A few hours later, most of the chaos had been sorted out. The various new arrivals to the land outside of time had been settled in, while those in the city mostly gotten back to normal. Miraculously, no lives had been lost among the natives, though many had been injured, some grievously. Medical supplies were still being handed out, but so far, it looked like everyone was on the road to recovery.

There were still a few things to attend to, though - in particular, the team had been called up for a conference with the Commander (also known as Phil). Though they weren't exactly sure what it was he wanted, they had a few ideas. Hopefully, everything could be managed peacefully.

XXXXXXXXX

"Can I presume that you want to leave some token force here to, ahem, protect against the strange machines we faced?" asked Sean.

"Correct. However, I am also interested in studying the temporal anomalies and seeing how they work. Perhaps I could find a usage for them, assuming they can be synthesized."

Elise smirked. "You want to try and master time with them?"

"I'd rather use Achron for that."

"Oh."

"That being said, I also want to examine how the natives to this land interact with one another, though I am open to just asking them for some information. Studying the land itself is also of interest to me. Compensation will be provided, and my discoveries will be shared."

"Well, I guess that can be arranged...as long as those who already live here are fine with that."

Mancho and Hukua merely nodded - their leaders had expected that the stranger would want some way to observe this new world. So long as he stayed out of their affairs, the Commander was free to study their lands.

"I presume this means our business here is finished?" inquired Tristan.

The one known as Phil merely nodded.

"Well, thank you...hey, just to ask, what's your name as a Commander?"

'Phil' stared at Tristan for a moment, before typing something on the keyboard in front of him. A moment later, a new world appeared: 'Flameal15k'.

"Calling me Flame is also permitted."

"I see. Well, have fun studying this place."

"I will...oh, and if you need me to, I'll help fix any world-shaking events that pop up outside this land."

"Nice. Does anyone have anything else to say?"

Instantly, Michelle shot up. "Yes, actually - I have a gift for you." Without bothering to wait for a response, Michelle pulled a blood-red crystal out of her bag and placed it on a sort of teleporter in front of hte group. A moment later, the Commander was holding the crystal, a variety of instruments assisting him in analyzing it.

"Interesting. Where did you get this from?"

"My mom. As for where she said she got it...51 degrees 23' 21'' N by 30 degrees 05'58''E."

The Commander's eyes widened in shock, after which he hastily placed the crystal inside of a box. "I...can't believe you'd offer me a gift like this."

"You helped save our lives, might as well offer a token of appreciation."

"I'm honored...but unfortunately, I have nothing I could offer you in return-"

Without warning, a much larger, yellow and purple crystal appeared in the room, causing hte team to jump back in shock.

"That should be sufficient," replied a new voice.

"Who said that?" asked Cassandra, utterly shocked.

Tristan sighed. "My Random Omnipotent Being," he answered, head in hand.

"Oh. Nice to know. And thanks for the gift."

"You're welcome. And farewell."

A moment later, the screen turned off, ending the conversation.

Tristan let out a sigh, as did everyone else in the room. Only now were they feeling the exhaustion from all the things they had been through.

"I don't think we'll be ready to go on another mission for a few days."

Elsie nodded at her brother's statement...just before noticing some odd movement outside the lab. "Where are Terence, Layla, and Finn going?"

XXXXXXXX

A quick trek revealed exactly where the predators were heading - toward the cavemen that had arrived during the last visit...who had also been joined by Spear and Fang.

All of whom were now staring at a group of ceratopsians, sauropods, and hadrosaurs. According to the natives, these wild dinosaurs were Styracosaurus, Puertasaurus, and Shantungosaurus. Though they occasionally had to contend with predators, most of the creatures that preyed upon them were now glutting themselves on creatures slaughtered during the portal storm, as some called it. The river they were grazing by had been mostly untounched by the insanity - only one portal had opened, unleashing Tenno contracted to the Commander. They had been harassed by crocodiles, only for the creatures to grow more docile after the warriors had retreated into the portal and returned to plant threshcones, jade leaves, and dragon lilies along the river banks. No one knew why, exactly, that was the case.

Now, though, the herds were once more under the threat of predation.

Terence had already singled out a target - a hadrosaur with a club foot. The men of Hernique's tribe, meanwhile, were aiming form a female hadrosaur that had wandered too far from the rest of the herd. As for Layla, Spear, and Fang, they were zeroing in on two ceratopsians that had overexerted themselves in a duel for food. Finn, meanwhile, had his attention focused on an elderly sauropod, who had also isolated himself from the rest of his kind.

AN: Soundtrack Start: Walking With Beasts OST - Walking With Beasts

Slowly, the hunters neared ever closer to their prey, careful to avoid being seen. Terence found himself joined by North and South, who had wandered over here during the crisis. They too wanted to dine on fresh meat, and were willing to working together with Terence to bring down an animal they could never defeat on their own.

The predators soon found themselves within striking distance, all ready to attack. The observing humans couldn't believe this - they were about to see a dinosaur hunt in action.

Only one question remained, though - who would strike first?

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Next Time, Nigel returns to Prehistoric Scotland alongside another a fellow expert...

(Shot of Nigel wading through Carboniferous swamps with an grey haired fisherman)

...to tackle one of the most ferocious fish to have ever lived...

(a giant fish suddenly bursts out of the water, attempting to attack the duo)

...and facing some surprises along the way...

(A different scene on land shows Nigel and his compatriot facing off against a Hibbertopterus)

...while back at the park, the younger recruits handle all of the new arrivals...

(Shot of the team trying to interact with a group of white-furred ape people)

..All Next Time on Prehistoric Park: The River Monster!

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One hour later

As Anne looked over the giant crystal offered to the group, a buzzing noise filled the air. Sighing, the woman took out her cell phone and checked the caller ID. A look of shock briefly graced her face, before she answered it.

"Tis is Anne. How may I help you, Mr. Marven?"

"Just calling to check on the kids."

"They're doing fine, sir. They've had a wonderful time with the natives."

"I see. Excellent. I trust that they've located all of the escapees and the...survivors from the last incident."

"They have. They handled things surprisingly well."

"Splendid. Also...did you have any...incidents while they were there?"

"..Just two, one involving a tyrannosaur that was quickly taken under control."

"I see."

"...You know you'll need to tell them the truth eventually."

"When the right time comes."

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"When the right time comes," spoke Nigel, looking at the glowing form of a contained anomaly.

XXXXXXXXX

Concurrent to the above scene

'So, this is the land outside of time,' thought Silvana.

It was...strange, to have her conscious here. This was a land connected to the old Earth, untouched by the ravages of pollution. Here, animals long extinct lived side by side with humans, some being prey, others beasts of burden, and others still being cherished pets. IT was...nice, she decided.

"Enjoying this now, aren't you."

Of course, having company helped.

"So, this land is your domain?" questioned the former Archimedian.

"Incorrect - this land is me. All creatures great and small that live here, alongside the flora, are under my influence, but this land is my body. And I will protect it with all I can."

"Hence why you used them to destroy any malevolent invaders, be they things like the FARO plague, or those strange female humanoids that reek of sexual fluids."

"Any corruption unleashed on purpose must be purged."

"Perhaps...perhaps...what will you do now?"

"I will watch and I will wait."

"Very well. Have a nice day."

"The same for you."

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

AN: Gonna leave most of my thoughts in the reviews, but I realized as I was writing the last parts of this chapter that it made absolutely no sense that Tiberius would be able to keep the land outside of time a secret form Nigel for so long, hence the epilogue scene.

Anyway, Read and Review! This is Flameal15k, signing off!