The Amphitheater was boiling hot that morning. Amy and Natalie's research lab was based on the top floor and often received the most heat from the sun during the daylight hours. "Is it always this hot? I thought we had air conditioning up here!" Natalie said as she moved a lab cart over near the sink. "Well, Tim did say the new power system would have some minor glitches here and there for the first few months." Replied Amy. "You call this minor! Good grief! It's hotter in here than it is outside! Doesn't he know that the hot weather has a very negative affect on our research projects?" Natalie complained. "Hey, just calm down, alright? I'm sure it'll be fixed soon." Amy said.
The two then heard a familiar voice coming from the doorway. "I couldn't help overhearing your discussion. You guys don't need to worry, I placed some of the smaller, portable AC units in the rooms last night." Just then, Stew, Natalie's husband, entered the room. "Thanks for that. Hopefully that'll keep the animals satisfied till the full system gets fixed." Amy replied. "So, how are you guys doing with your experiments?" Stew asked. "Really well, actually. We've discovered that young dinosaurs can be raised in what you might call 'foster groups'." Amy said. "How'd you do that?" Stew asked curiously. "Well, we had 2 groups of dinosaurs together and one of the sub-adult pairs was killed. We then tried to see what other groups would do to the babies and a few groups surprisingly raised the young as their own rather than just eating them or leaving them for dead." Natalie replied. "Also," Amy chimed in, "We've also successfully made a growth booster so that the animals reach full size sooner, but their normal life span is unaffected." But before anyone else could say another word, an announcement came over the loudspeakers. "Amy Holt, Natalie Holt, and Stew Cortez, please report to Mr. Murphy's office." "Gosh, I wonder why Mr. Murphy would want to see US of all people." Said Natalie curiously. "Never mind. Let's just get down there before we actually end up in serious trouble," Stew interrupted.
The three began to make their way down into the lower sections of the Amphitheater to meet Tim down in his office. The lower floors were long, dark and cold. But when they arrived at the office it was surprisingly warm & bright. Natalie was about to make a snide comment, but Amy quickly noticed & elbowed Natalie in the chest to cut her off before she could say anything. Tim welcomed them in and began to explain his proposal. "I bet you're wondering why you were called here, no?" Tim asked. "It certainly came as a surprise," Stew said. "Well, there's nothing to worry about. You see, the board and I are both very pleased with the research progress that you three have been making recently. Now, working with the Board, I've managed to successfully acquire another island off of the Costa Rican Government for you all to further your personal research into the animals' behavior." Tim then began to explain where they would be based once they arrived on the island if they decided to go. "We've found an area that should meet your needs. It's a large valley here in the center of the island and it's fairly cut off from the outer rim, plus once you release your specimens, the more carnivorous species should not even be able to reach your location, so it should be perfectly safe." "What about herbivores?" Natalie asked. "Well, you can do what you want with them, but we recommend putting some of the herbivores on the outer rim of the island for your predators and then placing the rest in the valley so that you'll have a way to study certain specimens without even having to leave your base of operations." Tim replied. "If you accept, I can have your work supplies and transport ready to go by Monday."
When he was done, Tim asked if the three would be willing to accept. The three decided to report back later. That night, the three discussed the offer with their families.
"Okay, you three, what's going on? We know you're up to something," said Bob, Natalie & Amy's father. The three then proceeded to tell the two families about Tim's offer. "Well, while this sounds like a very special opportunity, we have one concern," said Stew's mother. "Will we ever get to see you, or will you basically be leaving us forever?" She asked hesitantly. "Don't worry, mom, I'm sure the board would let us have visitors." Stew said reassuringly. "Well, if you three are sure you want to do this, then you've got our approval." Bob said. The three discussed the matter further with each other and eventually decided to accept the offer. They then called up Tim. "Excellent news!" Said Tim. "Just meet me at the waterfront with any belongings you want to bring along and we'll set off on Monday!"
Everyone then began to prepare for the trip, unaware of just what they were about to get themselves into.