The Dilophosaurus trio watched as the last of the machine's pieces disappeared beneath the mud. Two moved their tongues over empty spots in their jaws where teeth had once been, now shed after biting into metal.

While the team had been dealing with the massed arrival of portals on the other side of the park's islands, relatively few had opened here. Strangely, all of them had opened in exhibits that were either too large for the staff to monitor every portion at a given moment, or had secluded areas the staff simply couldn't watch. Stranger still was that the portals had always opened in these unobservable locations. Strangest of all, though, was how the creatures of the park had reacted to them. If it was creatures that came through the portal, they were mostly ignored, unless the arrivals proved violent.

Aggressive FARO plague based machines and HEPHAESTUS creations, however, were torn to shreds, in a bizarrely organized manner. Creatures that were normally at each other's throats worked together to destroy common foes. To name one of the oddest incidents, an Ankylosaurus had taken out the leg of a corruptor so that Matilda could stomp it flat. Pterosaurs and giant birds had similarly teamed up with the dragons to wipe out any aggressive fliers they encountered.

The most bizarre reactions, though, were the ones the creatures had to peaceful humans and machines. These ones, instead of being attacked, were essentially herded toward other areas - places that usually had natives patrolling them. This ensured that though the staff would be unlikely to find the new arrivals, the natives would.

None of the animals knew why they were doing this - they literally had no reason to perform this kind of charity. It was as if some higher power was directing their actions. But if that was the case, then what was doing so?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

AN: Soundtrack Start - Starbound OST: Crystal Battle 1

The sibling trio barely managed to avoid being stepped on as the Medjed charged into battle. The machine was...well, alien in appearance, yet somehow strangely familiar. Unlike all other FARO machines the inhabitants (permanent or otherwise) of the land outside of time had encountered, this one was bipedal, yet it quite obviously didn't look remotely like a dinosaur or human. The closest mech the teams had seen in fiction that it resembled were the Geckos from Metal Gear and the mechs used in Battlefield 2142. This thing, however, was in a class all its own.

"Die, you fleshy whelps."

Uncaring for the efforts to survive, Null fired off a set of disc launchers, trying to eliminate the team where they stood. Fortunately, they were just a little too fast for him, evading the attack at the last possible moment. Annoyed, Null took aim once more, only for Terence to charge him, tipping the machine over. The tyrannosaur moved in for the kill, only for an arrow to impact on his face. Confused, Terence turned to stare down a nearby Eclipse warrior.

The head was an obvious target for most hunters, but not the best for derived tyrannosaurs - their snouts were armored to help them survive snout wrestling (face biting). Thus, what the archer had intended to be a fatal blow merely broke on impact with the tyrant dinosaur's mouth. Terence promptly charge and devoured the man to prevent him from getting a second chance to attack...only to find more of the armored warriors readying to fight...

Back with the siblings, they were trying to tear into Null, who had unfortunately righted himself and was resuming his offensive. Sean, noticing the disc launcher, aimed and fired his tearblaster, successfully managing to sheer it off. Enraged, Null activated the machine's spindly arms...well, arm at the moment, and tore the tear blaster from the boy's grasp, before hurling it back at him.

"That's not how this fight goes."

The impact knocked the wind out of Sean and threw him to the ground. The machine failed to capitalize on this, though - Elise and Tristan fired off a barrage of explosives at him, forcing Null to evade and refocus his weapons.

Null stared at them, unamused. "You can't keep this up."

Elise glared right back at him. "Says you."

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Further down the hillside, Lucas, Alice, Vera, and Marcus were facing off against a group of watchers, using bolt guns obtained from the probe to take each machine out. Michelle, meanwhile, assist Layla in finishing off the rockbreaker.

As the machine fell offline, Michelle pulled out her radio. "Cassandra, Anne, how are you all holding up?"

XXXXXXXXX

"Anne speaking, we're fine."

If fine included 'watching a cave man riding a tyrannosaur tear into a ginat bat', then Cassandra had to agree with Anne. The children were helping direct the staff to assist in keeping the facility functional, which so far they were handling well. Of course, Cassandra knew they would eventually get tired or overstressed - she could already see them starting to let fear overcome them.

"Well, how are things going for our friends?"

Cassandra decided to speak up. "Tristan, Sean, and Elise are busy fighting off a giant machine Null possessed, while Terence has left them to fight a group of tribal warriors called Kestrels that were supporting the machine. Also, I am seeing a group of Chindesaurus and some sauropod heading toward them. That might help htem out."

"Keep us posted."

"I copy."

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The machine fell back, armor singed, reevaluating its attack pattern. Observing this made Elise smirk - it seemed that the Forgefire was indeed an effective weapon.

Null tried to counter by crying out, causing a group of glint hawks and a storm bird to charge toward them. Alas, it was not to be - Tristan and Sean had their own special weapons: Tristan had been given the Stormslinger, while Sean wielded the Icerail. The electrifying shots of the ice rail brought the glint hawks crashing down, while the Icerail's frigid onslaught managed to freeze the storm bird solid, causing it to shatter on impact with the ground.

Letting out the robotic equivalent of a sigh, Null readied to charge, only to instead sidestep to avoid a large boar-like creature charging him from behind. The creature almost ran over the trio, who were forced to split up to avoid it. Null took aim, only for a raptor with six bony spines on its tail to attack him, forcing the machine to waste precious time fighting it off.

"Guys, it's Cassandra, you copy?"

Tirstan was the first to pull out his radio. "Yes. Any news?"

"The probe machine is about to send you a care package."

Before any elaboration could be offered, a container suddenly materialized, containing three bows and a massive supply of arrows.

"Thought you might want something you had a ton of experience using to fight this thing."

Sean rolled his eyes. "Not like you need much to figure that out."

"Touché. Now kill this thing so that we can go back to rescuing prehistoric creatures."

Shrugging, the teens knocked arrows and started firing at the machine. Null turned to counter attack, only to find himself covered in small reptiles - the Chindesaurus pack had arrived. Descending into a frenzy, the pack began tearing at every exposed area, single-mindedly trying to end the machine. Sensing an opportunity, Sean waited until the pack had left one area, then let loose a freezing arrow, causing that part of the Medjed to freeze up, allowing a regular arrow to shatter it a moment later. This process repeated for some time, until much of the machine's armor had been broken off.

Null did not take kindly to this, though, and promptly grabbed a smaller version of the raptor that had attacked him earlier, which he then hurled at the trio. While Sean and Tristan took cover, Elise merely ducked before firing a volley of flaming arrows, further damaging the machine and causing it to stomp on the ground in anger.

As Tristan moved to help his sister, he noticed movement behind the machine: two very large shapes were headed this way. An idea forming in his mind, Tristan turned back to the machine and let loose a barrage of shock arrows, causing the machine to seize up.

Instead of continuing his assault, though, Tristan took the opportunity to make a demeaning gesture at Null. Said machine took aim, only to freeze up in shock when Terence grabbed onto Null's left leg and threw him away.

Null prepared to get up, only to see a huge form towering over him - a Maarapunisaurus....

Which had a foot right above his temporarily immobiized form.

"...Son of a..."

The foot came down, and Null was no more.

Tristan smirked. "Look's like he's done for. Now let's get back down the hill and help clean up.

Agreeing, the team headed down, followed by the various dinosaurs and other creatures.

Thus, none noticed as the Medjed opened up, revealing a new robot, which was already taking aim at the teens...before promptly getting an arrow through the processor, courtesy of a paranoid Tristan.

"Nice Try."

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AN: Read and Review! This is Flameal15k, signing off!