when they came in here. But her human form wouldn't be able to tell her much. She closed her eyes and when she reopened them, she was a Velociraptor once more.

Once again, she sniffed at Caruso. She was feeling rather strange about doing this. But she carried out Max's task. While she had her doubts of his claims, part of her hoped that he was right. As she continued to sniff at Caruso, she did realize that something was rather off about the scent that clung around Caruso. Her eyes widened a little and she pushed her snout in closer, sniffing a little harder as if she were in shock by what she discovered. Her heart started to thump harder. She was noticing a decrease in the scent. The scent of death shouldn't decrease, she thought. It should only get worse as the process of decay sets in. It would only decrease completely after the body was almost completely destroyed. The only way that the scent would vanish before the body could decompose was if..the victim was still alive.

Feeling excited about this discovery, she turned her long head towards the group to deliver the news. But before she could say anything to the others about this sudden revelation, she felt something move at her feet. She looked down to see Caruso's foot against hers. Her eyes widened a little. The foot wasn't there just seconds ago and she hadn't done anything to move Caruso's body. Her feelings were further increased when she realized Caruso must have moved that leg on his own. She lowered her head towards his face, looking at his closed eyes. She pressed her snout gently against his head, taking in a few sniffs, this time scenting no death, but just Caruso himself.

She almost jolted when she felt something press against her snout. Although she could barely focus, she recognized the object as Caruso's hand. She looked back down at his face and noticed a smile had crept over it. Caruso's eyes slowly fluttered open, halfway. Unfocused eyes looked up at her, and the smile broadened slightly, although weakly.

Caruso slowly opened up his mouth to speak, taking in a few weak breaths as he did so. Judging from the look on his face, this once simple task was now torture for him."W-What do you know...?" Caruso managed to say in a feeble voice. "I'm..I'm so h-handsome.. I-I-I'm even attracting...d-dinosaurs..." He coughed a few times and his eyes closed once again.

Moynihan was, at first, at a loss of words, stunned at hearing Caruso's voice for the first time since that horrible day when the lighthouse was under attack. Quickly the reality of the situation sank in, and she couldn't control the overwhelming feeling of happiness and relief that she was feeling inside her. Without saying a word, she transformed back, and with a huge grin on her face, she wrapped her arms around Caruso and held him up. Caruso grunted slightly in pain but didn't object to the gesture. Moynihan continued to smile as tears of happiness flowed down her face.

"A-A-And it l-likes me too..." Caruso whispered, managing a weak smile.

"CARUSO!" The others cried out in unison, elated. Words couldn't describe what they were feeling right that second. They stood up immediately, but hesitated. They hoped that this wasn't a trick. They hoped that nothing bad was going to happen this time. Unable to control their emotions, they ran towards Moynihan and Caruso. One by one, they wrapped their arms around the two, creating one big group hug. Rump barked happily and ran circles around the group, his tail wagging so fast it looked like it was going to rip off. They all began crying happily, a few laughing a little as it felt like a huge weight was being lifted up off their shoulders. Caruso didn't try to struggle, feeling too weak to move much.

"Caruso, you're alive!" Fiona cried, her eyes filling with tears of joy. "I'm so glad you're all right..." She whispered.

Filling with excitement, without realizing what she was doing, she planted a quick kiss on his cheek. Caruso looked at her, a little surprised, but didn't say anything. Everyone else was just as surprised, but decided not to say anything, believing that Fiona was just so worked up and so happy Caruso was alive that she couldn't help herself. Caruso managed to give a weak smile and said in a joking manner, "..l-looks like I'm not just attracting dinosaurs..."

"Don't ever do that again!" Max shouted angrily, but from the tone of the voice, it was clear that he wasn't really angry, just very relieved. He wanted to apologize to Caruso now, but he knew he would have to wait. Caruso was still badly hurt and he needed medical attention, and fast.

"You gave us quite the scare, yo!" Rodger said, ruffling Caruso's hair playfully, but gently at the same time.

Caruso winced a little, but not in pain. "Please...p-please..don't m-mess w-with my..my hair...Rodger..." He whispered weakly, trying to raise his hand to push Rodger's hand away. But due to the lack of strength, it just fell limply at his side once again. Rodger just smiled and pulled his hand away. Same old Caruso, he thought.

Buzz smiled as he looked at Caruso. "So...do you want a rematch?" He asked, referring to the online game Rodger had designed. While Caruso made no verbal response, his nonverbal response was a smile. Buzz took that as a yes and his own smile broadened.

Caruso was, at first, grateful for the hugs he was receiving and was enjoying the moment, feeling secure and happy for the first time in almost twenty-four hours. He received no such comfort while he was staying with Victor. He didn't realize just how much he'd miss human interaction, being in the company of friends and family, even though he had only been away for about a day. The touch of his friends was a welcome gesture for him, having felt only pain and misery for hours upon hours. But he slowly realized the others were hugging him a little tightly. His eyes widened in pain. He knew they were very happy to see him, but if they didn't let up, they wouldn't be happy for long. They were hugging so tightly that he was having trouble breathing and he started to struggle a little, despite his pain.

"I-If you don't..stop squeezing me so tightly..." Caruso said through short, gasping breaths. "...I really am going to die..." Immediately, the kids let go, releasing the pressure they had been unintentionally putting on his ribcage and stomach. Moynihan loosened her grip, but not too much because she didn't want to let him fall to the ground. Instead, she slowly knelt down, gently setting Caruso back on the ground. She released him and took a step back, giving him some breathing room. "Thanks..."

"Caruso..." Moynihan asked gently. "Can you walk?"

"I-I'll try..." Caruso slowly struggled to get onto his feet. Progress was painfully slow and his legs wobbled constantly, lacking the strength they once had. But nonetheless, he managed to stand on his own, his feet planted firmly on the ground. He held out his arms and hands to try and keep his balance as he lifted up one foot to try and walk. But as he set the foot back down, a searing pain shot up his side where he received a wound from the mutant mole. He gasped in pain and took an involuntary step back to try and escape it. But this caused him to accidentally hit his head lightly against one of his friends. Eyes bulged open as he cried out in pain and he fell back onto his knees, trembling in agony. He tried to press his hand against the wound on his head, another on his side. But the pain was unbearable and he immediately pulled them away. "So..much...pain..." He managed to say.

Fiona rushed forward. "Caruso! Are you okay?" She asked him as she carefully grabbed his arm and tried to pull him up. But unfortunately, she didn't notice the long cut on Caruso's arm, the first cut he had received while under Victor's supervision.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Caruso cried out, trying to pull his arm away from Fiona. "DON'T TOUCH ME THERE!"

Fiona gasped as she realized what she was doing. She immediately released Caruso, allowing him to drop down onto his knees once more. "Caruso, I'm so sorry!" She said immediately in an apologetic tone. Feelings of guilt welled up inside of her and she started feeling angry at herself for doing such a thing without checking to make sure there were no injuries there.

"I-I-It's all right..." Caruso managed to say under his breath.

"So..what are we going to do...?" Buzz asked, looking at Max and Moynihan for some answers. "He can't walk... how are we going to get him to help?"

"One of us could carry him..." Rodger suggested.

"That's a good idea." Max said. "But how would it work? All of our dinosaur forms are too big for Caruso to climb on, and I don't think he has the strength to hang on once we get going. And he's too big for us to carry in human form..."

"I'll carry him." Moynihan stepped forward.

Max looked at her leg and asked cautiously, "..are you sure you want to do that?"

Moynihan lifted up her leg and took a look at it before setting it back down. "Don't worry. My leg is fine. Caruso's parents gave me medicine for it. I'll be able to carry Caruso." When Max continued to give her a concerned look, she offered a smile to try and reassure him. "Really, it's okay. Now then..." She turned her head towards Caruso. "Do you think you'll be able to hang onto me?"

"S-Sure..no p-problem.." Caruso said.

"Good." With that, Moynihan transformed into a Velociraptor. She knew she would have difficulty running away if she only used her arms to hold him. But if Caruso were riding her, it would be easier, at least on her. She wasn't sure how well Caruso would be able to handle riding her while he was injured. But this was the only option she could see that just might work. She slowly walked towards Caruso. She lowered her self to the ground, getting as close as possible to Caruso without touching him. She gestured for Caruso to climb up on top of her. The boy hesitated at first, looking up at her in fear, as if he was remembering something terrible. But he quickly snapped out of it and slowly climbed on top of Moynihan. He wrapped his arms around her long, muscular neck and held on as tightly as he could. Once she was sure Caruso was secure, Moynihan turned towards the other teenagers. 'Let's head back to the lighthouse.'

"Sounds like a good plan." Max said as the group started to make their way towards the exit. Max was glad that they were finally heading back to the lighthouse. He was starting to get sick of being here, in this terrible place. And he was growing increasingly concerned about Caruso. Many of his injuries looked severe and would need medical treatment. And he wasn't sure how they were going to treat the cuts inside his mouth.

"Should we go dino?" Rodger suggested. He was looking around the place in a nervous manner. He kept thinking he heard things, but in the end it turned out nothing was there. Still, he didn't want to take the chance. Michelle might have called in reinforcements. This could still be a trap. He looked left to right, expecting a trap to appear out of nowhere. "We might have a better chance getting out of here if we do.."

"But wouldn't that just draw attention to ourselves?" Fiona asked, slowly shaking her head. She wanted to get out of this place, but she also didn't want to risk themselves getting caught. She felt they should think of another way of getting out of here quickly. Plus they also have equipment they needed to put onto the SUV, where ever Moynihan put it, that is.

"But what if we are ambushed before we could get out?" Rodger asked. He then gestured towards Moynihan and Caruso. "If Victor finds out that Caruso's gone, wouldn't he go beserk and go after us...?"

"What if he doesn't?" Fiona asked.

"I don't think it'll take him long to find out, Fiona." Rodger said. "I mean, it's not like he's never going to find out.. We should..."

"Should what? Risk messing this up by..." Fiona started to say.

"Will you too stop fighting?!" Buzz snapped, moving in quickly in between the too. Everyone was surprised by this, especially Max. The jock was going to interfere himself. He wasn't expecting Buzz to step up to the plate. And he was especially surprised at how angry Buzz sounded. Well he probably shouldn't be that surprised, not after what he's seen when he was with Michelle, anyway. "Do you really want to waste time arguing over something like this?! Let's just go before Victor catches on to us and sends his oozer losers here!"

"Buzz is right." Max said. "Please don't argue about this. Right now, our top priority is getting Caruso to safety. How we do it, I don't care. Let's just go, now!" His voice was filled with a strong sense of urgency and determination. The others nodded towards him, acknowledging his order. For a few seconds, Max thought that he had everything settled, but then he saw Fiona and Rodger glare at each other again. Max slowly shook his head. They aren't going to argue again, were they...?

"I still say we should go dino. We'll leave this horrible place faster that way." Rodger said sternly.

Fiona growled. "And I still say we'll just be asking for trouble that way."

Rodger narrowed his eyes. "I thought you liked speed!"

"Not when it could potentially risk our safety!" Fiona responded, her voice growing a little louder as she was becoming more and more frustrated with Rodger. "What are you, some kind of reckless oaf?!"

Rodger's eyes widened a little. "What..." A scowl reappeared on his face. "Do you really think I am throwing caution to the wind?! Do you really think I'm so careless that I would do anything to get something done, even at the cost of another's life?!"

"Guys.." Max said, walking towards the two. "Not now..please..." He wanted to try and calm them down. "Let's just try to reach a negotiation and..."

But Fiona and Rodger weren't in a negotiating mood. At the same time, they quickly swerved over towards Max and shouted, "STAY OUT OF THIS!" Max was shocked by this, and took a step backwards. He was confused. He couldn't understand why they would yell at him like that, and especially when he was only trying to help too. He felt hurt and a little angry at the same time. Rodger and Fiona didn't seem to notice. They turned back towards each other and continued with their arguing.

Max walked towards Moynihan. "We'll never get out of here if those two keep on arguing."

'Then why don't you talk to them?' Moynihan suggested.

"They won't listen to me." Max said, sounding completely frustrated.

'They should.. You are the leader after all, are you not?' Moynihan asked, tilting her green head to the side. 'A good team cannot be without a good leader.'

Max slowly nodded his head. "Yeah..I know..." But he was still feeling unsure about himself. He looked back over to Rodger and Fiona. The fight wasn't going to let up anytime soon, and he knew they didn't have that kind of time to spare. He looked back towards Moynihan, and then looked at Caruso's face. Caruso smiled at him, but Max could still see the fear and pain in the boy's eyes. Caruso wouldn't have lasted much longer with Victor, and if he caught him again, he didn't want to think about what might happen. Max narrowed his eyes. He knew he would have to try, for Caruso's sake. He turned around and made his way towards Fiona and Rodger.

"Why are you antagonizing me?!" Rodger shouted bitterly. "I'm just trying to help!"

"And your help is going to get us all captured, you idiot!" Fiona snapped.

"No it's not!" Rodger protested. "I would never suggest a plan that had a high risk of us getting captured!"

"What about that incident back at the school with the holographic mutantsaurs?" Fiona asked in a low voice.

Rodger snapped his head back, looking at Fiona with a shocked look on his face. That statement really hit a nerve. It has been a while since that had incident had occurred. Why did she have to bring it up now? He admitted he made a mistake. But there was nothing he could do to change what he did. He never meant for them to get almost captured by Veloci. How was he to know it was a trap? Fiona had went too far with what she said, but Rodger couldn't think of any sort of comeback to deliver. He just stood there, speechless.

"All right, that is enough!" Max shouted as he stood between the two arguing teenagers. They looked at him in anger and were about to say something, but they immediately shut their mouths when Max continued to yell. "I'm sick of seeing you two argue like this, and of all times, too! Caruso is injured and needs help, and all you guys care about doing is argue about what to do! Now is not the time to argue! Now either get your act together and agree on something or I'll decide for you! As your leader, I am not asking you. I'm telling you!"

Fiona and Rodger stared at Max, stunned by his sudden snap. They looked at each other for a few seconds, as if they were seeing if the other heard the same thing, almost hoping they were imagining it. Max hadn't snapped like that since he'd snap at Caruso. They looked back at Max, their eyes narrowed at first. They were angry that Max had interrupted their discussion, or argument as some might see it as. But they did realize that their leader was correct. They weren't going to get anywhere arguing, and all they've been doing was wasting time. What had gotten into them? They looked to the ground, slowly feeling ashamed about what they were doing.

"We're sorry..." Fiona and Rodger said in unison.

Max's expression softened and he groan softly, turning his head away a little. "Oh...I'm sorry too. I didn't mean to snap at you like it. It's just that..." He felt his voice fade away as he became unable to think of a response. He opened up his jaws to try again, but stopped when Rodger held out a hand, signaling him to stop.

"It's okay." Rodger said calmly. "You were right. We shouldn't be arguing."

"Yeah..." Fiona said, agreeing with what Rodger said.

Without responding to them, Max turned to Moynihan once again. He wasn't sure if he should be the one to decide if they should go dino or not. Moynihan had turned into a dinosaur herself, so maybe it would be a good idea. But then, the more dinosaurs there are, wouldn't that increase the chances of Victor finding them? Multiple targets increased the chances of one of them getting captured. But then again, in dinosaur form, they could more easily defend themselves and have a better chance of escape. And more importantly, it would help get Caruso back to the lighthouse quicker and safely.

He still decided to ask Moynihan for her opinion on these two choices. Max asked, "Professor Moynihan, which idea do you think could work better? Going dino or getting out of here in human form?"

Moynihan lifted her raptor head back a little, tilting it from side to side in a bird-like manner as she thought about this. At first, she didn't know why Max was asking her. He was the leader, so he should be the one to decide ultimately on which course of action to take. But she sensed the boy still felt a little lost and uncertain of himself. She didn't see anything wrong with him seeking help. That's a good leader quality, knowing when to seek help from others and ask for others' input.

'Well they both had very valid points.' Moynihan said, eyeing Rodger and Fiona. 'It might be safer to go dino if we want to get out of here faster, and have an easier time defending ourselves. But on the other hand, as Fiona pointed out, going dino might increase the chances of us getting spotted and having one of us captured.' She closed her eyes to think about an answer, but she was having a difficult time coming up with one. Both ideas had flaws that could have dark consequences. They either risk losing another one of their own to Victor or Caruso's death. 'I can see why Rodger and Fiona couldn't decide. Both ideas sound good, but they both could have dangerous results if they are executed incorrectly, I'm afraid.'

"So..you're stumped too...?" Max asked softly, feeling a little disappointed.

'A little, I'm afraid.' Moynihan nodded her head. She turned her head to the side and gave Caruso a sideways glance. She could see the pain in his eyes and the scent of blood filled her nostrils. She started to think that Rodger's idea was the best course of action. Caruso needed the most attention out of all of them. If they went with Fiona's idea, they risk Caruso's death, either by getting attacked by Victor's men or taking too long to get help. Rodger's idea was just as risky, but they would be able to better defend Caruso and would get out faster. Once she made up her mind, she turned to Max. 'I feel Rodger's idea would be the best thing, although it is still risky.'

The teenagers didn't argue. They simply nodded in unison, and looked at each other as their eyes started to glow. The room illuminated with a bright glow for a brief second and quickly died down. Soon the room was filled with the silhouettes of large dinosaurs, roaring furiously. Suddenly, they thunderously stampeded out through the wall. Rubble and rocks rolled down the sides of the large gaping hole as the group ran out through the building. They ignored the alarms that were blaring and continued crashing through the walls until they were out of the building.

As they disappeared, a dark figure stepped through the large opening in the wall to the room where Caruso was once held prisoner. The figure remained in the shadows, moving slowly towards the cage, taking short, deliberate steps. Their arms are behind their back, almost like they were bound there. The figure stopped beside the large cage, coming into the light. It was Victor Veloci. He had come into the room alone. Oscura and Michelle were nowhere in sight.

Taking a few sniffs, Victor said, "Hmm..seems like they were here..." His eyes narrowed as he looked at the cage that was wide open and surveying the empty contents inside. He knelt down near the area where Caruso was laying. He was staring at a strange, liquid substance that accumulated in several, small places. It was like dew on the grass. The liquid was very shallow, like a raindrop, and was colored a pale red, almost the shade of blood. But it distinguished itself from blood by having a mild glow to it.

Victor reached out with a hand and gently dipped a fingertip into the liquid. He lifted his hand back up and sniffed the liquid a bit. He could smell the distinct odor of the substance. It was very close to the scent of death. He had coated much of Caruso in this liquid for one purpose. He transformed his head into a raptor's and leaned forward. He sniffed at the air above the liquid, and picked up the scent he'd been hoping he'd catch. He shifted back, and a sadistic smile spread across his face, feeling very satisfied with the results.

"It begins..." Victor said, chuckling softly at first before letting out several louder laughs, as if this situation was so funny that he couldn't help himself.

The laugh echoed throughout the warehouse, reverberating across the walls, sound increasing in volume, and it exited through the large openings that the Dino Squad had made. Some owls were startled by the laugh and took off in flight. It didn't take the sound long to reach Caruso's ears. Despite his pain, Caruso snapped his head up in fright, eyes wide with fear. He looked around, trying to find the source of the sound. Although he could not see anything, or hear anything now, he started to shiver in fear. He knew who that laugh belonged to. He had heard that laugh several times while he was held captured by Victor Veloci.

Caruso gripped Moynihan's neck a little tighter and whispered fearfully, "P-Please...d-don't let him get me..again..."

Moynihan turned her eyes to try and look at the boy riding on her back. Her usual dinosaur glare softened up a little as she sensed the boy's fear. Tilting her head down a little, she decided to say something that she hoped would help make him feel a bit better. 'Don't worry... you're safe with us. He won't get you ever again... I promise.'

Michelle slowly limped down one of the hallways in Raptor Dyne. Victor had ordered her to return here to discuss more of her punishment. Victor had struck her in the leg. He hadn't broken the skin, but he left a nasty bruise and it hurt to walk. Michelle winced with every footstep as she drew closer and closer to Victor's large room, full of liquid-filled cylinders accompanied by failed experiments. A few people she passed asked about her leg and some showed sympathy towards her. She didn't need to tell them it was Victor for them to know who did it. Michelle wondered why Victor felt the need to punish her more. Wasn't this darn bruise punishment enough?

She thought she was going to get away with this without harm. Victor might not have never known about it if she was very careful. But she did make a stupid move by chasing away Oscura. She should have known that Oscura would tell Victor about this, and twist the tale in any place she needed in order to get Victor angry with her. And since her actions threatened the plan that would ultimately lead to his victory, Victor was especially angry and wanted to make sure she wouldn't do it again. He said he won't eat her, but that didn't give her much comfort. She told herself that she would get Oscura back for this, somehow, someday.

When she reached the room, she stepped inside and sat down on one of the chairs. She took a look around the room. She was the only one in there at the time, so her only company was the monitoring equipment and the failed experiments. She looked at a few of them, many human-like in appearance, and scowled in disgust. She often wondered why Victor had all of these experiments here. Victor never really told her or Oscura what these creatures were exactly, other than failed experiments. Michelle could only guess that they were probably failed attempts in transforming humans and animals into dinosaurs. It would make sense.

She then glanced over at the monitoring equipment. The main computer was still on, along with the others. The multiple computer screens displayed mostly scans, colored a monochrome green. It was hard for her to read it, and she wondered how Victor could understand it. But he did design the equipment, so she probably shouldn't be surprised that he would be able to read it. She could see some blinking dots and she guessed that meant dino activity, and it was very close. Yeah, it had to be dino activity, more specifically the Dino Squad. Her thoughts went back to Caruso. She wondered if he was all right.

Something then caught her eye. A few of the monitors showed parts of the building. It was for security reasons, just like any other building. Victor set them up to help keep track of where his men were in the building and to make sure no one broke in. Despite his hatred of humans, Victor seems to have the same sense of insecurity as a human, or so Michelle thought. He wanted to make sure that no humans finds out he's a Velociraptor except the ones that work for him. Since the Dino Squad and possibly their families know what Victor actually is, Michelle started to wonder if Victor will find a way to deal with them. She gulped at the thought.

One monitor in particular caught her interest. It was of the rooftop of the building. This is where Victor would keep his helicopter stored. It was the same shade of red as Victor's skin in dinosaur mode, and the front of it was studded with sharp teeth to make it look more like a dinosaur. It surprised Michelle that no one found that suspicious. The same went for his truck. It also had a very dinosaur-like look to it, right down to the sharp teeth that decorated the front. It was like the guy was putting a label on himself and telling everyone to try and catch him. Michelle slowly shook her head as she thought about this. For a mad scientist, Victor isn't always so bright.

Michelle returned her attention to the monitor. Usually she would see the helicopter parked there since Victor didn't always use it. But now it was missing. Michelle narrowed her eyes. Why would the copter be missing? She didn't think Victor would use it because the warehouse was not that far away. His men couldn't have taken it unless they had a special key, which she knew Victor still had. She saw it in one of his shirt pockets not too long ago. And she was positives he saw the raptor copter before she left with Oscura. Michelle's eyes widened as she saw another signal on the monitor. She quickly took a guess at who it was.

"Victor..." If this was Victor in the helicopter, then he was moving in pretty fast behind the other dots, which she guessed was the Dino Squad. She told herself she could be mistaken about this, but part of her told her it was real, that she got it right. She gulped as she saw just how close he was getting to them. She quickly turned around, her eyes closed. She didn't want to see the outcome. She whispered one thing before walking away. "Good luck, Dino Squad."

"I think we are in the clear." Rodger said, looking back down at the dino tracker. So far he wasn't getting any signals. They were all in the SUV now. Moynihan was sitting in the driver's seat. She knew a particular stretch of road where Veloci's men are rarely spotted, so she decided to take that road, especially since she was the only one in the group who had taken this road before. Rodger was sitting in the passenger seat next to her, getting ready to fill in updates for her if the dino tracker detected anything. Max was sitting in the seat directly behind Moynihan while Buzz sat behind Rodger. In the very back seat were Fiona and Caruso. Everyone had their seat belts on, all except Caruso. Due to his injuries they thought it would be best he not wear a seat belt as the straps only dug into his injuries.

Max looked outside the window, scanning the horizon for any possible threats. Buzz was doing the same thing, although he was scanning the areas a bit faster and in a bit of a frantic motion. The two did know that the tracker wasn't picking up anything, and the others, except Caruso, had assured them that if the dino tracker picked up no signals, they should be safe. But one thing was on the two teens' minds. If Victor knew they had tracking equipment, he could easily cloak his own signal so that they wouldn't detect it. Max and Buzz didn't want to take any chances.

And they weren't the only ones a little paranoid. Caruso hadn't stopped shaking since they got in the SUV. Fiona tried to comfort him, but he kept looking away and pushing her away, complaining that it hurt when she touched him. He felt bad about the way he was acting, but he just couldn't help himself. Even sitting down sometimes hurt him. And he was constantly worried that Victor would show up at any moment to snatch him away. His eyes remained wide open as he looked at his surroundings, almost as if he doesn't truly believe he is where he was now. He was sometimes afraid to move in certain ways, afraid of feeling pain as if he was still wearing the bridle.

Feeling further distressed by Caruso's behavior, Fiona moved in again. She tried again to comfort him. She lifted up her arm and tried to wrap it around Caruso. But he just pushed her away again. She felt a little hurt by this reaction, but wasn't surprised by it. She then tried a more verbal approach. She leaned in towards him a little, keeping her distance as to not to frighten him. "Caruso..it's all right... you're safe now."

For the first time since they got into the SUV, Caruso looked at Fiona. His eyes were still wide, but they held more than just fear now. They also held disbelief. "How can you be so sure...? For all we know, Victor could be..." He stopped himself, shaking too much to continue his sentence.

Fiona sighed and slowly shook her head. "Caruso, will you stop worrying so much? Victor's not coming after you. I doubt he even knows you are gone..."

Caruso looked away. "You don't know that..."

Fiona's eyes narrowed a bit, feeling concerned. As Caruso was talking, he kept wincing in pain. She couldn't help but feel sorry for him. He still wanted to communicate vocally, but anytime he tried to talk he would be in great pain. The cuts in his mouth must be driving him insane. Fiona wanted to comfort him, but what could she do? If she tried to hug him again, he'd just push her away. She could tell, by the expression on his face and the look in his eyes, that it may take him a while to fully recover from this. Victor really did a toll on the poor boy, both physically and mentally.

Suddenly a shadow, darker than the area around which they were driving, casted over the SUV. Everyone looked up in confusion, except Caruso and Moynihan. Then, without warning, there was a loud crashing sound just to the left of the vehicle.

CRRRAAASH!

All of a sudden, the entire SUV rocked violently to one side, nearly tipping over completely. Everyone inside screamed as the SUV nearly fell over. Their equipment went flying through the car, some of it crashing against the walls, a couple even breaking. Buzz, Rodger, and Max gripped their seats as tightly as they could and Moynihan tightened her grip on the steering wheel, turning it left to right in a desperate attempt to right the yellow vehicle. Rump crashed multiple times against the walls, and finally transformed into his dinosaur mutant form and used his jaws to clamp down on one of the seats and hold himself in place.

Because Caruso was not buckled in, he nearly went flying against the side of the vehicle as well. Thinking fast, he turned to Fiona and wrapped his arms around her and held her tight, whimpering a little as the vehicle continued to tilt in one direction. Fiona hugged him back and held on, careful not to touch any of his injuries, which was not an easy task. Quickly, Moynihan managed to right the SUV, with all four wheels back on the ground once more.

Rubbing his head a little, Max immediately looked out the window to try and find the source of the attack. His eyes widened when he spotted something large and red coming down towards them again. "It's VELOCI!" He screamed.

"Veloci...?" Caruso whispered, hugging Fiona tighter. "See? I told you he'd come get me."

"We won't let him get you again. We'll escape...don't worry." Fiona whispered, gently stroking Caruso's hair to try and calm him down. Caruso responded by burying his head into her shoulder. Fiona tried to keep herself from crying as she felt her shirt getting a little wet, realizing Caruso was crying now. The poor guy must really be afraid, and she couldn't blame him.

"Hang on!" Moynihan declared. "I'll try to lose him!"

With that, she swiftly jerked the steering wheel to the right, turning onto another road that she just spotted. She looked at her rear view window outside the driver's seat and could see Victor's copter not far behind her. Her eyes widened as she notice the message on the window. 'Objects Are Closer Than They Appear' it read. Without warning, she immediately turned to the left. As she did so, she felt the SUV move slightly and a loud scraping sound filled the air as the helicopter pushed up against the SUV. It then rose up in the air again, but stayed close to the SUV, moving over to the other side. The helicopter moved in again, ready to ram the smaller vehicle. Moynihan reacted quickly and moved again, narrowly missing the ramming attack.

Victor hadn't given up yet. He continued to pursue the Dino Squad. He rose up a little higher to try and give them a false sense of security. As he allowed more and more distance between himself and the smaller vehicle, he was smiling to himself. He had no real intentions in recapturing the boy. He was only doing this to make his plan look more convincing. He didn't want them to realize what he was truly up to. He waited for a few minutes before he made his next move, hoping that he might get in a hit or two. He grabbed the copter's steering stick and pushed forward. The copter went in for a nose dive. The SUV, however, swerved again and he missed. He quickly pulled the stick up to avoid crashing into the ground.

Moynihan looked out of the window and looked up. She could see the copter off to one side of the van. While she couldn't see his face, she knew Victor was probably scowling down at her, or smirking because of his arrogance. She narrowed her eyes and turned her attention back on the road. She slammed into the gas pedal and picked up speed. The kids hung onto their seats a little tighter as the van was suddenly moving at around sixty miles per hour. Moynihan knew she was probably breaking the speed limit, but right now she didn't care about that. All she cared about was getting these children to safety.

"Why are you going so fast?!" Rodger screeched, gripping his seat tightly and clenched his teeth in fear. He was frightened at how fast they were going now, and just as frightened that Moynihan is the one driving like this. He would have expected this kind of reckless driving from one of his team mates, namely Fiona. But an old woman like Moynihan? It didn't add up.

"I'm trying to get Victor off our trail!" Moynihan said to Rodger, her teeth gritted as she gripped the steering wheel even tighter as she felt her hands getting sweaty.

Victor cocked an eyebrow as he noticed the van was moving at an incredible speed, for a vehicle that size anyway. This surprised him a bit, but he shook it off. He responded by moving his helicopter a little faster. He was at the speed advantage. He was in the sky while she was on the ground. He could easily catch up to her out in the open. The only chance she's have at escaping is if she were to find some dense cover, which none was available here. He looked straight ahead. In the far distance, he could see a dense population of trees along the sides of the road. He narrowed his eyes a little. Moynihan might lose him in there, but then again, she might continue driving on. She might not even realize what a help those trees would be to her.

He shrugged his shoulders. It didn't really matter to him either way. He would have his chance with Moynihan soon enough. He just needs to be patient. Pushing the stick forward again, he nose dived again, this time at a bit of a faster speed, hoping to catch her off guard. And this time he did. The helicopter's nose slammed against the back of the SUV. He couldn't hear anything except the sound of metal scraping and scratching alongside each other. As he road back up into the air, he smirked evilly. "You underestimate me, Joanne...You will be mine."

The SUV toppled over continuously, slamming against the ground with great force. Moynihan tried her best not to scream or close her eyes as she focused in trying to right the vehicle back on all four wheels. The children were wearing their seat belts at least, but she could hear their fear-filled screams echoing in her ears. Caruso tried his best not to topple over by hanging onto Fiona, who held him as best as she could, trying her best to save him from further injury. Moynihan tried as best as she could to right the vehicle, to not allow it to land on its side, but she felt like she was going fail, just like she almost failed Caruso.

No! She shouldn't give up! The kids in this van were counting on her to save them. She knew she must keep trying. She must not allow the SUV to land on its side, back, or front, or they would all get easily captured by Victor Veloci. She gritted her teeth. No, not this time, Veloci, she thought. She took a quick glance behind her, seeing the frightened teens as they held on for dear life. Poor Rump was starting to lose his grip, his eyes wide with fear as well. And the equipment was flying everywhere, occasionally hitting one of her students. Moynihan turned her attention back towards the road. She turned the wheel roughly to the right and then to the left and kept repeating.

Slowly, but surely, the vehicle started to right itself. After the vehicle made a few more violent jerks across the floor, it started to 'find its feet' and eventually got back on all four wheels. Moynihan wiped her brow and looked up at the mirror in the center of the front of the vehicle. She could see the children's faces. They were a mixture of fear and relief. Max, Rodger, and Buzz placed their hands on their chests and breathed in deeply and quickly, trying to settle down their speeding hearts. Caruso was still clinging to Fiona and it didn't look like he was going to let go anytime soon. Fiona didn't seem to mind and continued to hold him.

"No...no..." Caruso whispered.

"Shhh..." Fiona whispered, trying to comfort him. Caruso didn't look up at her, just continued to hold onto her, afraid to let go. Fiona looked at him sympathetically, anger building up inside of her towards the man responsible for Caruso acting this way: Victor.

Suddenly, there was another violent crash against the side of the SUV. It rocked violently to one side, but luckily didn't move far enough to cause it to roll across the floor like a barrel. As soon as the violent rocking had subsided completely, Moynihan saw another turn off. It was still out in the open, but she knew the helicopter was moving too fast to make a perfect turn, so maybe turning suddenly herself could throw Victor off a little and buy some time. As soon as the road came up, she turned the wheel to the left, turning quickly to get on the new road.

Just as she predicted, the helicopter sped several feet away from her before it finally turned. The additional feet had given her some more space between her and Victor. She pressed on the gas pedal again and started to move a little faster. She looked at the speedometer and realized the SUV was getting close to its maximum speed now. Her eyes widened and she looked in the mirror at the side of her car door again. Victor had managed to pick up speed quickly and was now a few feet behind her and getting closer. She struggled through her mind to figure out something she could do to buy more time or to get Victor off her tail.

She looked over towards the road they were once on briefly, just for a second, and she noticed there was a patch of trees over there that they could have hidden in. She slapped herself in the face with one hand and muttered something under her breath. What a fool she was! She could have just continued on ahead and lose Victor in the trees! Oh well, there was nothing she could do about it, she thought. She squinted her eyes to try and see what was ahead of her. It was hard to see in the darkness. She could see faint lights so she knew they were getting closer to civilization. Maybe that would ward Victor away. He wouldn't want to draw attention to himself, so he would veer off in another direction to avoid suspicion. But if he's persistent enough, he might just go in a different direction and just cut them off by surprise. Moynihan closed her eyes and wondered if she would be able to save the students.

Rodger looked out of his window and could see Victor lowering down near his side of the SUV. He narrowed his eyes as he saw Victor moving in to ram the vehicle. He immediately rummaged through a large bag he had with him in the front passenger seat. He soon felt the item that he was looking for. He pulled it out, revealing the Spiller. Rodger held the large blue gun in one hand and used the other to roll down the window. As Victor came in closer to try a sneak attack, Rodger readied the gun. He looked over at Moynihan, who glanced back at him, her eyes on the gun. She opened up her mouth to say something, but Rodger put a finger to his lips, telling her to be quiet. Although a little surprised, Moynihan complied and focused on the driving.

Rodger looked out the window again. He waited for Victor to get within a certain distance. He knew he would only have a couple seconds, if even that, to shoot Victor. The Chiller wouldn't hurt him, but it would do something else that just might save them. When he thought Victor was close enough, he immediately leaned out of the window, the Chiller readied in his hand. Moving as quickly as he could, he lifted the gun up towards the front window. Taking careful aim, he pressed the button. Suddenly a thick white cloud that looked like steam shot out from the nozzle. It made direct contact with the front window on Victor's helicopter. While the substance was mostly gas and wouldn't cling very long to the surface of the copter, it had already almost completely fogged up the front window, and with the addition of the darkness of the night, this almost completely blinded Victor, but it wouldn't last very long.

Startled by this sudden attack, Victor pulled the stick back and pulled up towards the sky. The fog blurred the vision he had towards the front. He could still see at the sides, but that wouldn't do him much good in this situation. He kept the helicopter as level as he could until the fog cleared up, which only took about a minute or so. But once it cleared away, he couldn't see any signs of the SUV. It had completely disappeared. Victor remained baffled for about a minute, and then he looked behind the helicopter. He narrowed his eyes slightly. The SUV had completely stopped and turned and was now moving in a completely new direction, back towards where they had started. The Dino Squad were pretty clever trying that trick.

He contemplated chasing them some more, but figured he should just let them think they've won. Smirking to himself, he turned his copter and headed back towards Raptor Dyne. He looked down at the radar and looked at one dot in particular, the SUV. Victor had created a jamming signal around his helicopter that completely masked his signal while it allowed him to see where the Dino Squad was. This was why they were not able to detect his presence until he had rammed into them. "Right back at ya, Joanne.." He said to himself. "Caught in your own trap..."

As soon as Victor disappeared into the horizon, the Dino Squad each let out a sigh of relief. They each started to calm down, her hearts now beating so fast they thought they were going to explode. Caruso shivered for a few more seconds, but as he realized that the danger had passed, he let go of Fiona, smiling nervously, as if he felt embarrassed for acting like he had. He tried to say something, but no words came out. Instead he just looked away, almost afraid to look back at Fiona.

"Is something wrong, Caruso?" Fiona asked, confused as to why Caruso suddenly moved away from her and wasn't looking at her now. He seemed a little afraid, but of what? She thought it was of Victor, but he had just left. They had escaped him. Could Caruso be afraid of Victor coming back later on and getting him?

"N-Nothing is wrong..." Caruso said quickly without looking at her.

But Fiona wasn't fooled so easily. Caruso's voice was still stammering, still filled with fear. She could tell. She would have tried to move closer to the boy, but she had her seat belt on and she wasn't going to unfasten it until they got back at the lighthouse. It was for safety purposes. So instead she reached out with one hand and placed it on Caruso's shoulder. Immediately, the boy gasped and tensed up. Fiona immediately pulled her hand away, shocked at Caruso's reaction. He'd never done that before, especially when he knew someone was there with him.

"Are...you sure you are all right?" Fiona asked, concern in her voice.

Caruso quickly said, "Yes! I'm fine!" Fiona was startled at Caruso's sudden snapping and Caruso immediately regretted talking with such force. He yelped in pain and placed his hand carefully on his mouth. Tears of pain dripped from his eyes and he stifled a louder scream.

"Caruso..." Fiona's lower lip quivered a little as she watched Caruso be in such pain. She wanted to reach out to him and comfort him. But she kept her hand back, afraid she would only frighten him more. She closed her eyes and turned her head away, hiding tears of her own.

Up in the front seat, Moynihan cast a glance towards Rodger. "That was a risky move, Rodg." She scolded him, eyes narrowed slightly. "It could have easily back fired on you. Do you realize that?" Rodger didn't say a word, just nodded his head once. He didn't look very guilty though. He seemed convinced that he had done the right thing, and it worked anyway. Moynihan accepted this knowledge. She couldn't stay too upset with Rodger for very long. "Though I admit, that quick thinking did save us all. Thank you." She offered a small smile.

Rodger smiled back. "Don't mention it, miss!" The smile faded as he placed the Chiller back in the bag. He sat back in the chair and looked out of the window. He asked almost absentmindedly, "So are we going to a hospital? Caruso does need those wounds treated and I'm not sure if we have the right material for that."

Joanne shook her head. "No. We're heading straight for the lighthouse."

Rodger snapped his head towards her, shocked. "But, Ms. Moynihan..we..."

Joanne held up a hand. "I know, dear. But I don't think we should risk it. They might need to take blood samples and discover he has dinosaur DNA. Then he might be in for a far worser fate than he had with Victor back there. No, we must treat him at the lighthouse. I'll go out and buy medication and whatever else we need." She glanced towards Rodger. "Besides, even if that was not a factor, I do not think that it would be a good idea to take him to a hospital. Not now." Moynihan glanced back at Caruso as she said this, trying to see if he was listening in on them.

"Why?" Rodger asked, trying to sound as calm as possible. He didn't want Moynihan to know he was starting to feel a little angry with her. A hospital would provide faster help. For a brief second, he didn't care that they would draw blood from the boy. They would at least help him get better faster than he and his friends could.

"Because, Rodger, look at him. He's clearly been through a lot. A hospital might only make him feel worse." Joanne Moynihan explained. "And he might panic, and end up hurting himself even more. I want to take him to the lighthouse for his own good. Being surrounded by family and friends might help him recover faster."

"Oh.." Rodger said, understanding where Moynihan was coming from. "That makes sense."

Moynihan looked out the window briefly. It was still dark out, but in the distance she could make a very faint hint of light. It was going to be dawn in a couple hours. She really should allow them to get some sleep. The kids must be very tired by now. She looked over at Rodger. "Hey, why don't you and the others get some sleep?" She asked, smiling sweetly at Rodger. "You poor kids have been up all night. Get some rest."

"But..." Rodger started to say. "I don't think..." Moynihan held up a hand to silence him before he could finish his sentence.

"No buts. I insist." Moynihan said gently but firmly. She turned her head to look at the other students in the SUV. When she got their attention, she said, "You kids get some sleep now. You've had a hard day. I'll wake you up when we get back to the lighthouse." The students nodded and tried to get comfortable in their seats. As they settled down to get some sleep, Caruso remained awake. He looked down at the floor, staring at nothing in particular. He was at a loss of what to do. Moynihan noticed his confusion. "Caruso? Aren't you going to sleep?"

"S-S-Sure..." Caruso said softly and slowly. "...I-I'll...just wait a little while f-fi-first..."

"All right... but please try to get some shut eye, all right, dear boy?" Moynihan said.

"Don't worry...I-I will..." Caruso smiled. When Moynihan looked away, his smile immediately faded away. Moynihan hadn't turned the radio on. It was almost dead quiet in the SUV now. He folded his arms against his chest carefully. He started to shudder a little as the silence seemed to surround him from all corners. He started to feel his heart race in his chest, and his breathing started to quicken. Suddenly he wanted to be close to someone, anyone. He looked for Rump, but the dog was sleeping in Max's lap. He didn't want to disturb the little mutt.

Then he glanced over at Fiona. Fiona's eyes were closed, but Caruso knew no one could fall asleep that fast. He struggled with deciding what he wanted to do. He didn't want to admit it, but he was scared. He was scared out of his mind and he wanted comfort. Every time he closed his eyes, he could still see Victor's haunting face, laughing at him and his pain. He didn't want to disturb Fiona, though, and he wondered what she might think if he got too close to her.

Finally making his decision, Caruso scooted over towards Fiona, careful not to disturb her. He got close enough to where his side was touching hers, softly, almost barely. He started to settle down a little and he leaned back in the seat. After a few minutes, he managed to close his eyes. But he immediately opened them up again after seeing Victor's face again. He stifled a scream and almost instinctively moved even closer to Fiona, almost knocking into her. Worried, he looked over at her face, but her eyes were still closed and there was no sign of a reaction. Satisfied that he hadn't disturbed her, he leaned forward in the seat and made a little distance between him and Fiona.

He leaned back again and looked up at the car ceiling as thoughts ran through his mind. What were his parents going to think when they see him in this condition. He could feel his stomach tie in a knot as he imagined his parents shocked and horrified reactions. He also wondered if they were going to take him off the team. He glanced at the people in the vehicle and hoped that they would not make him leave. He still cared about his friends and Moynihan. He didn't want to leave them. He could only hope that, if this should arise, he could convince them to let him stay on the team. But that might be a hard thing to do. His parents can be hard to convince when it comes to his safety. His parents might want him to be happy, but if his life is at stake, it is usually about what would make them feel happy. And if their mind is set on a way to keep him safe, they'd try to keep it that way and it would be hard to convince them otherwise.

After waiting for another couple minutes, he relaxed enough to close his eyes again. This time he did not see Victor, just the usual darkness behind his eye lids. He took in a few deep breaths and allowed much needed sleep to take over. As Caruso slipped into unconsciousness, Moynihan glanced back quickly to see how the kids were doing. She smiled softly as she saw they were all trying to get to sleep, just like she had suggested. She turned her attention back on the road, mentally scolding herself for continuously taking her eyes off the road while she was in the driver's seat. She tried her best not to think about Victor and instead tried to focus on getting back to the lighthouse as soon as possible. She knew Caruso's life depended on it.

She didn't want to tell the kids, but there were a few injuries on Caruso, particularly his mouth, that could cost him his life if they were not treated properly. She did briefly consider going to a hospital, but for the same reasons she had told Victor, she decided against it. She had never treated these kind of injuries before, though, and she wondered if she had made the wrong decision. What if something were to go wrong...?

"I shouldn't think that now..." Moynihan told herself. "I must get back to the lighthouse..." With that she shut her mouth and focused on getting to the lighthouse as soon as possible. All the while she started to wonder how Caruso's parents would react. She wasn't sure if she'd be able to handle the heartbreak they were going to feel when they see, for themselves, just what happened to their son. But there was no turning back. And to deny them to see their son would be just cruel.

As Moynihan continued to drive along the road, Fiona slowly opened up her eyes. She tried to move, but felt something a little heavy on her. She looked over to see what it was and saw Caruso, leaning against her. His head was against the seat, but some of his body was pushing up against hers. Her eyes widened a little, and her first instinct was to push him away to give herself some space. But quickly remembering Caruso's condition, she refrained from doing so. She reached over and gently pushed a strand of hair from Caruso's face. Caruso moved his head a little and he let out a sigh. But he didn't open up his eyes. "Sleep well." She whispered.

She smiled softly as she watched Caruso, for the first time since his capture, looking so peaceful and calm. Fiona thought about putting her arm around him, but she didn't want to wake him up. Plus, she didn't want to scare him again. She slowly pressed her head back down and tried to get some sleep. She was feeling very tired now and she wanted to get some shut eye before they got back to the lighthouse. And perhaps some sleep will help calm down their nerves. She slowly closed her eyes and let out a soft content sigh. Slowly, sleep overcame her. Darkness enveloped her senses, and eventually she slipped into unconsciousness, just like Caruso had just a couple minutes ago.

Suddenly a bright light shined in her eyes. She squinted and groaned, turning away from the light as best as she could. Then she felt someone grip her shoulder and shook her gently. Moaning in frustration, she slowly opened up her eyes and looked up. Her vision was blurry for a few seconds, but as it came into focus, she recognized the face of Max. Fiona brushed back a hair on her face and groaned, "Oh..what do you want, Max? I'm tired..."

"Wake up." Max insisted, shaking her a little harder.

Fiona didn't realize just how long she'd been asleep. It felt like she'd only been sleeping for a few minutes, but a few hours have already passed. The SUV was pulled up against the lighthouse, next to Caruso's parents' car. The SUV itself was empty except for Fiona, Caruso, and Max. She pushed his hand away and growled softly, "Just let me get to sleep...why do you want to wake me up?"

"Fiona..we're here." Max explained. He reached out to grab her arm, but thought better of it. "The others are inside the lighthouse already. Moynihan sent me out to wake you and Caruso up." Then an almost creepy smile crept onto his face. "Although I have to admit, it was difficult for me to mess up this...romantic moment." He chuckled softly.

Fiona, still not fully awake, simply laid her head back down and muttered, "What do you mean romantic...?" Then memories started to flood back to her and she remembered just where Caruso was when she had fallen asleep. Her eyes immediately opened up wide, and she jolted up. She quickly looked to her right and saw Caruso was leaning up against her, just like before. But this time, his head was resting on her shoulder. Shocked, she looked back up at Max, who continued to smile at her.

"That is what I meant." Max grinned, pointing at the sleeping teenager.

"This isn't what it looks like..." Fiona quickly said, trying to defend herself. She was almost tempted to push Caruso off of her, but she stopped herself. Max continued to smile at her, the look on his face telling her he didn't believe her. "I-I was just trying to comfort him and..." She stammered, trying to think of something to say to make Max stop smiling at her like that.

"It's okay Fiona. You don't need to explain." Max said, holding up his hand. "Anyway, wake up Caruso and come into the lighthouse. His parents would like to see him." He pointed his thumb towards the lighthouse as he said that. His smile faded away as he pushed himself out of the SUV to make room for Fiona and Caruso to get out. He remained close by though, just in case Caruso might need more help getting out. He could barely walk on his own earlier, needing at least one other person to help him into the SUV.

Fiona scooted as close as she could to the side, despite how little room there was for her to move around, and reached over and gently gripped Caruso's shoulder. She shook it firmly but carefully and called out his name. "Caruso? Caruso!" When he didn't respond, she shook a little harder. Her persistence paid off eventually when Caruso cracked open one eye just barely and looked up at her. "Caruso, we're at the lighthouse now. It's time to get up." She told him, smiling softly.

Caruso responded by putting his head back down and turning away from her so that his back was facing her. Groaning a few times, he grumbled, "Oh..can't it wait? Just a few more minutes..." He closed his eyes again and attempted to get to sleep again. But Fiona wasn't about to give up.

She gripped Caruso slightly tighter and shook him even more, careful not to hurt him. When Caruso didn't respond, she pulled him over so he was facing her and continued to shake him. "Caruso, get up!" She said, almost demandingly. "You don't want to keep your parents waiting, do you?" She asked firmly, shaking him a little harder. She wasn't about to let Caruso go back to sleep, in spite of how tired he must have been.

Upon the mention of his parents, Caruso's eyes snapped open and he looked up at Fiona. All of a sudden, he looked alert, straightening himself up in the car seat. "My parents...?" He said slowly, his voice full of disbelief. He had longed for his parents all the while he was with Victor. He felt terrible for what they must have been through. He wanted to talk to them, assure them that he was all right. He didn't want them to worry anymore. "My parents are here...?"

"Yes... They are here." Fiona said solemnly. Running a finger through her hair, she started to explain to Caruso what happened after his capture. "After you were captured, we..called your parents and told them what happened. Oh, Caruso, they've been so worried about you! We felt terrible that we couldn't make them feel any better. They'll be so happy to see that you are okay."

Caruso looked away, eyes closing slowly and tightly. "But..I'm not okay..." He said, his voice full of sorrow. Suddenly he didn't feel like he was all right. He could feel that something was wrong. He could not put his finger on it, but something was very wrong. Sensing Fiona's concern, he turned his head towards her. "I-I am sorry if I'm w-w-worrying you, Fiona..." He struggled to say through the pain in his mouth. "I-I-I just c-c-c-can't shake this feeling that this i-isn't over... Wh-What will my p-parents think if something else were to h-h-happen...?" He could feel tears forming in his eyes.

"Caruso..." Fiona started to say, but she wasn't sure what to say. Seeing that Caruso wanted to say more, she closed her mouth and permitted Caruso to continue.

"A-And what are they g-going to think when they s-s-see how I l-look now...?" Caruso said in a shaky voice, looking himself over and seeing all the injuries on his body. He dare not look in the mirror towards the front of the vehicle. He didn't want to see all the cuts on his once handsome face, and he was sure his parents would not want to see it either. And that was not the only thing he was worried about. "Wh-What if they t-take me away from you guys...? What i-i-if they t-take me off the t-team..?" He stammered, his eyes filled with fear and apprehension. "I-I don't want to b-be separated from you guys...n-not again..."

Fiona's eyes widened a little as Caruso told her this. She had almost forgotten just how much Caruso wanted to please his parents and make them happy. His love for his parents felt stronger than other child-parent relationships she's seen in the past. She couldn't help but feel sorry for the boy, not just for fear of how his parents might react to his condition, but also for the pain he must have been through while he was with Victor Veloci. "Oh Caruso..." She whispered, reaching out towards him and gripping his hand. "It's..it's going to be okay." She wasn't sure if this was true or not, but she was hopeful it would be. "We'll convince your parents to let you stay...I promise."

Caruso struggled to smile, but the pain in the corners of his mouth caused him to yelp in pain. So instead he showed his gratitude towards Fiona's comfort by wrapping his arms around and her and giving a weak hug. "Th-Thank you..."

Fiona smiled and opened up her mouth to reply, but Max's voice stopped her.

"Hey, are you two going to come out or sit there and have a romantic moment?" Max said in a teasing voice. Although he could easily see the two were talking inside the car, he wasn't hearing much of what they were saying. He did pick up a word or two, but for all he knew, they were probably talking about going on a date. While he didn't show it, he did feel a little jealous. For a while, he himself did have a crush on Fiona. But he cared about his friends deeply, and if this made them happy, it would make him happy too.

"We're sorry!" Max heard Fiona say. "Sorry we kept you waiting."

Within about a minute, Fiona started moving towards the side door, which was still open with Max waiting just a few inches away. She had one arm around Caruso, supporting him as she led him towards the door. Caruso's steps were wobbly and shaky, and it looked like he was going to fall down any moment. If Fiona was not supporting him, he might have done so already. Carefully, she moved him towards the open door. Caruso slowly moved a leg forward to step onto the ground. But he quickly lost his footing and almost fell forward, but Fiona hung onto him and Max quickly grabbed the other, preventing him from falling down.

Working together, the two managed to carefully set Caruso onto the grass. As soon as his feet touched the ground, they slowly pulled their arms away, looking at him worriedly. They weren't sure if he was going to be able to walk on his own. But they were willing to let him try again. They took a step back and, using their hands, gestured for Caruso to try and walk on his own. Irwin complied, and started to take a few shaky steps. He managed to last longer than he did last time, but the pain was still there, excruciating with every step. Eventually he couldn't take it anymore and he dropped down onto his knees, whimpering in pain.

Almost immediately, Max and Fiona were at his side. They each placed a hand on his back gently, speaking softly to him to help him calm down. They suddenly felt guilty for allowing him to walk on his own. It was clear that he was still in pain and having him walk when he barely recovered was not helping him heal any faster. They each gently gripped one of Caruso's arms and carefully pulled him onto his feet.

"Sorry, Caruso..." Max said. "We shouldn't have encouraged you to walk in your condition..."

"I-It's all right..." Caruso said, offering a small smile. "I-I'm not upset..."

Hearing Caruso telling them that he wasn't upset with them made Max and Fiona feel a little better. "That's good to hear..." Fiona said, trying to smile to make herself feel better, but she couldn't shake off her guilt completely. "But still..." She wanted to say more, but Max raised a hand to silence her. She immediately closed her mouth shut.

Max said, "Fiona..not now...please..." He gazed down at Caruso. "Let's just bring him inside..." Fiona simply nodded, not saying a word. With that, they started to help Caruso walk across the ground. Progress was slow but steady. Caruso still yelped in pain once in a while, but he was managing much better now that he had some support. As they neared the lighthouse, they all had the same thought in their minds, the same worry filling their every thought. What was going to happen when they got inside...? How were Caruso's parents going to react...?

Zoom slowly opened up his eyes and let out a low moan. His vision was very fuzzy for several moments. He was unable to distinguish many shapes or colors. Everything was almost like a haze to him. As his vision slowly started to adjust, he tried to move, but for whatever reason he was unable to move his arms. It felt like they were stuck behind his back. As his vision cleared up completely and his mind stopped feeling so fuzzy, he pulled harder, trying to dislodge his arms. He started to panic when he realized his arms were not moving. He could feel some material around his arms, binding them together behind his back. Someone had tied him up!

Zoom looked at his surroundings. His breathing started to quicken when he realized he was no longer in his apartment. The room he was in was rather plain with a deep shade of red. In front of him was a door, metallic in appearance. He couldn't see any door knob anywhere. Even if his arms were not bound, he probably would not be able to get out. Next to the door, he could see what appeared to be a speaker of sorts. He craned his head up and he could see a ventilation shaft right above him, closed up tightly. He then gazed at the floor. There was nothing to see except dirt and a few cracks.

He opened up his mouth and moved his lower jaw around, testing to see if he had been gagged. There was nothing stuffed into his mouth and nothing covering his lips. Once he realized he wasn't gagged, he let out a deep sigh and gazed at the ground. Unlike his arms, his legs were not bound in any way. Wanting to stretch his legs, he started to get up off of his seat. But as he did so, the material binding his arms together started to glow. Almost instantly, a wave of electricity shot through his body. He screamed in pain and sat back down. The electricity immediately subsided. It only lasted for a few seconds, but his body wouldn't stop trembling for several minutes. He gritted his teeth as he realized this must be the reason why his legs were not bound at all.

Settling back down on the somewhat uncomfortable chair, he looked around the room again. He glanced up at the speaker and squinted his eyes a little. He could see what looked to be a small camera mounted on top, something he had missed the first time he scanned the room. He growled softly, eyes narrowed and teeth bared. He didn't like the idea of someone watching his every move. He wondered just how was watching him and if they were the ones who shocked him as soon as he got up off the chair. Whoever was watching them, what was holding them back? Why don't they show themselves? He wondered if he would ever see his captor, or if they would kill him before he could.

That thought brought about a whole horde of other terrible thoughts. What did his captor have in mind? Why had they taken him? Was he going to live or die? Was he going to be questioned or tortured, or both? Just who was his captor anyway? The last thing he could remember was sitting down on his computer desk. Then the next thing he knew, he woke up here. He shook his head, wanting so badly to rub it as he felt his head throbbing. He groaned again and shifted in the chair, trying to find a comfortable position.

As he did so, he heard a metallic clang. He lifted his head up right away. Looking in front of him, he could see the door starting to open up. It split down the center and each side started to pull into the wall. As soon as it opened up all the way, a dark silhouette appeared in the doorway. Zoom squinted his eyes, trying to figure out who it was standing there. The silhouette started to walk forward. As they stepped into the light, while they remained darkened, too shady for Zoom to figure out who it was, the shape itself revealed that it was, in fact, a woman.

Zoom's eyes widened as memories started to come back to him. Back at his apartment, he was suddenly visited by a mysterious woman who claimed to have been working for Victor. When he had turned his back on her, she must have clunked him on the head. He bared his teeth as he stared at the shadow before him in anger. His suspicions were confirmed when the figure pressed a switch and suddenly the room was lit up with a bright light and he could briefly see a glimpse of the same woman who visited him earlier in his apartment room. Zoom suddenly flinched, his eyes so narrowed that they were almost closed. The bright light was painful to his eyes, having adjusted to the darkness. When they eventually adjusted to the bright light, he opened up his eyes and gazed at the woman standing in front of him. He growled softly. This was definitely the woman who was an unwanted visitor in his home.

"You..." Zoom hissed, wanting to get up and punch her.

Kista grinned arrogantly, lowering her head a little as she gazed down at the man. "My, oh my... you aren't happy to see me?" She asked in a teasing manner.

"Why have you brought me here?!" Zoom hissed, ignoring the woman's question. He struggled again for about a second before snapping, "Untie me NOW!"

Kista laughed coldly, touching a fingertip against the underside of Zoom's chin. "I'm afraid you are in no position to order me around, exquisite imbecile." Zoom flinched as Kista said that phrase. "From where I'm standing, I call all the shots here." She emphasized her statement by pulling out a small device with a large round button in the center.

Zoom smirked. "And from where I'm standing, you are an idiot."

Kista narrowed her eyes, resting her thumb on the button. "Do not tempt me, you simpleton..."

"Don't tempt you to what?" Zoom asked sarcastically. "Don't tempt you to keep saying words that don't make any sense to what you are actually trying to say?"

Eyes narrowed deeply, a sadistic smile spreading across her face, Kista pressed the button. Almost instantly, Zoom recoiled in pain as electricity was once again pumped through his body. Kista held the button down for several seconds, watching Zoom squirm in the chair. She released the button, and Zoom almost immediately slumped in his chair, shaking visibly as he stared at her in shock. He slowly eyed the device again and realized what it was for. It was controlling whatever was binding his arms.

"That was why you shouldn't tempt me, Zoomie boy." Kista said softly. She pressed her thumb on the button again and Zoom immediately snapped his head back, eyes closed tightly as he expected to be bombarded by more electricity. When none came, he looked up at her, eyes narrowed again. "And I suggest that, if you want to live...you don't anger me again, you benevolent barbarian."

Zoom opened up his mouth to ask Kista why she kept using big words that usually don't have much, if any, correlation to the current situation at hand. But he immediately shut his mouth, remembering the device she still held in her hand. She was right. If he did value his life, he wouldn't tempt her further by risking an insult. Thinking about what might happen to him if he pushed her over the edge caused him to involuntarily swallow hard. Kista seemed to be enjoying his fear, somewhat, and took a step forward. She placed an arm around the back of the chair he was sitting in and glanced down at him.

"Are you...afraid? Are you terrified? Are your teeth chattering uncontrollably?" Kista said, taunting him. Zoom gulped again and swiftly shook his head, trying to look as brave as he could. Kista's eyes narrowed slightly. "Well you should be afraid, my dear... You're in Victor's realm now."

"Victor?" Zoom looked around the room. "Is he here?"

"No...but he will be. So you better have a good excuse for coming here." Kista said.

"What are you talking about?" Zoom cried. "You brought me here!"

Kista laughed. "Well that is true..." She admitted, leaning her head towards his so they were right next to each other, only a couple inches apart. "But you know..I can be very convincing around Victor... And I am one of his most trusted henchmen. He's only seen you once before, if my superior memory is serving me right. But I doubt he'd remember you, and if he does, well, why would he believe you?"

Zoom struggled against his binds. "He has no reason to..."

"Oh no?" Kista pressed her face against his and delivered a harsh whisper into his ear. "You remember that edited photograph you gave to him, promising it would be worthwhile, but it turned out to be some kid? Do you? I'm sure you remember that!"

"The CD was switched! I swear it!" Zoom cried, trying to get away from Kista's grasp. But the woman only tightened her grip, not allowing the photographer to get away from her.

Kista snickered at Zoom's statement. She wasn't doubting what he was saying was true. She, in fact, believed him. But that wasn't the point she was trying to get across to him. He was clueless, this man. He has no idea what he might be in for. He has no idea just how vicious Victor could really be. She only knocked him out to bring him here so that he wouldn't know the exact location of this particular area. She had then decided to bind him and put him in his room for his own good, and to keep him from nosing around before Victor came back. She wasn't sure just how Victor would react to Zoom being here. If worse came to worse, they could always kill him. That's why she had the electrical restraints on him.

"That might be so..." Kista said, immediately releasing Zoom and moving away from him. "The CDs being switched might explain why you were confused. It would rule out acting, now wouldn't it? But..Zoom..." She turned around to face him, her face now serious. "Who do you honestly think he will believe? I worked for Victor for a good amount of time. Years even. I am one of his most trusted subjects. While you...you have never worked a minute for this guy and the only time you ever talked to him was during that edited photograph incident. Do you honestly think he'll believe anything you say? He'll trust me before he'll trust you.

Zoom moved his head back a little as he listened to her she was saying. She did have a good point. He had never worked for Victor before, and the only encounter he had with him only ended badly. If Kista were to say anything about what he did, Victor would surely believe her and consider him a liar. "So...what do you plan on telling Victor...?" He asked carefully.

Kista's grin reappeared on her face. "I'll tell him that you insisted in coming here and threatened to kill me if I didn't, so I complied and led you here."

"What?!" Zoom cried. "He'll know you were lying if he sees these binds on me! He'll know you took me here against my will!"

Kista shook her head slowly. "No he won't.. If he asks about the binds, I'll just tell him that you were becoming too violent and I had to restrain you."

"But...!" Zoom tried to say.

"But nothing..." Kista said. "Like I said, he'll believe me before he'll even think of believing what you say." She held out the device towards him again. "And just remember who is calling all of the shots, you little ignoramus bub.."

Zoom wanted to make a retort about Kista still being an idiot for using such irrelevant words, but eyeing the device in her hand and realizing he was still wearing the restraints made him have second thoughts. He slowly shut his mouth and hissed, "Fine...whatever." He turned his head to the side, not wanting to look at Kista. The very sight of her made him angry. He should have just pushed her out of the door and locked it when he had the chance. "So what do you plan on doing with me? Just keeping me tied up here?"

The woman shook her head. "No," Kista said. "I could not risk allowing you to know the location of this place. That is why I had to knock you out."

Zoom growled softly, wanting to rub the sore spot on the back of his head. "You could have just given me a warning..."

"Oh and where's the fun in that?" Kista grinned. "And if I told you, you would have dodged, now wouldn't you?" She didn't allow Zoom to answer. She quickly turned her back to him and went back towards the door. She looked through, trying to see if anyone had followed her there, or if anyone was close by. She was also keeping an eye out for Victor. If he found Zoom here without his permission, he'll go nuts. Victor worked hard in getting all this set up without anyone knowing, except those he allowed to know. And Zoom was not one of them. If he saw him there, he will not be very happy. He might even have Zoom killed just so that he won't go spread the word. Of course he might just let him go with a warning. That's what he did with Donald and Michael, the two boneheads who mistook Victor for one of the perfect dinosaurs. How they could possibly make a mistake like that was beyond her, not that she really cared.

"So..." Zoom started to say. "Are you going to untie me, or I am going to have to..." He immediately shut up when Kista whirled around all of a sudden and gave him a cold glare. Zoom snapped his head back, his eyes widened a bit, and he eyed the remote in Kista's hand nervously as her thumb pressed against the button again. Kista started to press the button a little harder. Gasping, Zoom quickly said, "No! Please!"

Kista smirked as she heard Zoom beg in such a panicked manner. She decided to ignore his pleads and pressed the button anyway for half a second, just enough to send a very brief wave of electricity through his body, just to shake him up a bit. She wanted to make sure that he knew she was in charge. But she didn't want to sink down to Victor's level and torture Zoom too much. She put the device away and walked over towards Zoom, standing right next to him. Zoom looked up at her with an expression of anger. "Don't look at me like that. You had it coming." She sneered.

"I asked you to stop and you shocked me anyway... why?" Zoom growled softly. "Just for the heck of it?" He couldn't understand why Kista had decided to shock him that time. He had asked her not to. No, he didn't ask. He had begged. He shuddered at the thought of being forced to do something so out of his character.

Kista narrowed her eyes. She was becoming annoyed with Zoom talking back to her like this. "Do you want another one?"

Zoom's eyes widened quickly and he shook his head rapidly. "No! No!"

Kista's frown was quickly replaced with a dark smile. "That's good... Just watch your mouth next time." She warned him, pointing an accusing finger at him. "I will not tolerate you talking back to me, and I will not tolerate you trying to threaten me or order me around. Do you understand me...?" Zoom growled softly but nodded his head to please her. Satisfied, she leaned in a little closer and playfully ruffled his hair with one hand. "That's a good boy." She teased playfully.

Feeling annoyed by what Kista was doing, Zoom pulled his head away from her, glaring at up at her but not saying anything to provoke her. Instead he decided to change the subject a bit and ask about Victor. He was curious to know when he might have a chance to speak to the guy. "Where is Victor?" He asked cautiously.

Kista looked up towards the ceiling and scratched her chin. "That is a good question..." She reached up and scratched her head as she started to think of an answer. "I don't really know." She finally said, shrugging her shoulders half-heartedly.

"What?!" Zoom snapped, shocked by what Kista said. She worked for Victor. Shouldn't she know where he was? She told him Victor was busy. She should know where Victor was and what he was doing. That's what Zoom himself believed anyway. "You are one of his henchmen. Shouldn't you know where he is? How can you not know?!"

Kista glared at Zoom. She didn't like the way he was talking to her. She thought she already talked to him about talking back at her. She was tempted to shock him again but figured he had enough of that for now. Besides, she wasn't out to break his spirit like Victor was with Caruso. She decided to ignore his attitude and said, "I might work for the guy, but that doesn't mean I know where he goes every second of the day! Sheesh, what do you think I do? Follow him around and keep a record of whatever he does?" She threw her arms in the air and continued to rant. "Do you want me to tell you how many times he goes to the bathroom? How many breaths he takes when he sleeps? How many calories he eats a day? How many times he blinks in twenty-four hours?"

Zoom cringed back in his chair as Kista ranted on him like this. He almost immediately regretted crossing her. He wondered why she hadn't shocked him that time. He almost thought about asking, but decided not to. He decided to consider himself lucky that she didn't shock him again. "I'm sorry. You didn't have to..." He stopped himself before he said something he would regret again.

"Just forget about it..." Kista raised her hand. "Perhaps it was a mistake to bring you here."

"What do you mean?" Zoom asked softly.

Kista glared at him. "If you keep up that attitude you had with me while talking with Victor, you are not going to last very long. He'll chew you up and spit you out! Victor doesn't tolerate that kind of behavior. Anyone who acts like that are either chased away or immediately put into their place." She explained. "So if I were you, if you still want to speak with Victor, stop talking like such a rufescent propensity."

Zoom flinched at Kista's odd phrase, but didn't comment on it. "Fine..." He said, lowering his head a little.

"Good..." Kista said. "Now..." She slung her arm around him and pulled him closer. "..let's talk business, shall we? I would love to hear more about your brilliant plan." She said sarcastically. "I'm sure a smart guy like you has more details to a plan such as this. So...complex..." Her voice lowered into a harsh whisper as she spoke into his ear again. "Or have you not figured out your plan entirely?" She asked teasingly. She moved her heard forward so that Zoom could see her face. A mischievous smile found its away onto her face. Zoom glared at her softly, but didn't make a response, nor did he attempt to. Kista's own eyes narrowed slightly as well. "Well...? Are you going to answer me or just give me the cold shoulder?"

"...did I mention the bomb?" Zoom asked out of nowhere. He had almost forgotten about this detail he had brought up with Peter earlier. When Kista shook her head, an almost sadistic smile appeared on his face. He spoke in a somewhat dark voice, hoping to frighten Kista a little, an attempt to get back at her for shocking him. "Well, imagine this. We plant a bomb somewhere, perhaps the middle of a city. Not a big bomb, but big enough to scare some people. Before we set it off, we lure those Dino Squad punks over near this location. When they are in just the right spot, BOOM! We set off the bomb. The dinosaurs get the blame."

Kista stared at Zoom for several minutes, her mouth having dropped open when Zoom revealed this part of the plan to her. Part of her wondered if this guy was joking. To use a bomb as part of the plan, it seemed like he was going too far. A bomb was way too risky. Even Victor would refrain from using such a device. If anyone was killed, that would draw more attention and the situation could be investigated. They could be tied to the scene of the crime and get arrested, and that was a risk she knew Victor was not willing to take. The other part of her sort of liked the plan. It was risky yes, but it might force the 'perfect dinosaurs' out of hiding and they might be a little easier to catch. Or so that is what Zoom would believe.

"Are you...nuts?" Kista finally said. "I mean...what if it backfires? Something could go wrong. I am not sure if Victor would want to take such a risk."

"Why not?" Zoom asked, still grinning. He was feeling a little satisfied that he had startled Kista somewhat. "It would...could help him catch the Dino Squad."

"Yes, but too many people might get hurt, or even killed." Kista explained.

"So?" Zoom asked, shrugging his shoulders as if it was no big deal to him.

Kista was taken aback by this. "What? You mean you don't care if some humans get hurt, or killed, in the process?"

"Why should I? Oh sure it would bother me if everyone was killed, but a few people?" Zoom chuckled. "Not as much. A minor setback is all it would be. After all, for the greater good, do we not all have to make sacrifices?" Zoom smiled as he remembered the time when he was willing to let that one singer get hurt just so he could get a good photograph of it. It was nothing personal, he had told her. It was just business.

"Victor wouldn't like it, I can tell you right now." Kista said, folding up her arms.

"Why? I thought he hated humans." Zoom asked.

"That is true, no doubt about that. But if we carried out such a plan and someone does get hurt..." Kista slowly shook her head. "..well they might not blame the dinosaurs. And they could tie this company to the attack. Victor would be into a lot of trouble and with how far he has gotten, I doubt he would want such a huge setback."

"He's rich. He could come up with some kind of cover-up, couldn't he?" Zoom asked, shrugging again.

"Well...I suppose..." Kista said, scratching her chin thoughtfully. "He is a very powerful business man, after all..."

Zoom nodded. "That's right... So if the public does suspect Raptor Dyne of foul play, Victor could just pin the rap on the dinosaurs. I know he can't convince them they put the bomb there and set it off, but he could find a way to make it look like the dinosaurs set it off somehow. Where the bomb would come from might be irrelevant...no wait it wouldn't." Zoom closed his eyes tightly as he tried to think of something he could do with the bomb's origin, how to explain it without putting the blame on Raptor Dyne. Then it came to him. He opened up his eyes and continued, "I've got it. We could say that Raptor Dyne was in pursuit of some kind of dangerous criminal who planted a bomb. They were about to apprehend the culprits and save the city, but then the bomb goes off when the dinosaurs show up. The company could blame the dinosaurs. The city would be outraged that these beasts caused such a tragedy to happen. And after all, who are they going to believe? Humans or some scaly beasts?"

Kista slowly blinked her eyes as she digested this new information. At first, she was at a loss of words. This plan did seem a little better than she thought it would have been. He seemed to have figured out a solution for the loopholes, unless there was one that he had missed. Perhaps she had misjudged him earlier. Maybe Victor would be interested in hearing this plan. "That plan sounds so...evil..so sneaky..." Kista said. She then leaned in closer to him, a dark smile on her face. "I like it..."

Zoom straightened up in his seat, holding up his head in an arrogant manner. "Well of course you like it." He said, smiling. "That's because I am a genius!"

Kista glared almost playfully at Zoom. Did he just call himself a genius? Yes, she admitted that the plan was devious, but that didn't make him a genius. In her eyes, it just made him smart, perhaps even lucky. She was the true genius in this room. She regarded herself as being smarter than almost everyone in Raptor Dyne. She is amused sometimes when they think she is joking, although she does become easily frustrated when her intelligence is not recognized. And she feels Zoom has not fully recognized it yet himself.

"You? A genius?" Kista asked, eyes slightly wider than they were just a second ago. She then burst out laughing, unable to hold it back. "Yeah right!"

"What's so funny?" Zoom asked, feeling very offended by Kista's sarcastic reaction to his statement. What did she know about being a genius anyway? She was just some arrogant woman who thought she was so smart just because she used big, complicated words. All it was doing was making herself look like an idiot! But he felt that he, himself, had a good reason to gloat about his intelligence. "Why are you laughing at me?"

"Because you are so funny, rubicund." Kista laughed, pulling her head back and stared up at the ceiling as she talked to Zoom. "You think you are so smart and such a genius. But your inferior intelligence cannot possibly match mine."

"I'll say." Zoom said, making Kista think, at first, that he was understanding where she was coming from and was agreeing with her. But when he continued, Kista quickly realized that this was not the case. Zoom narrowed his eyes, yet a dark smile came onto his face. Forgetting about Kista's previous warning, he decided to taunt Kista a little bit. "Your intelligence is about ten times worse than mine! Where did you learn to speak these words anyway? A geek convention?" He laughed.

Kista growled softly, forming fists with her hands as she straightened her arms at her side. "You better take that back, you peccant! If you do not, I shall...!"

"Or you shall what? Torture me with more of your so-called intelligence?" Zoom chuckled ignorantly.

It took all of her willpower and strength to keep herself from setting the shocker up higher and just killing this man right on the spot. She had second thoughts because she knew she would get into trouble with Victor if she killed him without his permission. And Zoom was a pretty popular photographer. His death would not go unnoticed. They might get unwanted attention and that was the last thing she and the others needed. But she still felt Zoom needed an attitude adjustment. He was just like many of the other people she has come in contact with. They feel they were superior and above everyone else. She straightened a few of them out, the ones that worked for Victor that is, which was only a small handful out of them all.

Perhaps it was time for her to straighten out Zoom. It was obvious the shocker was not working. She couldn't set it up to a higher setting without causing serious damage to him. If she were to do that and set him free, he might sue and inform the public of what she had done to him. She might end up on a wanted list or something. Instead, she had something else in mind, something she knew was going to work. Zoom might be cocky, but no matter how brave and smart he acted, he wouldn't be able to resist screaming once he got a load of this plan of hers. She grinned evilly at the thought. She delighted in the idea of revealing to Zoom one of her most heavily guarded secrets. This was going to be fun, she thought.

She knew she might get into trouble with Victor for doing this, but for something like this, she didn't really care. No one ever tells on her anyway. After all, who would believe them? She had been scolded by Victor about this before, but she didn't really care. She tried to explain to him that there was no danger in using this plan, since the people she does it with end up so scared they don't tell anyone, and even if they did, they would sound like a complete idiot anyway. But Victor was still such a spoiled sport. He didn't want her to do anything to jeopardize his plan, and to him, what she was doing was too reckless. But Kista decided to ignore what he said.

Kista moved away from Zoom and walked out in front of him. She backed up towards the door and tried to position herself almost in the middle of the space between Zoom and the door. "I didn't want to have to do this..but you left me no choice..." She hissed in a threatening tone, eyes narrowed dangerously.

Zoom, however, remained unfazed. "What are you going to do?" He asked half-heartedly. "Lecture me? Bore me to death? Use more of your smart words?" He laughed to himself, eyes closed, as he said that. He was starting to pity Victor for having this woman on his team. He was amazed that Victor hadn't gone crazy with this idiot walking around acting smart by using big words. He prepared himself for what Kista was going to do. He felt there was nothing that she could do that would really frighten him. There couldn't be anything worse she could do other than shock him, and if she wanted to kill him she would have done so already, wouldn't she? No, there was nothing she could do to surprise him.

But then, he felt a shadow cast over him. He thought this was unusual because there was nothing big enough in this room to block out the light completely. When he opened up his eyes, he gasped. Eyes bulged open up in fear as he stared at what laid before him, he quickly regretted when he said to Kista earlier. He cringed in his chair, shaking visibly. He couldn't think of anything to say. His mind was almost numb with fear. The only thing he could manage to do was what anyone would instinctively do when faced with this kind of situation. He screamed.

AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!