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...

22. Warn

"Then how could you say that we shouldn't jump to conclusions about Michelle?!" Buzz snapped, baring his teeth angrily. "We already know what she's capable of! We already know what she has done to us! We know she works for Victor!" He wanted to grab Max and start shaking him, but he was able to refrain from doing so. "Isn't that enough evidence to prove that she has something to do with what happened?!"

"Well...I suppose..." Max started to say.

"Then shouldn't we just go after her?!" Buzz yelled at a louder tone of voice, causing Max and the others to cringe back a little from the boy's apparent anger. "Whose side are you on?" He hissed in a low voice, his eyes narrowed so much that it was difficult to see his pupils and irises. After he said that, he started to breathe in and out quickly, trying to calm himself down. He could feel his blood coming to a boil and he was starting to ache. When he realized what he had just done, his expression softened up.

"Calm down, Buzz..." Rodger said carefully. "Don't blow a gasket on us!"

"I..." Buzz started to say, then looked around at his friends. Max was giving him a somewhat hurt look, and had moved a bit away from him to give him some room. Buzz then looked at Fiona. Her eyes were narrowed at him and her arms were folded up. She didn't look to happy at the way he was acting now. Biting his lip, Buzz then moved his gaze to Rodger, who had the calmest expression of the group, and probably the most sympathetic. Reluctantly, Buzz then looked down at Caruso. Not surprisingly, Caruso was looking at him, horrified, eyes wide with fear. Feeling guilt rise up inside of him, Buzz let out a soft sigh, his gaze lowering to the ground. "I'm so sorry, you guys...and I'm so sorry, Max..I-I..I didn't mean to snap at you like that."

Max gulped, and hesitated in answering Buzz. He knew Buzz didn't really mean to yell at him like that. It hurt yes, but he knew that Buzz didn't mean what he had said to him, and to the others. He was just upset, and he could understand that. Max, although he didn't want to admit it, did suspect that Michelle might have something to do with what was going on with Moynihan. It did make a lot of sense. But what he was concerned about was that, if they jump to conclusions, they'd end up finding out that Michelle was innocent, and whoever was really responsible could strike again, taking another one of them with it.

And Buzz's snapping reminded him of when he snapped at Caruso a few weeks ago. He recalled how Buzz had said he was being harsh back then. Max's eyes narrowed slightly. He wondered why Buzz would go against his own advice, and starting acting this way. Buzz seemed to have a great deal of hatred and contempt for Michelle. They all did. But Buzz seemed to be taking it one step too far, and he noticed Rodger seemed to be almost the same way, although not to the same extent as Buzz. Max didn't understand why they could be acting this way. After all, what good was holding a grudge going to do them? All it would do was make them hurt even more inside. They need to learn to calm down.

"Buzz..." Max said, doing his best not to sound too harsh or too angry. "I understand how you feel. I understand that you are so angry with Michelle that you just want to believe that she did this." He groaned in frustration, which let Buzz know that Max was not in a good mood. Tensing up his fingers as if they were claws and rapidly moving them downward, fingers pointed upwards, something only done when one was very angry or frustrated, Max continued on, "But really Buzz! How would you like it if someone decided to accuse you of keeping a poisonous snake that got loose simply based on the fact that you own a snake?"

Buzz lowered his head, now feeling even worse than he did before. Max made a very valid point. He wouldn't like it if someone did that to him. He knew that him owning snakes does not mean he would be the kind of person to have a poisonous snake and then let it loose onto the city. That wouldn't really be fair if someone accused him simply based on that one thing. Now he understood, and knew why Max was upset with him and Rodger for accusing Michelle about doing something to Moynihan. He realized that he was jumping to conclusions based on one thing: his hatred for Michelle. He wanted so much for her to be guilty that he wasn't even considering acting fair.

Feeling horrible, Buzz put his face in one hand and shook his head. "Max..I'm so sorry..I didn't know what I was thinking, I..." He opened up his eyes and peered out onto the field. His expression instantly went into that of shock. His mouth dropped open and his eyes widened. Then quickly, they narrowed into slits and he bared his teeth, grinding them so hard that he thought they would pop out of his skull. He uttered one word, barely audible to the team. "Michelle..."

Upon hearing the name, the team instantly looked out onto the football field. At first, they couldn't see what Buzz was talking about, and thought that he was simply talking to himself or remembering something terrible regarding Michelle. But after a few more seconds, they saw movement just outside of the field. Upon seeing this, the team immediately go up to their feet, except for Caruso, who was looking out toward the field in fear, shaking visibly. The team immediately moved in front of him, hoping to block anyway someone below from seeing him. Then, another movement caught their eyes. They turned their heads over towards the entrance. It was hard to tell, but they could see a black shadow moving along swiftly and quietly.

Prepared for a confrontation or possible battle, the team immediately moved off of the bleachers and made their way down the flight of steps, and onto the field. Caruso remained in the bleachers for a few seconds. Looking around nervously, he became even more afraid because he was now alone. Despite his fear, he got up and followed the team, albeit more slowly than they had come down the steps. He quickly reached his friends, who were now standing in the middle of the school football field. Their eyes were locked towards where they last saw the figure moving. They knew it was Michelle, but they have yet to see her. Caruso positioned himself so that he was partially hidden behind his friends, but moved his head over so he could see Michelle coming.

Then the team saw movement again, a flash of black, and it was very close to them. They moved in different positions, trying to make sure that Michelle couldn't surprise them, no matter where she came in from. Then a shadow fell upon them, quickly, briefly, but it was there. They heard a thud right behind them, where the bleachers were. They swiftly turned around, backing away a little. Caruso's eyes were widened in fear while his friends' eyes were narrowed in either anger or determination. They weren't going to let Michelle or anyone from Raptor Dyne take Caruso away from them this time. They'd never hurt him or them ever again.

Michelle was in dino mode. She stood just behind the railing. She raised up her head and pointed her muzzle towards the sky. She took in a few sniffs, and opened up her jaws to let out a soft, non-threatening growl. Her glowing yellow eyes slowly moved behind until she could see the Dino Squad right behind her. Once she saw them, she immediately turned around, and leaped over the fence, landing a few feet away from the Dino Squad. Shaking herself off, she turned to face them, and moved a few steps back to make sure she wasn't aggravating them too much. She knew that if she made a mistake here, it could be the last mistake she would ever make.

Although in dino mode, she stood taller than any of the five students she was now facing alone, Michelle knew that their dino modes were all much bigger than she was, and without a partner to aide her, there was no way she'd be able to take them all on. Hoping that they would settle down a little, Michelle took another step back, giving the team more distance from her. She had a feeling that if she remained too close to them, she would make them angrier by the second, and Caruso was probably frightened to see her. She'd have to be careful not to upset the boy, or his friends would swiftly come to defend him. Even if she didn't mean it, she suspected that they would still react.

For a few minutes, the Dino Squad and Michelle stood on the field in complete silence. No word was spoken, no growl or roar sounded out. The only sounds came from the trees that were all around them, and the grass on their feet as it crumpled with each step, no matter how small. The breeze continued to blow, making a small whistle sound as it blew by. Michelle closed her eyes briefly as the wind struck her in the face. Growing weary of the silence, Michelle parted her jaws slightly, and let out a soft growl, again non-threatening. She was about to say something in thought-speak, but she figured that she would be less imposing and less threatening if she returned to her human form. She lifted her muzzle again, and concentrated. Glowing briefly, she quickly reverted back to her human state and remained standing where she was, not making a move towards the team.

Michelle finally spoke, speaking in a soft voice she was certain wouldn't upset or frighten Caruso. "Dino Squad..I..I know you aren't happy to see me right now.." She looked at each of their faces. Max, Buzz, Rodger, and Fiona were all glaring at her, poised to fight. But only Buzz and Rodger were glaring with anger and hate towards her .Max and Fiona just looked determined to protect their friends, especially Caruso. Although he was mostly hidden behind his friends, Michelle could see the look of fear on his face. "But this is an emergency! I..."

Buzz cut her off, taking a step forward, pointing an accusing finger at her. "I know what you are going to say! You're going to say that you have come to recapture Caruso! Or take another one of us!" He took another step forward, ignoring the look of confusion and shock on Michelle's face. "Don't lie to us! I know you have some of Victor's minions hiding around here, waiting to ambush us when you give the signal!"

"But..I... I am alone..." Michelle said, holding out her hands to show that she had no tracker or other device with her. "There's no one with me..."

"Liar!" Buzz snapped, baring his teeth. Michelle cringed back, trying to make herself appear as non-threatening as possible. But Buzz didn't seem to fall for it. "Don't give me that look! You're not going to fool me anymore!"

"Why don't you just save yourself the trouble and GET OUT OF HERE!" Rodger yelled, stepping up beside Buzz to join him. He hoped that he and Buzz could frighten Michelle away so that they could avoid an actual fight. This wasn't the place for a battle, and Moynihan expected them back at the lighthouse soon.

But despite being frightened, and it showed physically by her shaking and look of fear on her face, Michelle remained standing where she was. She looked determined to do what she came here for. Her eyes narrowed in determination, her hands tightened and clenched into fists. She took a confident step forward, showing the group of teenagers that she was not going to back down that easily. She tried to make sure that she didn't appear threatening, though, because if she did, that would be the worst mistake she possibly could make with this group. But she could not just run away now, as much as she wanted to. She had something important to tell them, and she knew that she would regret it later on if she refused to tell the Dino Squad.

"Look, I am NOT leaving!" Michelle said, standing her ground. She straightened up her back to try and make herself appear as confident as possible; she was not going to get chased away. "I have an important message to deliver to you!"

Rodger rolled his eyes and sneered, "Yeah..what message could you possibly have for us? Maybe you're just going to tell us how long we have until your buddies come out to try and catch us!"

Fiona joined in. "Or maybe you're going to tell us what diabolical plan you have come up with the next time that we meet and you're just giving us a warning! And then when that day comes, you'll change your plan at the last minute and catch us off guard!" Her voice sounded more accusatory than actual anger, as present in Rodger's voice. But it was still enough to make Michelle take a step back.

"I..." Michelle tried to say, but words failed her.

"See!" Buzz said in an accusing tone of voice, mixed in with a sense of confidence. "You cannot even deny it yourself! You aren't trying to defend yourself, therefore we must be right about you! You must be plotting something!" As he said this, he starting taking some more steps forward, closing the gap between him and Michelle. Fiona stayed behind, sticking to Caruso's side. Max remained behind as well, not wanting to make any decisions he knew that Moynihan would disapprove of. Rodger whoever quickly joined in Caruso, and the two started to gang up on Michelle.

"You no good spy!" Rodger hissed through his teeth.

"You lying creep!" Buzz said, even more anger in his voice now.

Michelle continued to back away as the two boys were advancing on her. She gulped in fear. She knew that this was going to turn out badly. She told herself that she might get into a situation like this. Oh how right she was. She was staring to wish that she had never come here in the first place. They weren't going to believe her, so why bother even trying? She should have just gone straight back to Raptor Dyne. She should have just forgotten about this stupid mission. She could never convince the Dino Squad of the truth. She should have just let them figure it out on their own. But then again, by the time they could figure out what was going on, it would probably be too late already...

Suddenly Michelle found herself backed up against the fence that wrapped around the football field. Buzz and Rodger seized this opportunity and rapidly closed in the gap between them and Michelle, making it almost impossible for her to escape unless she went dino. Michelle tried desperately to seek a way to escape, but she could not find any. She pressed her back against the fence as far as she could go, bending the wires backward as she did so. But she wasn't able to get too far away from the two boys, who were glaring at her harshly as they stood close enough to make sure she couldn't get away.

Smiling darkly, Buzz said, "Got nowhere to go huh?" He pointed a finger at her, a claw tip visible from the end of the fingertip. "You should have stayed home...You should not have come here..!"

Rodger nodded his head. He also pointed a finger at Michelle, but unlike Buzz, there were to claws on his hand, just the normal fingernails. "You've caused us so much grief and agony with your participation in that invasion of the lighthouse! You dare show your face here and try to pose as an ally?!"

"P-P-Please..I...!" Michelle begged, holding up her hands to defend herself. "I just wanted to help you...!"

Gritting his teeth and allowing his anger to get the better of him, Buzz reached out and seized Michelle by the arm and pulled her forward very roughly. Michelle yelped in pain and in surprise and stammered on her feet, trying desperately to keep her footing. She was quickly able to regain it, but she didn't get very far when Buzz pulled her roughly again, this time towards him. She turned her head away for a few seconds, not wanting to look into his eyes. But she eventually forced herself to look at Buzz, her eyes wide with fear, and trembled like a scared little child. To see him this close up with that look on his face was just frightening for her.

Looking satisfied at the look of fear on her face, Buzz smiled darkly and said, "You're nothing but a worthless, traitorous liar, you know that..?" After a few seconds of silence, Buzz narrowed his eyes. He pulled on her roughly again, causing her to cry out in pain, and asked again, this time through clenched teeth. "You know that?!"

Michelle closed her eyes and turned her head away. Through her trembling whimpers, she managed to choke out, "P-Please..you've got to trust me on this... Trust me...please.."

Buzz's eyes widened in both shock and anger that Michelle had even dared ask him to trust her. He gritted his teeth and growled softly, which quickly turned into a louder snarl, one that shocked even his friends. Rodger had a similar look on his face, although instead of growling, he was pounding his fist in one hand, a clear sign that he wasn't happy with what Michelle had just asked of them. Michelle realized what she had just done and tried to wriggle her way free of Buzz's grasp, but he only gripped her tighter, his Pteranodon claws digging into her skin. He then thrust her back against the fence with considerable force, causing her to cry out in pain.

"After all you put us through..." Buzz hissed through his teeth. "...after all that you have done.." Buzz pushed her against the fence with enough pressure to make it a little hard for her to breathe. "..you have the nerve to ask us to trust you?!"

"Why should we trust you?" Rodger said, moving in closer to the pinned Michelle. "We did trust you, one time. And remember what happened then?!" Unable to stop himself, Rodger lifted up his massive arm and prepared to punch Michelle. But then a hand grabbed a hold and gently pulled it back down. Rodger turned around to see who it was. "Max?" Rodger and Buzz turned around. Buzz continued to grip Michelle, who had finally stopped struggling in his grasp. She also looked at Max, a look of fear on her face. She wondered what the jock was going to do to her.

Max glared at both Buzz and Rodger. He had expected better behavior from these two. He was disappointed that they had allowed their anger to make them act this way. He was disappointed that they didn't bring themselves to act more maturely. They didn't need to do this to Michelle. She was clearly outnumbered and she didn't look like she truly wanted to fight. In fact, more than anything, she looked absolutely frightened, and he couldn't really blame her. She was almost immediately ganged up on by two of the Dino Squad teammates before she did any real harm to anyone here. The good guys were not supposed to be like this.

Max pointed at Buzz. "Release her, Buzz. Now!"

Buzz and Rodger looked at each other, confused. They looked back at Max and wondered if they had heard his statement right. Rodger spoke up. "What..?"

"Buzz heard me." Max said, his voice almost cold. "I said release her!"

Buzz looked at Michelle then back at Max. He shook his head. "No..you can't be serious, Max..I..."

"Release her!" Max repeated, more force in his voice now.

"But Max, she's a threat! We cannot release her!" Buzz said, trying to justify his actions.

But Max wouldn't have it. He took a step forward, bringing himself uncomfortablely close to Buzz. He moved his face so that it was only about an inch in front of Buzz's. With his eyes narrowed, Max repeated his command, this time sounding more like a threat than a command. "Buzz, you will release her now! Let her go! And step away from her!" He looked over at Rodger. "The same goes for you, Rodger!"

Rodger and Buzz were both confused as to why Max was acting like this. They couldn't understand why he would command them to let go and step away from Michelle, someone who was a real threat to the team, someone that they shouldn't take their eyes off of. Max himself had admitted, at least once, that he hated Michelle. So what would possess him to actually defend her? Why would he want them to let go of someone who was capable of bringing more harm than good? For a few moments, they wondered if Max was actually betraying them, but that thought was quickly shook out of their minds. No, Max would never betray them. He must have a good reason for forcing them to let her go. He must!

Maybe Max wanted to interrogate her themselves. Maybe he wanted them to step away from her so that he could talk to her himself. He would probably have an easier time persuading her to talk to them. He was, in fact, the leader, and the most persuasive member of the team. But even so, there was still no telling what kind of lies Michelle would speak to him about. They knew that they would still have to be on their guard, ready to attack when they least expect it. Buzz and Rodger hoped that Max knew what he was doing and the risk he was taking in forcing them to let go of this girl. They hoped that he could keep her cornered himself, to ensure that she wouldn't run off.

Finally, Buzz and Rodger lowered their heads slightly. Neil released his grip on Michelle and started to move away from her. But he still glared at her, and she flinched at the sight of him. Rodger also backed away, but his eyes were locked on Max, looking shocked that he had asked them to move away from Michelle, as if it were a mistake. When Buzz and Rodger backed up, Michelle let out a sigh of relief and she started to relax. She would have started to move away from the fence, but with Max standing there, she thought it would be better to stay where she was.

Rodger moved in a little closer and whispered something to Max while glaring at Michelle. "I hope you know what you are doing... She's too dangerous to..."

Max whispered harshly back. "I know that, Rodger! Just trust me! I can handle her."

"If you say so." Rodger and Buzz took a few steps back. They noticed that Fiona and Caruso had also moved up a little, getting a little closer so they could make out what was going on. Fiona looked shocked as well that Max had told them to let Michelle go, but was slightly relieved that he now stood her, keeping her up against the fence. This was typical Max, always wanting to be the one with the responsibility on his shoulders. He was the kind of person who felt that he should be in charge of everything and while he isn't nearly as bad as he was before, now and again, his leadership attitude would take a hold, just like now.

Caruso still looked frightened. He wasn't completely worried about Michelle. He knew that they outnumbered her, although the fear of her taking him away was fresh on his mind. Michelle worked for Victor Veloci, and where she was, Veloci might be nearby, or at least tracking her in someway. He wondered if Victor was looking at them right now, with one of his scans. He shuddered at the thought. But what was scaring him more was Max. He was worried that he might get hurt, facing Michelle all by himself. He might be a T-Rex, but Michelle might be able to transform too quickly for him, and attack without giving him a chance to transform as well.

After a few minutes of tense silence, Max adopted a more dominant posture, showing Michelle that she was now dealing with the leader of this team. He took a step forward, feet firmly planted on the ground, and his hands were now fists, although not very tightly clenched. "What is it that you want to tell us, Michelle?" Despite the dominant gesture, Max's voice sounded relatively, and surprisingly, calm. He slowly relaxed his fists, his fingers now hanging limply at his sides.

Michelle gulped, still frightened at how she was treated just a few minutes ago, and said, "W-Well..I just wanted to deliver a warning..." She straighted up her back to try and make herself appear more confident. "I..I wanted to tell you what Victor was up to."

Buzz stepped forward and was about to say something, but was immediately silenced when Max lifted up a hand and gave him a quick glare. Buzz immediately backed down, but glared at Michelle. Max then turned back to Michelle, his expression quickly changing to that of curiosity. "Oh really? That's what you came here to tell us?"

Michelle nodded her head. "Yes. You probably noticed he has been quiet for a few weeks..."

"Yes, we noticed that." Max said, nodding his head. "Ms. Moynihan already has her suspicions, and so do we..."

Michelle nodded her head. "Yes, I'm quite sure of that." She did sound a little pleased that they were suspicious of the silence. That meant that they might have stood a chance when Victor would strike, no matter if they weren't expecting it or not. They didn't let their guard down that much, so that was good. But she still needed to tell them what is going on. "And I am sure you are interested in what Victor is planning to do now.."

Max narrowed his eyes. "Well of course. And just what is he planning?"

Michelle sighed deeply and closed her eyes. She lowered her head so that it was facing towards the hard floor at her feet. She didn't really want to tell them this because she didn't know how they would react. They might think that she was threatening them personally instead of trying to help them. But if she didn't say something now, she might never get another chance like this. "It's...it's about..Caruso..." She lifted up her head, her eyes locking onto Caruso's. Unconsciously, she took a step forward. Caruso whimpered in fear and took a step backwards.

Instinctively, Buzz lunged forward, his claws out. He struck out towards Michelle, barely missing her. The brunette cried out in fear and stumbled backwards, nearly falling onto her back. Buzz raised his hand again and shouted, "Leave him alone!"

"Buzz..stop it." Fiona said, placing her hand on Buzz's shoulder.

"But..but she threatened him!" Buzz growled angrily. "We can't just...!"

Fiona shook her head. "No, she did not threaten him. She just looked at him, but she didn't make a threatening move towards him!" She glanced over at Caruso and shook her head. "But Caruso's still frightened about what happened. I cannot blame him for being frightened. No shame in that."

Trying his best to ignore what had just happened, Max moved in a little closer to Michelle, trying his best not to make himself appear threatening. What Michelle had to say had suddenly interested him, and worried him at the same time. She had just mentioned that what she was about to say dealt with Caruso. Even if it were a lie, he wanted to take the risk and listen to her anyway. This could be very important. "What about Caruso?"

Trying to regain her bearings, Michelle stammered, "W-Well...he..." But then she went silent, trying to think of how she should continue. She wanted to give them this warning calmly, to say it in a way that it would only let them know of the danger ahead and not frighten them too much. But there was no way to sugarcoat this warning. It was just far too dire of a message to even think about lightening up a little. Michelle glanced back at Caruso again, but this time made no movement towards him. Of all the people in this group, he was the one who was going to react the most to what she was about to say.

Taking in a deep breath, Michelle said, "Victor is after Caruso again." There was a collection of gasps in the group, the reaction that she was expecting. "But this time he wants to kill him!" A look of horror came onto all the teen's faces, including Rodger and Buzz. "But that's not the worst of it!" Michelle's speaking was becoming more rapid and desperate, and her breathing was getting faster too. Whatever she was going to say, it must be urgent. "He has ordered every member of Raptor Dyne, including those who do not know of his true scheme to bring back the dinosaurs, to kill Caruso on sight!" She glanced at Caruso once more. "And I have heard he sent an assassin after you. Watch your back, kid! Watch your back!"

Caruso cried out in fear and moved further back behind his friends, as if he thought that Michelle was going to do something to him right that second to prove her point. His shivering became more visible, and he lost some color in his face as he stared at Michelle in horror of her warning. Old fears were rising up inside of him again, and he looked around quickly, expecting some of Veloci's men to come out at any second now. He suddenly realized just how unsafe he was out here in the public. How long ago had Victor issued this warning? How long has it been since his men were out looking for him? He was grateful that his parents weren't here to hear this. He couldn't begin to imagine their reaction, the look of fear they would have on their faces, especially his mother.

Fiona noticed Caruso's distress and put an arm around him to try and comfort him. Michelle's warning, if it were true, would confirm some of their suspicions. Victor was indeed after Caruso once again, and this time he wants to kill him. That was worse than what most of them had thought. She wasn't sure if Michelle was speaking the truth or not, but even if it was a lie, this wasn't the kind of lie that would cause much harm if it were true. It wasn't like Michelle was saying that they were safe or anything. She was giving them a specific warning that she guessed was supposed to make them more alert to danger, and how was that a bad thing? But then something else crossed Fiona's mind. She recalled how Terri and Mrs. Corel had seen Victor's men in the neighborhood. Were they looking for Caruso?

Max was just as horrified as the others were at this terrifying news, but he did his best to remain calm about it. They were already aware that something was wrong with the absence of Victor and they had suspected he would be after Caruso. But they did not suspect that he would definitely kill Caruso. That was both shocking and horrifying, difficult for them to digest. Many thoughts ran through the boy's mind. How were they going to protect Caruso? How would they know when Victor would strike again? And one of the most prominent questions now bugging him: how would they recognize Victor's men? They don't always wear those distinctive costumes. Caruso and Fiona were unable to recognize Victor's men when they had their costumes off. They could be anywhere at anytime. How would they be able to prepare?

But Rodger and Buzz were not completely convinced of Michelle's warning. Sure, it seemed convincing enough. If they didn't follow it, it would not really matter too much because they were already being cautious and had their guard up. But they weren't sure that Michelle was being completely sincere. She might be telling them this to deliberately throw them off, to make them too worried or scared to react and then she could use that opportunity to attack or make some kind of signal. And she was probably not even warning about Victor himself. They thought that she was going to do this and decided to tell them, but say Victor was going to so that they wouldn't think she was after Caruso. Well they weren't going to fall for it!

"You can't fool us!" Rodger said, being the first one to talk after the team had recovered from the initial shock of the news. "When will you learn it'll take more than that to make us believe you?"

Michelle moved her head back sharply, her eyes narrowed with slight anger. "What are you talking about?"

"You're lying!" Now it was Buzz's turn to say what he thought. "Victor isn't the one who wants to kill Caruso! It's you!"

Michelle's eyes narrowed further and she bared her teeth. She was looking visibly frustrated and angry at how these boys were treating her when all she was trying to do was help, despite the fact that she already suspected that they wouldn't really believe her. Still, it was frustrating that they weren't at least trying to listen to her. "I am not threatening Caruso! I'm trying to help him!"

"Like how you helped him back at the lighthouse?" Fiona spoke up harshly. She didn't mean to sound like this, but feeling Caruso shaking in fear in her arms made her feel more protective of him and she felt herself become even angrier with Michelle. "You helped Victor capture him!"

Michelle tried to speak. "I..." But she shut her mouth. There was nothing she could say to defend herself against that accusation. She knew it was true. She did help capture Caruso and to deny it would be outright lying. She chuckled bitterly to herself in a very soft tone. Like she hadn't done that before!

"Why do you continue to lie?" Buzz said, an almost arrogant smirk on his face. He was looking very confidence in himself, as if he believed that he had won whatever battle took place here. "You know it never works! Why don't you try speaking the truth?"

Michelle bared her teeth. "I am speaking the truth and you still continue to think I was lying!"

Now it was Buzz's turn to flash his teeth. "That is because you are lying!"

"How do you know?" Michelle demanded, taking a step forward. "How can you possibly know when I am lying or not? You have some magical radar inside that narrow head of yours?!"

Buzz snarled. "How dare you!" He started to move towards Michelle, but immediately Max moved quickly and grabbed his arm. "Max! Let me go!" He demanded.

Max shook his head. "No, Buzz. Just stop it!" Max wasn't liking where this was going. They hadn't been talking that long with Michelle and already tensions were very high and Buzz had tried to attack Michelle again. After this was over, he'd have to speak with him alone. He wanted to understand more about why he was acting this way. Even Moynihan didn't act this aggressive towards Michelle, and she was tossed down the stairs by that girl!

"But Max..I was just going to..." Buzz tried to say, but Max held up his free hand, showing his palm to the boy which clearly meant 'stop'.

"I think you've done enough, Buzz." Max said as he gazed over at Michelle. Even though she was looking angry, he could tell that she was also still very much afraid. He knew that if he allowed Buzz, or Rodger, continue on the way that they were, they could accidentally invoke a battle, and that was not something they needed, especially now. "Why does Victor want to kill Caruso?" He asked, trying to sound as calm as possible.

Michelle's expression softened up when she realized it was Max who was talking to her now. He seemed a lot calmer than the other students here, and she felt more comfortable talking to him, even though she and him still had tension between them. She was intent on making sure she didn't make him suspicious of her as well. The others were already accusing her of outright threatening Caruso right in front of them. She cleared her throat and said, "Well..I'm not entirely sure myself, although according to...what I've heard, Caruso apparently knows the 'cure' to something, and he wants to make sure he doesn't tell anyone about it."

Caruso's look of fear was replaced with that of confusion and curiosity. He couldn't figure out what Michelle was talking about. He didn't know anything that he shouldn't know, or did he? What could he possibly know that Victor would want to silence him for it? Then Caruso realized something. He didn't remember everything that had happened during his stay with Victor. He did recall the moments with the bridle. Those would stick to his mind forever, the pain that he went through as it cut into his mouth. But some of the stay was now a blur and he wondered if something had happened in this blackout sequence, that he gained knowledge of something and that is why Victor was after him. But he couldn't figure out for the life of him what it could be.

"The...cure?" Max asked, tilting his head. "The cure for what?"

Michelle shrugged her shoulders. "I think he once said it had something to do with..what was her name... Moynihan? Is that her name?"

Upon the mention of Moynihan's name, Rodger quickly reacted. Shoving Max out of the way, he moved in a little close to Michelle and jabbed his finger in her direction. "What have you done with Ms. Moynihan?!"

Michelle took several steps backwards, her eyes widened in shock at Rodger's sudden movements upon the mention of their teacher's name. She shook her head slowly. "Me? I..I didn't do anything to her! It was Victor who did something to her!"

Rodger's eyes narrowed dangerously. "And I'm supposed to believe that? You were the last member of Raptor Dyne to come into contact with her, are you not?!"

"Well..I..." Michelle started to say, trying to defend herself. But Rodger wasn't finished yet. He took another step forward, and Michelle shut her mouth.

"Moynihan was fine until you showed up!" Rodger shouted at her in an accusatory tone of voice. "You must have done something to...!" He couldn't finish his sentence. He was feeling so angry that he couldn't think straight. He stopped himself, and tried to calm down. His blood was feeling so hot now that it was starting to hurt.

"What about Victor?!" Michelle blurted out without thinking. "He was right on your tail in his helicopter! He was the last one to be in close contact with your precious teacher! Not me!"

Ignoring the sarcastic 'precious' remark, Max moved in front of Rodger and asked in a someone suspicious tone of voice, "How did you know that Victor had followed us in his helicopter?"

Michelle's eyes widened and she realized the mistake that she had just made. Why did she just say that? She felt so stupid now. She shouldn't have told them that. Now all she was going to do was make them even more suspicious of her, as if she didn't already do enough of that lately. She took a step back and gulped sharply. "Well..I... I saw it on the scanners at Raptor Dyne..." She admitted, overing a nervous smile.

Buzz almost immediately jumped to a conclusion on what Michelle was doing. Hearing her say that she was watching the scanners made him think that he was correct, that she was truly up to no good and that they should not trust anything she tells them. In his mind, there was only one reason for Michelle to be watching them with the radar, and that was to spy on them. And if she was spying on them, then she must be looking for a weakness or an opening, an opportunity to take them down. Why else would she be wanting to use the radar?

But before Buzz could say anything, Rodger, who apparently had come up with the same conclusion as he did, immediately spoke up as soon as Buzz took a step towards Michelle Brown. "Aha! So you admit it!" He then pointed a finger at Michelle and shouted, "Don't you?!"

Michelle looked startled, although there was a hint of fear still in her eyes. She wanted to run away, but she was forcing herself to remain where she was standing. She didn't want to run away, not now. She was confident enough to believe that at least Rolf Maxwell could keep his team mates at bay. Thinking of Max, she started to silently wish that she were more like him, so confident in himself and not afraid to take charge. Michelle felt envious of him for being able to control a group of people, even if it was just four members, excluding himself. If she were more like him, perhaps coming here would not have been as difficult as it was for her.

But Michelle was quickly snapped out of her thoughts when Buzz had moved in close, moving in front of Rodger and Max, and was now very close to her. He didn't attack her, but he did let out a yell at her that nearly gave her a heart attack because she was not expecting it. "ANSWER THE QUESTION!" Michelle yelped in surprise and moved even further away from the team.

Shaking his head in disapproval, Max went over to Buzz and gripped him tightly by the shoulder. "Buzz, stop it!" He hissed to the punk kid, glaring at him straight in the eyes. "You're only going to make things worse."

"I'm just trying to keep her from hurting any of us!" Buzz growled, glaring back at his leader.

Max nodded his head. "Yes, and you are also causing some unnecessary tension." He loosened his grip on Buzz slightly. "So far, Michelle hasn't done anything, so we won't do anything." He eyed both Rodger and Buzz as he spoke his next command. "I want you to to refrain from threatening or trying to attack Michelle unless she attacks first. You understand me?" Although visibly frustrated by being restrained by Max, both of the boys seemed to comply with his command. Before turning his attention on Michelle, Max leaned in close to Buzz and whispered a message to him that only he could hear. "After this is over, meet with me alone, if you can. I want to talk to you about something."

Seeing the leader approach her now, looking a little angry himself, Michelle started to worry even more. Cautious of this boy's presence, she did her best to stay where she was, but she still found herself moving backwards a little, trying to keep some distance between them. Michelle wasn't sure if she should start walking away now or not. Judging from the leader boy's expression, she couldn't be sure if he was going to hurt her or not. She started feeling angry with herself. Perhaps it was her own fault for placing too much trust in this boy. She should have known that he would have ended up like the other students, hating her too much to even give her a chance.

Once Max felt he was a good distance from her, he took a deep breath before he said anything. He wasn't very happy when he heard that Michelle was watching them through the radar, and he even began to suspect himself that something was very fishy about that. But he still wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt and decided to let her explain herself, to tell them why she did that. In a voice as calm as he could make it, Max asked, "Why were you watching us through the radar?"

Michelle took a step backwards. Despite Max's calm tone of voice, she would still sense a high level of tension in him and she didn't feel very comfortable being too close to him. "I was told to wait in Victor's large room where he has those big monitors..and I just happened to notice you guys, and Victor as well, both represented by signals. That's how I figured out that he was chasing you." She slowly shook her head, biting her lip nervously as she remembered the scary images she got from looking at that monitor. "It looked like he rammed you guys pretty good a few times.."

"Why would you care?" Buzz asked harshly, but he spoke it low enough so that only he and Rodger, who was standing next to him, the same scowl on his face, could hear what he had said.

Michelle shot him a glare, but decided not to say anything. She thought it would be best of she didn't offer a retort to his cold statement. She did her best to now keep her gaze on Max. She nodded her head once, her way of saying she was now acknowledging. "I admit, I was..." She paused for a few seconds, wondering if she should continue. She bit her lip. She was a little afraid that if she were to continue on with her sentence, Buzz or another member of the Dino Squad would be right on her tail.

Max took a step forward, softening up his expression so that Michelle would feel more comfortable talking with him. "You admit to what? What were you going to say? Continue." He said politely, doing his best to hide his anger that he was feeling towards her, remembering all the pain that she had put them through all this time.

Michelle took a step backwards, not wanting to be too close to the jock. She gulped and said, "Well, I admit that when I saw that he was after you and your friends...I was worried. I thought that he would catch you." She rubbed her hands together nervously. She remembered the feelings of fear she felt when she saw the large scanner, indicating just how close Victor was to them. "I was glad when I realized that you managed to get away from him." She looked at each member of the group, doing her best to ignore their glares or suspicious looks on their faces. "And it seems that you managed to escape in one piece. That is good."

Buzz grinded his teeth angrily and Rodger's fists clenched so tightly he could feel his own fingernails digging into his palms. If it weren't for Max blocking them, they would be at Michelle right now, grabbing a hold of her and shoving her either into the ground or against the fence, or just simply chasing her away. The very idea of her stating that she was actually worried about them made their blood boil. They knew that she was just lying. That is what they believed, and it is what they thought was true. They believed Michelle was deliberately lying to them about being worried, and being glad that they were all right. Why would someone as cold and as mean as Michelle care about anyone anyway? She tossed Moynihan down the steps! She put a tracker on Caruso! She helped Victor with the attack on the lighthouse! She led him there in the first place! Why would she start caring about them now? After all that she had done already?

Max didn't show much of a physical response other than a look of mild surprise. He was, of course, masking his full response so that he wouldn't scare Michelle away. He wanted her to tell him everything that she knew, and he wasn't going to be able to succeed in that if he allowed himself to get so angry with her that he just snaps at her. He was suspicious himself that she was actually genuinely worried about any of them. They were nothing but enemies to one another, so it didn't make much sense to him that she would actually be worried about them. He would consider the possibility that she was going against Victor, but he quickly smashed that theory when he reminded himself that she still works for Victor. If she were truly on their side, she would have left him by now and try to join them. But then again, what if she was so afraid of him that she could not bring herself to betray Victor?

Max wanted to know why Michelle was worried about them. He wanted to hear her explanation for that, and hoped that she would be able to explain without having Rodger or Buzz rudely interrupt her. He quickly positioned himself in front of Buzz and Rodger again to try and make sure that they couldn't get a good look at her, and she couldn't see them that well. Max believed that this position would help Michelle concentrate on him and not be so intimidated by Buzz or Rodger. "I do not understand, Michelle." He held up his arms in confusion. "Why would you be worried about us when we aren't even friends? We're...we're enemies!"

Michelle flinched and took a step back. She looked down towards the ground, staring at her feet. She started to wonder if she had said something wrong. But she quickly shook that thought out of her mind. She didn't say anything wrong, nothing really bad, or so she thought. While she knew she would make some of them suspicious, stating that she was worried about them couldn't have been a bad thing, even if she were lying about it. She looked back up at Max, who was waiting patiently for her to respond to his question. "Well..I didn't want you or your friends to continue to suffer under Victor's doing." She closed her eyes again, lightly. "I especially didn't want to see your friend..Caruso...continue to suffer what he was back there. I didn't want to see him, or you or..anyone, continue to go through all that pain... physically and mentally."

"LIAR!" Buzz and Rodger snapped in unison. They both tried to move forward, but Max made sure that they couldn't get past him. They both became frustrated and angry with Max for not allowing them to pass, but they ultimately succumbed to his authority and backed down.

"You two aren't making things any better." Max said, eyes narrowed. He now had his back towards Michelle, his hands on his hips. His foot tapped his foot in an annoyed manner. "I don't get it, you too. You two usually don't act this way. But as soon as Michelle shows up..." He pointed at Michelle. "..you two just lose it. You let your anger get the better of you. You don't try to keep a cool head and think things through. You just automatically accuse her of all this stuff without any proof. Seriously you guys, cut it out! This isn't like you!"

Rodger took a step back, a little surprised at Max's statement. He wasn't really hurt by it, just really surprised. He looked over at Buzz. Buzz looked more angry than surprised. Rodger suspected that Buzz felt offended by what Max had said. Rodger understood that, but he also understood why Max said what he did. He realized how unfairly he was acting, and he didn't know why. He wondered if he was allowing Buzz's anger take over him as well. He looked at Max in the eyes and nodded his head once. "Yes...we know Max. I'm..I'm sorry. I didn't mean to act like that..We didn't mean to anyway." He gently elbowed Buzz. "Right, Buzz?"

Buzz rubbed his shoulder and glared up at Rodger, giving him a look that told the computer geek that he felt both angry and betrayed by his actions. Buzz rolled his eyes and mumbled reluctantly, "Yeah, sure..whatever." He glared at Michelle before looking away, the same glare on his face.

"Are they..." Michelle asked in a soft, anxious tone of voice. "..are they always like that?" She asked this in a soft tone so that, hopefully, only Max could hear her clearly enough. The jock looked at her, a little surprised by the question, and quickly shook his head. "It's because of me, isn't it? It's because I'm here that they are acting differently, right?"

Max said, "Well..yes..but if they would just..."

Michelle held up her hand and shook her head. "No. Perhaps I should make my leave now. I..I have to get back to Raptor Dyne before Victor finds out I've been gone for too long." She would tell them about how he could have tracked her in dino mode and found that she had gone here, but she figured she was better off keeping that part a secret. The less they knew about that, the better. But there was another piece of information she wanted to give them before she disappeared out of sight. "Before I leave, I should give you and your friends one final warning."

After being quiet during this entire situation, Caruso, finally recovering enough from his fear to say something, asked, "What is...that...?" He winced a few times as he spoke, but not as much as he had before. The pain was starting to get a little better now, and he looked forward to when he'd be able to talk without feeling any pain. Not being able to talk was driving him insane.

Michelle glanced back over at Caruso, and was surprised and somewhat relieved that he wasn't cringing from her gaze this time. She wondered if this meant that he was growing a little used to, or more comfortable to, her presence. But the warning she was about to give him would shatter that feeling of being safe quickly, and perhaps would shatter whatever trust Max had put into her. But if she didn't tell them, their reactions would probably be even harsher then. "Since Victor has ordered everyone in Raptor Dyne to kill Caruso, that means that...that I should be trying to kill your friend right now. If Victor finds out that I was in close proximity to you, the Dino Squad, he is going to wonder why I hadn't tried to take out Caruso."

"Where are you getting at...?" Fiona asked, her eyes narrowed dangerously. "You saying you are going to try to kill him?!"

Michelle quickly shook her head, waving her hands in front of herself frantically. "No! No! That's not what I was going to say!" Michelle shouted, and cleared her throat to speak in a calmer voice, trying to make herself sound far less afraid that she actually was. "What I was going to say is this: I won't try to kill him. I don't want to try to kill him. I don't want to hurt him..." She shook her head. "But in the near future..I might be forced to try and kill him..." She looked at Caruso again. "The next time you see me...run. For your own safety, run!" Caruso's eyes widened in fear when she said that. "And while you already know this... Do not go out in public alone. Ever." Then she stepped back and addressed the whole group. "And do not let your guard down, all of you. Be wary of Moynihan."

* * *

Victor paced around the large room where he stored his computer and those cylinders of failed experiments. He glanced at them from time to time, and grimaced in disgust at them. These miserable failed experiments both encouraged and discouraged his efforts to reshape the planet back to the way it was supposed to be. The experiments made him question his genetic engineering capabilities. But it also encouraged him, got him to try even harder. If it were not for these failed experiments, he would not have gotten as far as he had with the experiments. Had he let failure set in, he would have given up a long time ago and none of this progress would have been possible.

And his efforts eventually did pay off. He had created ooze that resulted in the perfect formation of dinosaurs! But there was something that he was trying to solve. That same batch of ooze resulted in a mutant Megalodon, not a perfect one, evident from the fact that it looked more like a Mosasaurus than a Megalodon, which was supposed to look like a shark. And, from what he heard from Michelle, the Dino Squad have a dog that can change to and from his mutantsaur form at will. Victor didn't completey know, yet, how these kids each got a perfect dinosaur form while the shark and the dog both got imperfect forms.

He thought, at first, that it was something in the water. Some kind of disgusting human pollution could have intermingled with the ooze, bonding with it somehow and that could have caused the perfect forms to arise. But Victor quickly realized that this could not have been the case. Both the shark and dog were also exposed to the same ooze in the same environment as the teenagers, whom he knew were most likely in the water when they got contaminated. He had managed to figure out which batch had mutated the kids simply by recalling their first appearance and what the last batch he had released was before then. But knowing when and possibly where the kids got the ooze wasn't enough for him to realize what made their dino modes so perfect. And that's why he needed more blood samples.

Victor had already gotten a blood sample from Caruso. He had collected some of the blood from the boy while he was still knocked out and he still had that tiny blood sample from him when he had met Caruso in that one high school. Since he already got blood from the boy and did what he wanted with him, he now wanted to kill the boy, especially since Caruso also knew the cure to something that would help him defeat the Dino Squad. Once he had the boy out of his way, he would then go to capture his friends while they are too weak from mourning to fight back. And after he had gotten their blood, he would kill them off too.

It seemed to be a shame that he had to kill all five of the perfect dinosaurs. It felt like such a waste to him. He wished he could keep them alive. But they were too dangerous to his plans to allow them to live. They would naturally seek vengeance on the death of their friend and attack more fiercely, albeit not as intelligent, letting their anger get the better of them. They would more easily make mistakes, increasing his chances of getting them, and yet at the same time it would also make the situation more perilous, even if he would not really admit it to himself or to others. The team might be more physically strong when they let their anger take a hold of them, and they would be more violent in their attacks. He would need to figure out a way to deal with them without giving them a chance to attack him or his minions.

Victor knew he would have to think of this plan thoroughly, leaving absolutely no openings or loose ends that the human children would be able to exploit, allowing them to thwart his righteous plans and get away from him, or attack and defeat him, if they were brave enough to try anyway. The chances of kids like them defeating him were very slim. He was a more experienced dinosaur fighter while they were nothing more than mere rookies, barely fighting for more than a couple years. It would amuse him to see them try to fight him now, trying to beat him in a battle. He chuckled. Humans were such arrogant little nuisances who would blindly rush into battle, believing their so-called 'smarts' would allow them to win any fight. Oh how wrong they were...

And yet, Victor could not forget that these students were equipped with the most efficient fighting machines of all time: the superior dinosaurs! They might not have the minds of the dinosaurs, and thus would not be able to unlock the complete potential of the dinosaur forms, but they did still have the body of the dinosaurs. And as much as he hated to admit it, humans can be quite clever creatures at times, such as the time when he was captured in a human farmer's net, much to his chagrin. He was so angry then because the human farmers made him miss his opportunity at finding his creations; the signal had disappeared not long after he had freed himself. And yet, he also had to admit that those humans were a bit clever, trapping him like that, even though it angered him to admit that.

Did the Dino Squad have any tricks up their sleeves that he was completely unaware of? Would they be able to pull a stunt that he would not expect them to be able to perform while in dino mode? He had thought, a few times, that Caruso was going to pull some unexpected stunts, whether in human or in dino mode. And Caruso had done such a thing. Not only was the boy smart enough to know how to turn the heat-seeking Stinger against himself, but he also nearly escaped by trying to rush out of the room while in dino mode when he was supposed to be getting ready to fight the blind mole mutantsaur. Caruso had failed both times, of course, almost escaping the first time, but he had still tricked Victor, something Victor did not really expect a human to be able to do.

That was one of the reasons he decided to torture Caruso. He did want to gain control over the boy and make him submit to him. This made it easier for him to test those weapons on the kid. But he also wanted to make sure the boy wouldn't try to come up with a clever plan of escape, and to ensure he wouldn't even begin to unlock the potential of his dinosaur form, if that were even possible for a human. Victor knew that he took a huge risk in confronting the boy while he did not have his bridle on and was in dino mode. He might have been too overconfident at this point and it would have cost him his life if the plan had backfired. He knew he was lucky that the boy allowed fear to overwhelm him, preventing him to attack. And he was lucky that he was able to dodge the boy's attacks. One swipe of that tail could have ended his life.

Gaining control of Oscura and Michelle was a lot easier for Victor. One reason was because their dino modes were smaller than his own, and another because Oscura had seemed genuinely eager to join Raptor Dyne. He didn't even need to do any persuading with her. Usually, Victor would usually need to persuade a potential worker into joining him, to try and convince them why working for him was the right decision. He often did this by a subtle threat, suggesting that if they didn't join, they would die along with the other humans. He wasn't sure if he would actually go through with that, but the subtle threat was enough to get the other workers in. It was one of the reasons Peter had joined him in the first place, other than wanting revenge.

But Michelle was another story. Victor had found her and Oscura together. One of his teams, assigned to search through the oceans to try to find any animals infected by his DNA, found them both in the shallow water near a beach, very close to the tide pools, but out of sight so that anyone on the tide pools would not see the girls. The team managed to save the students, but noticed very quickly that their footprints were glowing and they suspected that they were contaminated with dino DNA, which proved to be true when the two started to mutate unconsciously. When they were brought over to Victor, he helped them gain control of these powers and instead of getting rid of them, he decided to let them join Raptor Dyne. While Oscura agreed with this, Michelle took a little more persuasion.

Although it was very brief in comparison to Caruso, Michelle was subjected to the war bridle because the normal persuasion did not convince her. Victor had two reasons for using the bridle on her. He wanted to give her a good reason to join him, something that would stick in the back of her mind and make her unwilling to try and betray him. The other reason was that he had just designed the bridle and he wanted to make sure it worked. It was designed so that it would be able to stretch to fit almost any size, which was why it was able to still fight Caruso even in Stegosaurus mode, despite the fact that the bridle was metallic. Unlike Caruso, though, Michelle submitted much more quickly and only suffered minor injuries to the mouth. Victor could imagine the injuries in Caruso's mouth to be much more severe.

Thinking of Michelle, Victor started to realize something. He hadn't seen her for a few hours now. He had a feeling that she probably left on her break. He did let both her and Oscura out once in a while to go somewhere secluded so they can transform and stretch their dinosaur legs. He wanted them to keep their dino modes in perfect health because, unlike Peter, they played more active roles in this mission. Peter's form was potentially unstable and Victor didn't want to risk having him transform until he was forced to. Now that he knows Peter's form is just fine, when he would return, Peter would begin having more active roles as well. But his mind quickly went back onto Michelle. He looked up at the clock flashing on his screen in tiny letters. The girl should have been back by now. What was taking her so long?

Victor knew he could easily track down the girl if she had gone into dino mode. His tracker would only be able to tell him if she was currently in dino mode, however, and it did not yet pick up the signatures of a human. He didn't see the need to do such a thing. There were billions of humans on the planet, and the scanner would not be able to tell him which humans were his and which were the ones oblivious to his plans. This was why he didn't really have it set up to detect human signatures. It wouldn't be able to tell him which one would be Michelle, anyway. According to that scanner, any human would have been Michelle Brown. With no means of being able to track her unless she happened to be in her Guanlong Wucaii form, Victor could only wait until the girl came back to ask her where she was.

But he knew he couldn't really think too much about Michelle right now. His mind was now turning towards something else, even more important than the whereabouts of one of his few transforming Raptor Dyne members. He quickly went over to his large computer and pressed a few buttons to bring up the human and raptor avatars once again. He was satisfied to see that, now, only about half the legs and feet of the human side remained while next to it, almost all of the raptor icon was filled except for the neck and head. This meant the transfer was nearing completion. Victor grinned evilly as he eyed the two avatars. He looked forward to the day when the two were completely flip-flopped. It would mark the true beginning of his next plain to defeat the Dino Squad.

Victor chuckled to himself as he thought about the kids in their lighthouse, thinking they're in one of the safest places possible. Even though they were attacked there before, they still considered it a safe haven. Oh how wrong they were. "If only they knew what I had in store for them all..."

* * *

Michelle did her best not to panic, despite the fact that her heart was racing, beating so heavily against her chest. She had been quickly backed up against the fence again. This time, everyone except for Caruso were blocking her path, even Max, the only person who seemed willing to give her a chance. Max didn't look as angry as the others and he was still making sure that no one got too close to her, but she could tell from the look in his eyes that he wasn't happy. She almost immediately regretted giving her warning, telling them how she might end up attacking Caruso the next time she ran into him and how they should be wary of their own mentor. But then again, what other choice did she have? It was either that or let them find out the hard way, and by then it would have been too late, most likely.

Michelle pressed her back against the fence, her eyes starting to show the faintest hint of a glow. It was a reaction to the tension that she was feeling right now. The glow was also present in the four teens blocking her path, but they were also flashing their teeth and claws at her, most obvious in Buzz and least obvious in Max, who was, despite the anger he might be feeling now, was definitely keeping his cool and staying calm. She couldn't help but be impressed with this behavior. No wonder he was the leader of this team. She wondered if he would be able to keep the others from attacking her.

But Michelle couldn't allow her mind to wander for too long. She was almost immediately brought back from her thoughts when she heard a hiss from Buzz. Despite trying to ignore him, she found herself moving her head quickly over to him. Buzz was positioned on the left side of Max, standing very close to the boy, but still staying back. She could tell by the way that he was flexing his Pteranodon claws that he wanted to get at her. He and the others were obviously pissed about what she had said, and that didn't surprise her too much. She pretty much just admitted to being a real threat to Caruso, and they had only very recently went through all this trouble to get their friend back.

Caruso was hanging back, directly behind his friends. He wasn't too far away. He would start feeling paranoid if he stayed far back for too long. He wanted to always be within close range with someone he trusted. He made sure he stayed behind everyone else, and tried to hide from Michelle. He knew that she could probably see him. It was hard for someone like him to hide from someone. And while he trusted his friends to protect him, he couldn't bring himself to completely believe that they would be able to protect him from Michelle, which was part of the reason that he was hanging back, keeping himself behind them so that Michelle didn't have a chance to charge him simply because his friends would be in the way.

Caruso was feeling very afraid as he continued to hang back behind the others. Hearing Michelle announce that she might kill him the next time they met was terrifying enough, but what made it worse for him was pretty much everything Michelle had told him. She had warned him that it's not just Victor who wanted to kill him, and it wasn't just her and Oscura who were assigned this task. Everyone in Raptor Dyne was assigned the task. This made going out in public even more perilous than before. Victor would surely make it so that his men did not wear their suits at all times. Caruso would not be able to recognize someone from Raptor Dyne. The next stranger he would make could very well end his life, and he would not be able to see it coming. He was somewhat grateful that Michelle gave him this advanced warning, but at the same time, it made him feel even more insecure and afraid.

Having to tolerate Victor's torture was unbearable enough. He could still feel that cold metallic bridle scraping up harshly against his face. He slowly lifted up his hands and traced a few fingers along some of the scars he had gotten. He winced as he felt the change in depth as he touched the scars. Some of these would fade within time, but he was informed that some of them would also become permanent, never going away within his lifetime. The thought of it made him sick to his stomach. Who would want to look at him now, all torn up and ripped? Other than his friends and family, no one, that's what he believed. He wondered if this is what Victor had wanted all along when he ripped his face with that bridle. Victor had wanted to hurt him both physically and mentally, to break him, to make him let go of any belief that he had held dear. And as much as Caruso hated to admit it, it had worked; he had succumbed to Victor's will. And now Victor was coming back for him, and this time he was going to break more than his will.

Michelle immediately brought her hands forward, showing them her palms and clawless fingers, an attempt to show them that she isn't a threat, at least in that moment. It was also a very weak attempt at trying to protect herself. It wouldn't' do her much good, but it was the only thing she could think of to do so that she would have some chance at defending herself in case one of the Dino Squad members lunged at her. "Look..I didn't mean to upset you guys." She said in a shaky yet calm voice. "I just thought that you Dino Squad people needed to know what I had just told you, so that you have a better chance to prepare yourself...better chance than..the last time.." Her voice trailed off, remembering when they were ambushed at their lighthouse with little warning.

Buzz was about to respond, but Max held out an arm in front of him, a silent order telling him to keep his mouth shut. Buzz growled but complied with Max and backed down. Max turned his attention back on Michelle. To show his authority, he straighted his back, locking eyes on her, never pulling his gaze away even as he turned his head to the side, a look of suspicion quite clear on his face. His eye glow was a little brighter now, but still not as bright as Buzz's were. "Yes..It was..nice of you to give us an advanced warning..." Michelle could tell from the way that he was talking that he didn't completely trust her nor was he completely sincere in his statement. "But answer us this: why even bother giving us a warning if we are nothing more than enemies? That still doesn't make sense..."

"Enemy or not, I don't want anyone to suffer like this... No one deserves to go through what..what Victor wants to put you guys through." Michelle responded, eyes narrowing slightly. "I want to make sure you don't have to go through..what I did..." Her gaze lowered as she said that. She didn't want to bring up this terrible memory. She had tried putting it behind her a long time ago.

"What do you mean?" Max asked her.

Michelle shook her head. "I do not wish to talk about it. Just..heed my warning, Dino Squad. I speak to you the truth of what is going on."

"Why did you tell us to..be wary of Moynihan?" Max asked, eyes narrowed.

Michelle bit her lip when he asked her that. She wasn't sure if she should tell him right away. She thought that, by now, he would have experienced what was going on with Moynihan. She was positive that he did, so why was he asking her that? Was he wondering if she knew what was going on with her? Was he going to ask her what was happening to Moynihan? She opened her mouth to say something, but quickly stopped herself. Would it be wise for her to say something now? After all, they had gotten mad at her with her previous warnings. She wasn't sure if she could afford having them becoming even more angry with her.

Before Michelle had a chance to try and respond again, Buzz finally had enough of hanging back behind Max and decided to take action. He moved forward, brushing up against Max as he did so, wanting to get closer to Michelle than Max currently was. Michelle, surprised by this, pushed herself as far back as she could go, despite what little space she had to maneuver around in. Max realized what was going on right away and grabbed Buzz to try to pull him back. Buzz glared at him, but remained standing where he was. He turned his attention back on Michelle, baring his sharp teeth at her. He was not going to let Max hold him back this time. Buzz reached forward with his free arm and seized Michelle by the collar of her shirt and pulled her roughly forward.

This action startled Max. "Buzz! What are you doing?" He cried, surprised at Buzz's unnecessary actions. But Buzz just ignored him, making Max feel frustrated with the punk kid. He narrowed his eyes. Buzz was acting harsher than normal, angrier and bitter. It was almost like he was becoming another Victor, becoming like the enemy.

Buzz's arm bulged as muscles in it increased, rapidly becoming as powerful as his wing. Pteranodon wings were very strong. They have to be in order to constantly flap and down to keep him aloft in the air, unless he was gliding of course. Once his arm changed in color and was larger than his normal human arm, claws still completely exposed, although larger now, he managed to lift Michelle up into the air, a few inches off the ground. Despite her feelings of terror, Michelle did her best not to struggle in his grasp. She didn't want to provoke him further.

"You do not need to say what is wrong with Moynihan..." Buzz said in a strangely calm voice. Michelle tilted her head in confusion, not knowing why Buzz was acting calmly if he had just lifted her up in the air. But then the boy's demeanor quickly changed. His voice grew darker and more menacing. "..because you are the cause!" He closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and then looked back at her. "And if you threaten Caruso again, I'll...!" He stopped himself. Then he continued, "Stay away from Caruso!"

Michelle gripped Buzz's strong, green arm, but did not try to push his hand off of her. Her legs dangled inches above the ground, but she did not try to kick Buzz with them. And she had yet tried to transform. If she did, she would only make him even more upset, and she might also provoke the other Dino Squad members as well. "I am not causing it! And I am not threatening Caruso!"

Buzz was about to say something, but someone gripped him by the shoulder. He saw that it was Fiona. She moved her hand over to his arm and gently pushed it down. Although he was clearly stronger than she was, Buzz found himself lowering his arm as Fiona was physically instructing him to do. Once Michelle's feet were now touching the ground, Fiona moved for Buzz to release her. Buzz wasn't sure why she was asking him to do this, but he complied, further encouraged to do so by Max still gripping onto his arm, squeezing a little tighter no. Buzz released his grip on Michelle, shifted his arm back, and stepped backwards, allowing Fiona to get up in front of him. Max was about to reach out towards Fiona, but he stopped himself when he saw that she wasn't adopting a hostile posture like Buzz had been doing. Perhaps she wouldn't make the same mistake Buzz was making.

Michelle watched Fiona warily, one of her eyes narrowed and the other eye widened. She lowered her head slightly, and her teeth were bared in self defense. She was wondering if Fiona would be sort of like Oscura in this instance. Even though Fiona had not done anything to her yet, that could change very quickly. While the redhead lacked the poisonous bite that Oscura had, Fiona still had an advantage over Michelle in combat; she was bigger. Much, much bigger, and so were the others. From what she had experienced from Fiona, however, Michelle did not think she was quite as aggressive as Buzz was acting now. Fiona did not seem to be the hostile type, almost the exact opposite of Oscura. But still, this did not mean that she was not aggressive when she had to be. Michelle watched her carefully, waiting for her to make her move.

Fiona did likewise and eyed Michelle warily. To her, Michelle was the enemy, one of the people responsible for Caruso's capture. She should not be taken lightly and they should not let their guard around her. Michelle's dino mode may not be as big as hers or the others' were, but she made up for that with speed. Michelle was a smaller, thus harder target to keep focus on, and her black coloration helped her more easily disappear into the shadows. Even in broad daylight, there were places casting dark shadows for Michelle to disappear into. However, Michelle clearly did not appear to be as aggressive as Oscura was. By this point, Oscura would have already have taunted them to the point where it would have escalated into a fight. But Michelle has been keeping her distance, or at least trying to, and has not yet lifted a claw to try and harm any one of them. And yet, despite this, Fiona refused to let her guard down with this girl simply because she worked for Victor Veloci.

Finally, after allowing the tense of silence hang in the air for a few minutes, Fiona decided to make her move. As she made a step forward, Michelle instinctively tried to take a step back, only to bang her heel against the fence behind her and nearly lose her footing. She looked on the ground to see where her feet were and noticed she had completely run out of room to back up into. She then looked back at Fiona, who was now folding up her arms. Fiona then said, "How can we be so certain of that?"

Michelle tilted her head, her teeth still bared, although less slightly than before. "What are you talking about? How can you be certain of..what?" She sounded a little more angry in that last word than she had intended to, and she immediately bit her lip in worry that she had provoked Fiona.

Fiona narrowed her eyes slightly. "You should know what I'm talking about!" She realized that she used more force in that statement than she had intended to, and took in a few deep breaths to try and calm herself down. She was trying to follow Max's lead and try to be as calm as possible with Michelle. It was difficult, but if she lost her temper with Michelle, it could result in dangerous consequences. "Everything you said." She said in a softer tone of voice. "How can we believe that the things that you have been telling us are the truth? You got any way to prove that?"

Michelle struggled to come up with an answer. She strained to try and answer Fiona without giving an answer that would make her suspicious of her even more. Just by looking at her in the eyes, Michelle could tell that Fiona did not really trust her a whole lot. "I..I can't prove it..." Michelle finally said, lowering her head in submission. "You guys just have to trust me on this one..."

Fiona pulled her head back a little, a scowl appearing on her face. For Michelle to be telling them that they should trust her, even after all they had done to them a few weeks ago, angered her. She wasn't sure if they should be accepting help from one of their mortal enemies. Maybe Buzz was right about this; that Michelle was merely trying to get them in the right place and right state of mind to unleash a trap. What kind of trap that would involve increasing their sense of wariness, Fiona wasn't so sure of. But Victor was clever and thus it would not really be above the guy to be able to create a trap out of a situation like this.

Rodger decided to interject before Fiona had a chance to respond to Michelle's answer. "That is not a good enough reason." His voice was a little dark and angry, but more controlled than Buzz's voice. "After all that you have done to us, how can you expect us to just trust you on this issue? How can we know for sure that you are speaking the truth?"

Michelle lifted up her head to look at the dark-skinned teenager. He and Fiona both had valid points, and so did the others on this. And she had known it already too. How could she expect them to trust her after their past confrontations as enemies? "I know it's hard to trust me. After what I had done, I wouldn't trust me either... What can I do to prove to you guys that I am telling the truth?"

"Nothing..." Buzz answered in a low hissing voice under his breath. Then he spoke again, this time in a louder tone of voice so that Michelle and the others could actually hear him this time. "No matter what you say, I will refuse to believe you. I trusted you before. I will not make the same mistake again!"

Michelle grimaced. "Yes..I am quite sure of that..."

"Then why are you continuing to try and get us to believe this lies of yours...?" Buzz asked, eyes narrowed.

"But..I'm not lying..." Michelle said weakly, her eyes widening slightly.

"Buzz..." Max said. When the green-haired teen turned to look at him, Max asked, "..when are you going to stop? How far must you go with your accusations with Michelle until you are satisfied?"

Buzz looked confused and wondered what Max was talking about. "What..I..." But he couldn't think of what to say. He glanced back at Michelle, this time his expression softened as he started to come to terms with what Max had asked of him. Was he really going too far with how he was treating Michelle? He was just trying to protect his friends...

Max lifted up his hand. "Don't strain yourself now Buzz... We can discuss this later."

Michelle finally had enough of this. She was tired of listening to Buzz yelling at her. She was tired of the team not listening to her warnings. She was tired of them not taking her a little more seriously. And she was tired of feeling frightened constantly. Her heart was racing so much that she thought it was going to explode inside her. She placed a hand in the middle of her upper chest, feeling her heart pounding against her ribcage and flinched. She wasn't sure how much more fear she could take. She had to get out of here and fast. Besides, she was due back at Raptor Dyne very soon. Victor might be wondering where she was. She eyed the team, wondering if she should tell them one more thing. She hadn't yet told them just what was going on with their teacher. Should she wait? Or spill the beans now?

"Is there something else you wanted to say, Michelle?" Max asked. Michelle was slightly startled by him suddenly talking to her. A couple seconds ago, his attention was focused on Buzz. Now he had his eyes on her. Max was reading her expression and concluded that there was something else that she wanted to say, but was holding back. Max narrowed his eyes slightly. He wondered why Michelle would tell them all this dire information only to hold out now. Could it be that she was keeping a secret from them? Could Buzz's treatment of her be justified because of that? "I can tell, from the look on your face, that there is something else you want to tell us. So spill it."

Michelle gulped and started to rub her arm in an anxious manner. She darted her eyes left to right as she struggled with coming up with a valid response. "Well...I was going to tell you about what is going on with Ms. Moynihan..but I don't know if I should... Maybe I should let you guys figure that part out on your own..." She tilted her head to one side slightly, the faintest hint of a smirk on her face. "You guys seem..smart enough to figure out what is happening on your own. You don't need me to help you on that..." She chuckled lightly.

"What did you do to Moynihan?!" Buzz snapped instinctively, earning himself a glare from Max and Fiona. He closed his eyes and let out a sigh as he realized his mistake. He cleared his throat and changed his demeanor as best as he could. "I mean..what is going on with Moynihan?" He tried to sound as calm as he could, but it was easy to tell he was straining to keep himself from yelling at Michelle.

"I guess I might as well tell you." Michelle said, her smile fading away briefly, quickly being replaced with a smile that had the faintest hint of evil in it, an attempt at trying to make herself feel less afraid around this team. It was not a genuine attempt at provoking the Dino Squad team. "Maybe I overestimated your capabilities by stating that you could probably figure it out on your own." She ignored their glares and shook her head. "By the time you would have figured out it, would have been too late probably."

"What are you talking about...?" Rodger asked, his expression hardening a little. "What would we find out too late?"

Before Michelle answered, she turned her gaze over to Caruso. Then she looked at the other students and addressed them as a group. "Do you remember smelling something weird when you found Caruso? Something that was out of the ordinary, that seemed..wrong? Not normal?"

The Dino Squad looked at each other, mixed expressions on their faces. They didn't like thinking back to that day. They glanced back at Caruso, who also seemed very uneasy about thinking of what had happened then. Nonetheless, they were able to remember how Moynihan had scented something horrible and had concluded that Caruso must have died. Max nodded his head. "Yes..well Moynihan had detected it. She smelled it when we first went into the room and immediately became suspicious of it..." Before he could continue, Michelle interrupted him.

"Did she get very close to him?" Michelle asked, taking a confident step forward. "Did she push her muzzle up against his body? How much of the scent did she breathe in?"

Max looked a little disturbed by what Michelle was saying, but nevertheless, he replied, "Well yeah..It was my idea. You see..I was suspecting that horrible smell wasn't really his own, so I had Moynihan sniff at a much closer distance and..."

"You idiot!" Michelle snapped, flexing her fingers, indicating that she wanted to grab him by the throat and shake him for doing such a thing. "Do you have any idea what you have done? Do you?!"

Max took a few steps back, almost bumping into his friends as he did so. "What are you talking about?" He asked, his voice filled with anger and confusion. "I didn't do anything wrong!"

Rodger stepped up beside Max, backing him up. "Yeah! What right do you have to go accusing him like that?!"

Michelle narrowed her eyes and muttered under her breath. "Well it hasn't stopped you guys from accusing me without much physical evidence..."

Fiona said, "Are you trying to tell us that Max had something to do with what is going on with our teacher?" She moved an arm towards Max to indicate him as she was talking. "How could he have done anything? He would never hurt her!"

Michelle shook her head. "I never said he hurt her.." She glared at him softly. "But..Max is it? Max, you made a mistake in having her sniff that close. That was a dangerous thing to do. But then again, how could you have possibly known...?"

Buzz asked, "Possibly have known what?"

Michelle said, "Didn't you think it was odd that the smell was coming from Caruso?" The Dino Squad shook their heads, and Michelle let out a soft sigh. That was probably the wrong question to ask. Maybe they thought he was dead or something and associated the smell with that of death. That would be why they weren't suspicious of it. "Scratch that question... Anyway, what really happened was this: Victor wanted to lure you guys into a trap by using Caruso. Originally, he wanted traps to be laid out before you arrived into the room and he would capture you that way. So he had sent me and Oscura to do just that, however, as you all remember, I chased away Oscura and led you guys on my own."

Fiona lifted up a finger. "But there were no traps in the room that you led us into."

Michelle nodded her head. "Exactly. I was able to get you guys to Caruso before Victor's men could move fast enough to set up any traps. But unfortunately, Victor's plan was not completely ruined." She narrowed her eyes in concern. "You see, the scent on Caruso was put there by Victor himself, and it's not really the scent of death obviously, although it does smell like that. He actually put some kind of chemical on him, specifically engineered to effect only Velociraptors."

"But..Moynihan is almost never in raptor mode." Rodger pointed out.

"Ahh..but she is a Velociraptor, is she not? She has Velociraptor blood in her." Michelle said, narrowing her eyes slightly.

"Well...yes..." Rodger said, not liking where this was heading.

Michelle nodded her head. "Yes, Velociraptor blood, and the chemical was made specifically to effect her in particular. You see, this chemical has DNA rewriting capabilities. It is sort of like the infamous primordial ooze, except it works slower and can be more easily concentrated to effect one or a few species." She eyed Caruso, who was looking even more frightened by this news she had just given. "He had told me that he had used the same stuff on you, Caruso. I don't know if you remember that part, given that you were knocked out, hit in the head pretty hard." Caruso rubbed his head gingerly where Victor had struck him. "But he said that he tested out a version of the chemical on you before completing it for Moynihan. He said the chemical made you crazy, and kill a mutantsaur, albeit you returned the normal quickly after the death of the mole mutant."

The Dino Squad stared at Caruso in horror, a terrified expression on each one of their faces. Caruso, although couldn't really recall that one particular incident, looked just as horrified as the rest of them. The very idea of actually killing a mutantsaur had never crossed anyone's minds. It seemed so foreign and so..evil to them. Ms. Moynihan had taught them that the mutantsaurs were not monsters; they were just animals. She had told them never to hurt the animals unless it was self defense, and she disapproved of them actually killing one. For Caruso to kill one, whether or not he was under his own control, was unspeakable. They wondered how Moynihan would take this news.

Noting their silence and deciding to continue, Michelle said, "Yes, I know that must be very shocking for you guys." She had seen death before and while it bothered her, she was not as bothered by it when she compared herself to these students. "Victor had created this version of the chemical specifically to change the behavior of Moynihan. That is why you have noticed changes in her."

"But what is happening her specifically?" Max asked. "She is not just acting aggressively; she is acting completely differently at times. It's almost like she's becoming a..."

"...a Velociraptor." Michelle said, finishing his sentence for him. "Haven't you noticed her stalking anyone? Eating raw meat? Showing her claws or teeth? Sharpening her claws?" The looks on their faces told her that they had seen at least some of what she had described. "Don't you think the behavior of a wild Velociraptor would fit what she has been going through?"

The group of kids glanced at each other nervously as they started to realize what Michelle was trying to tell them. It all made sense now. Moynihan's increased aggression, her change of diet according to what people have said who had seen her eating the raw steak, her stalking, and of course, her sharpening her hand claws on the wall and then lunging at Max. These were all characteristics that they would expect to see from a Velociraptor, not a kindly old woman like Joanne. Now knowing that she was slowly regressing back into her primal state left them all feeling very uneasy. They don't know how long it would be until she regressed completely, and just as scary, they didn't know whether or not the regression would stop and reverse itself. It reversed itself in Caruso, but so far, Moynihan was only getting worse as each day passed by. It would only be a matter of time before she really hurt someone.

A sense of fear and terror began to well up inside the Dino Squad. They were realizing just how lucky they have been all this time at the lighthouse, or around Moynihan in general. At anytime, she could have given into this chemical messing around with her mind and attacked them without warning. She could have revealed her true self to the public and not only tarnish her reputation forever, but she would also have become the target of mad scientists other than Victor Veloci and they would have tried to capture her and subject her to scientific experiments, perhaps even kill her. And even if this didn't happen, Moynihan would still be attacking anyone she saw as prey, including the Dino Squad! Suddenly, the group of teens no longer felt safe going to the lighthouse.

But then Buzz started to have some doubt in what Michelle was saying. Could Michelle be lying to them about what was happening to Moynihan? It seemed logical that she would do so. Perhaps she was only trying to make them feel even more afraid, to try and weaken their will. She might also be doing it to make sure that they didn't go back to the lighthouse. This would leave them more vulnerable because they would be separated much of the time and not have as much protection as they would if they were at the lighthouse or with Moynihan in general. Buzz narrowed his eyes at Michelle, who looked confusingly at him as if she wondered what was wrong. Buzz didn't believe for one second that Moynihan was becoming corrupted. Yes, a little more aggressive, but she would never deliberately hurt any of them. She couldn't be turning into a raptor. She just couldn't be!

"You're lying..." Buzz said boldly, lifting up a hand clenched into a fist. "You must be lying! This can't be true! Moynihan would never turn on us!"

Motivated by Buzz, Rodger shouted, "Yeah! She's just going through a hard time is all! But she is not turning into some mad Velociraptor! She isn't like Victor!"

Michelle chortled darkly. "Not like Victor eh...? They are both Velociraptors, are they not? Or do you think that, despite the same appearances, they are of a different species?"

Buzz snapped his head back and growled softly. Michelle did make a good point there. Moynihan was a Velociraptor, just like Victor was. But that didn't mean anything. Moynihan still wasn't like Victor. She was more human than raptor; a kind, gentle woman who would never deliberately hurt anyone. Victor was nothing but a monster. How could Michelle even dare try to compare Moynihan with Veloci? "Just because they are both Velociraptors does not mean that they are alike in any way!"

Michelle's eyes narrowed. She wasn't sure if Buzz's claim was completely true. Yes, in her encounters with Moynihan, she did realize she acted quite motherly towards the students and was not as vicious as Victor. But somehow, she couldn't help but think that, given the right situation, Moynihan would behave a lot like Victor. Michelle wouldn't trust Moynihan completely even if she weren't being corrupted by the chemical. "Yes, you say that now... but when Moynihan digs those sickle claws of hers into your skin, you will not be saying that anymore."

"How dare you!" Rodger snapped, offended that anyone would say that about Moynihan.

Max was starting to lose his patience with Michelle. She was slowly becoming a little more bolder and she had made claims about Moynihan that offended him as well as the others. Michelle was implying that, deep down, Moynihan was a lot like Victor simply because they were both Velociraptors. And he started to believe Buzz's statement that she was lying. Michelle could be saying it simply to scare them, trying to psyche them out to make them easier to target later on. "If I were you, Michelle, I would be careful about what I would say when I am outnumbered five to one..."

"But you aren't me, are you?" Michelle retorted, smirking lightly.

Max took a small step back and said, "Well I..."

Michelle cut him off abruptly. "See? You can't even come up with a response!" She completely ignored the fact that she had cut him off before he had a chance to respond. He probably did have something to say, but she did not want to hear it. She was getting tired of listening to these ungrateful teenagers, constantly accusing her of lying to them or showing suspicion when she told them something that actually made sense. It reminded her of the time when she had brought food for Caruso, who immediately accused her like this. Michelle turned her gaze towards Caruso, this time her eyes were narrowed. "You were behaving the same way when you were a prisoner..." Without really thinking, she took a step forward, directly towards Caruso.

Terrified by the way Michelle was looking at him and taking steps toward him, Caruso let out a small yelp of fear and took a few steps back. Reacting instinctively to Caruso's feelings of anxiety, the Dino Squad immediately took action. Fiona, Max, and Buzz immediately moved close to Caruso, forming a small, protective circle around him. Rodger, being the largest, immediately charged forward. He didn't use his claws to attack her. Instead, he used his sheer size to intimidate her as he came in fast and at close range. Michelle gasped in shock and immediately ran to one side, alongside the fence. She ran back several feet, stopped, and then turned to face the team.

They were all glaring at her, minus Caruso who was trying to hide himself among his friends. Michelle narrowed her eyes and slowly shook her head. Caruso didn't seem to change much after being brought back. He used to be so bold the first time that they had met. He would usually be challenging her by this point, unafraid to show her that he didn't trust her. Now he was hiding, trying to avoid eye contact from her. He was outright terrified of her, and she didn't even lift a finger. She couldn't begin to imagine his reaction if Victor Veloci were here. If Caruso was going to stand up to him, which she knew was going to happen eventually, he will have to show courage, not hide behind his friends like this.

Addressing Caruso but not eyeing him directly, Michelle said, "You're such a pathetic thing, you know that, right, Caruso?" She gave the team a sideways glance. "If you continue acting like this, you will never have the courage to challenge Victor. No matter how well you prepare, the encounter will still happen...and you will have to fight back." She closed her eyes then reopened them. "But if you continue to be like this, a pathetic weakling, you will always be pushed around."

Upon hearing this, Fiona's eyes shifted into their dino forms, the pupils slit and the irises glowing a gold color. "Don't you dare call him that!"

Michelle turned her head towards Fiona. "Call him what, if I may ask?"

"He is not a weakling!" Fiona shouted.

Michelle couldn't help but smile at Fiona's claim and glanced at Caruso for a few seconds, seeing the look of fear in his eyes. So far, Michelle had only seen Caruso as nothing but a weakling. He was so easy to put the tracker on and so easy to capture. He was no match for Victor Veloci and he had eventually given in. The only bit of strength he ever showed was his impressive tolerance of the bridle, able to endure it for far longer than she had before he finally gave into it, and even after that, he still held onto an ounce of hope that he would be rescued. But when it came to physical strength and courage, Caruso was now lacking both of these. He was scared of his own shadow! Michelle felt that she had every right to call him a weakling.

"Oh really? He's not?" Michelle pointed towards Caruso. "Then why is he hiding behind you guys? Why isn't he standing up to me..?" Before the others could react, she continued, "I'll tell you why. It's because ever since he went home with you people, ever since his little stay with Dr. Veloci, judging from what I am seeing here now, he's been nothing but a paranoid coward and a pathetic weakling! He used to be arrogant too, about fame, until Veloci wiped that ignorant smile off of his face!" She paused, noticing the cuts still noticeable on his face, and said, "..along with some flesh too, I see." Upon hearing this, Caruso gasped audibly and gingerly touched his face with a shaky hand. "Still going to try and seek fame, little boy?" Michelle said mockingly before she could stop herself.

Max clenched his fists tightly and started to shake visibly in anger. The others, minus Caruso, did likewise. Michelle was going too far that time. What gave her the right to insult Caruso like that? What gave her the right to judge anyone in such a harsh manner? What did she know, anyway? She was just a minion from Victor's company, Raptor Dyne. She had no idea what she was talking about! Max had tried being patient with her, but now it has run out. Michelle tried to act in the best manner possible, but she has angered him and his team too much. She'd never learn, it seems. Max knew that Michelle would have to leave now or there will be a huge fight. He could see the looks in his friends' eyes; they wanted to attack.

"That's it!" Max said. He bent forward and pulled one arm towards his chest in a threatening manner. "I've had it!" As he said that, with his other arm, he made a sweeping motion from his chest and outwards past his side, his palm flat and almost in the shape of a blade. He struggled to keep his eyes from glowing, but ending up failing. Michelle's eyes were also glowing and she and Max were baring their teeth at one another as the tension began to rise.

"You've had it, eh?" Michelle asked sarcastically.

"Get out of here!" Max shouted, pointing his finger at Michelle. "Get out of here now!"

Michelle smirked slightly, taking one step back but not running off just yet. "And why should I leave? This isn't your school, you know. It's not your football field. You don't have any right to tell me to go anywhere!" She put hands on her hips.

"Just leave, now! Before you regret it!" Max shouted angrily, pulling both his fists together and baring his teeth in an attempt to intimidate Michelle into turning tail and running away. But Michelle remained standing where she was, looking at him as if he were crazy.

"You better get out of here!" Rodger shouted, his eyes glowing more intensely.

"And don't you ever come near Caruso again! You understand me?!" Buzz shouted.

Michelle narrowed her eyes. "I did not harm the boy! I did not threaten him!"

"Just stay away from him!" Fiona yelled before Buzz could respond. "Or we'll do more than just scare you...!" As she said that, she and the others not only bared their sharp teeth at her, but they raised up their hands, showing their talons at Michelle. This was to show that they were being very serious about their warning.

Michelle's eyes widened and she took a few steps back, glancing at the team for a few minutes. She wondered if they would really live up to that warning she was just given. The Dino Squad were supposed to be the good guys, or at least that is what she had thought. Even if the Dino Squad would really want to hurt her, would Ms. Moynihan even permit them to do that? If they were right about the old woman, than she wouldn't permit them to attack her, even if she was their enemy. But then again, Moynihan was a raptor, so maybe she would allow them to do that...

She couldn't think of that right now! She brought herself back to attention. The team hadn't made a move towards her, but they were still in those hostile positions, their teeth and claws in plain sight, an attempt to scare her off. Michelle had gotten used to the sight of claws and teeth. That alone wasn't scaring her. What was making her feel uneasy was the fact that she was outnumbered five to one. If they were indeed being serious, she wouldn't stand much of a chance against them. They wouldn't even need to attack her. Their sheer size would be enough to force her into submission now that she has no help from a partner. It was times like these that she wish she still had Oscura as a partner, even though the girl did want her dead.

Michelle took a few steps back, her eyes still locked onto the team. She was about to turn around, but couldn't bring herself to do so. She thought that if she turned around, the Dino Squad would attack her from behind. But she shook off that fear. That didn't seem to be like the Dino Squad at all, or did it? They simply wanted her out of their sight. They hadn't threatened her life...yet anyway. Michelle glanced at Caruso one last time before she finally got herself to turn her back on the team and made her way towards the fence.

Hunching over in a posture more similar to that of a dinosaur, Michelle glowed and almost instantly warped into her Guanlong Wucaii form. In this from, getting over the fence would be a piece of cake. Before she climbed over the fence, Michelle looked over at the team, staring at them with her glaring, glowing dinosaur eyes. 'So long, Dino Squad. Until we meet again...' She easily leaped over the fence. 'And heed my warning... If you care about your precious friend..you will.' With that, she bolted off into the distance, leaving behind a very angry and shaken up Dino Squad behind in the football field.

* * *

Back at Raptor Dyne, Victor took notice of something flashing on his monitor. Curious, he strode over towards the computer screen. Narrowing his eyes, he pressed a few buttons, enlarging the screen until he could get a far better picture of what was going on. As soon as the picture was large enough, he could tell that it was the football field again. He noticed that there were six figures on the football field. Five of them were humans, obviously not the ones that triggered off his scanner. The sixth one, however, was a dinosaur. At first, Victor thought it was one of the so-called 'perfect dinosaurs', but he was quickly proven wrong when he took a closer look. The five figures were the Dino Squad, and the sixth was...Michelle in dino mode!

Victor watched as she stood there, on the other side of what was probably a fence, looking back at the students. He was expecting her to break through the fence at any minute, and he was expecting the Dino Squad to morph before Michelle got too close to them. He thought that he was going to witness a major battle on the football field, but what actually happened both disappointed and angered him at the same time. Instead of charging towards the students, Michelle actually turned around and ran away! Victor couldn't believe it. She had Caruso in her sights! She must have! But she made no move towards him! Victor uttered a guttural growl reminiscent of that of his Velociraptor form. He tried his best not to allow the anger to overwhelm him.

But it was very hard for him to control his anger when he saw one of his own workers deliberately disobey a order! And it wasn't just any worker; it was one of his dinosaur-transforming workers! A dinosaur would know better! Victor started to wonder if he did not 'train' Michelle enough. He wondered if he did not give her a severe enough punishment a couple weeks ago. Perhaps he should have been a little bit harder on her. Perhaps then she would have actually listened to him. He continued to watch the screen with narrowed, angry eyes. He zoomed out a little, hoping that perhaps Michelle was going to run around and attack the team from behind. But again he was disappointed when she continued to run off into the distance. It didn't take him long to realize that she was going to head back to Raptor Dyne. A long distance, but it was pretty easily manageable for Michelle's species. That and she could hitchhike whenever she had to be in human mode.

Eventually, Victor had another thought cross his mind and it allowed him to calm down. There was something that he did not consider when he first looked up at the monitor: time. It could be possible that the scanner had detected it late and perhaps Michelle was in dino mode for a longer period of time than he thought originally. The humans' scanners were not always so reliable. Something could always go wrong, such as a power failure or other obstruction. He also recalled what had happened the time when the scanner had led them to the wrong place. Back then, he thought it was a malfunction, which proved the unreliability of scanners. But now that he thought more about it, knowing the existence of the Dino Squad made him realize that maybe it wasn't a malfunction. It was probably the result of one of the pesky teenagers rerouting the signal somehow. Still, Victor didn't completely trust the humans' scanners. The raptor nose was far more reliable than any machine.

Victor returned his thoughts to the screen before him, displaying the scans of the football field and the immediate areas around it, including that school that the Dino Squad go to, and the place where Moynihan apparently now works. He wondered if Michelle was actually in dino mode all this time, and the scanner just caught it now. That would explain why he didn't get a notification until now. Perhaps Michelle did try to kill Caruso, but was eventually subdued and she was forced to flee. Victor smiled slightly at that thought. That did make him feel better and it would show that Michelle was a loyal employee after all. But to be sure, he would probably need to question Michelle as soon as she got back to Raptor Dyne. He wanted her to confirm his suspicions. If she truly was trying to kill Caruso but just failed, although he would still be upset with her, it would relieve any burden of having to kill her. He wouldn't want to get rid of such a valuable employee. But if he absolutely had to, he would go through with it. It was how the Velociraptors in the past would deal with traitors. It was the right way. It was the only way to deal with traitorous fools.

Victor decided to switch the monitors again. He wanted to see how the progress was going with the experimental chemical of his. After pressing a few keys on the large keyboard, he was able to bring up the screen with the two avatars once again. He was disappointed that there wasn't much progress. Only a small portion had filled up the last time he had checked. He was hoping it would move a little faster. But he would just need to be patient. He had waited thirty long years for this moment. He could stand to wait a little longer. Everything will fall into place in due time. The switch will soon be complete, and once it is, not only will he have a new ally, but the Dino Squad would soon be no more. He chuckled evilly at the thought of witnessing the downfall of those pesky humans once and for all.

Just then, Victor was interrupted from his thoughts when the door opened up without warning, and someone quickly stepped inside. Narrowing his eyes in anger, Victor turned over to see who it was. He didn't like to be disturbed and he was about to let this intruder be reintroduced to this rule, to never come in unless he was expecting them. Of course, he did let this slide once in a while, but he wasn't going to let it slide this time. But before he could get a word out, he realized who this intruder was. It was Kista. She walked into the room as if she was doing nothing wrong. She smirked at Victor, probably liking the look on his face as she came in unannounced. She looked up at the monitor, noting the two avatars, and smirked evilly.

"I see your plan is going on just fine." Kista said, sounding somewhat impressed with the scans, at the same time amused, though. The avatars simplified the process way too much. What was actually going on with the plan was more complicated than any pixelated graphics like that could show on the screen. "I wonder how long it will take before it is complete..."

Victor shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. He hadn't really thought of that too much, the exact time it would take anyway. He assumed that it would take a few weeks once he had gotten the chemical where he wanted it to go. But it was going on a little faster than he thought it would, which got him excited. The process had slowed down a little as of late, but was still going on steadily. He took a guess at how long it would take for the process to finish up. "I would guess, judging from the data I am receiving and comparing the changes, probably a couple more days. Perhaps this weekend."

"The weekend, huh?" Kista said, sounding slightly unimpressed. "That seems to be a bit of a...long time for such a small portion to change." She looked up at the avatars. Almost all of it had changed except for part of the necks and heads. For it to take around five or six days, if not longer, for the rest of it to fill up was difficult for her to believe. "That is just too slow, I'm sorry to say it."

Victor hissed at her, but kept his distance from her. He had no intentions on trying to fight her, and he did not want to hear another one of her unusual and bizarre vocabulary words. He understood his other men better half the time than he understood Kista. "Patience, Kista, patience. Those days will come and pass by faster than we might think..."

Kista smirked. "Of course. Patience is a virtue. Even the humans know that..."

Victor narrowed his eyes. "I know that!" He hissed. He then decided to change the subject. He had assigned her to get into the school. He had been informed that she got in. He was curious to know whether or not she had gotten any interesting information, something that could help him in the future with dealing with the pesky Dino Squad. "Anyway, at the school..did you find out anything unusual? Other than what you already told me?"

Kista's eyes suddenly glowed, the pupils sharpening up and her iris taking on a bright yellow glow. Parting her mouth in an evil grin, she exposed razor sharp teeth. "You could say that..yes..." She said, chuckling evilly in a voice that sounded a little more like a Tyrannosaur's voice than a human's voice...