Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter eleven of "Running From Here." This chapter shows more dinosaurs. Things begin to get a little interesting here. I won't say what it is. You will have to find out. Stay tuned for chapter twelve.
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Chapter 11: Force Field/Wild Encounter/Waiting
Zedd sat in his chair with his elbow propping up his head in the Lunar Palace's throne room. Squatt and Baboo were immersed in a game of jacks on the stairs. Baboo picked up the ball and bounced it. He grabbed six of the twelve jacks. He caught it with a very delighted laugh. Squatt tilted his head before giving an approved nod.
"Talk about being very impressive, Baboo," Squatt whispered.
"I am always impressive," Baboo replied smugly.
"I would not get smug if I were you. You grabbed only six jacks," Squatt warned in a stern voice.
"I do not give a shit. It's better than grabbing none at all," Baboo retorted and crossed his arms. "Come to think of it. Isn't it your turn next? I bet you will not grab more than I did."
"I think I will," Squatt said and held out his hand. "Yes, yes, yes."
Baboo handed Squatt the ball before laying the jacks on the floor. Squatt took slow yet even breaths. He bounced the ball. He managed to grab nine jacks and catch it before it hit the floor. He emitted a delighted laugh. He opened his hand to show them to Baboo.
"You should try to beat that, Baboo," Squatt commented while sitting up tall and proud.
"You just got lucky, Squatt," Baboo growled annoying as his best friend laid the jacks on the floor.
"You're just jealous because I got more jacks than you did," Scorpina said, putting the ball and jacks on the floor.
Baboo pointed his finger at him. "It is only one of a few times you have grabbed more jacks than I have."
"At least I have always grabbed more jacks than Goldar and Lord Zedd have," Squatt said with a smirk.
"We both have," Baboo agreed.
Zedd glared at the duo. "I heard that, nimrods! Your big mouths will get you into some big trouble someday. Wait a minute. They already did when you were with Rita. I'd keep them shut if I were you."
Squatt and Baboo covered their faces with their hands. Zedd stood up and headed for the stairs. He went up them while letting out a soft growl. He approached the balcony railing. He gripped it tightly as he stared at Earth. He tilted his head a bit.
"I need to see if the Power Rangers are on Isla Nublar now," Zedd said while moving his head from side to side to stretch his neck. "I have waited long enough."
Zedd glanced westward and beamed his visor. He could see Tommy, Kim, Jason, Trini, Billy, and Zack wandering through the rainforest. The Rangers looked around as a Pteranodon flew overhead. Its squawks echoed on the wind while flapping its wings to gain altitude.
"I hope we reach the survivors soon. I want to get back home," Kim said irritatingly.
"Patience. We will get there, Kim," Tommy assured in a soft yet firm voice.
"Who knows how long that will take?" Zack asked with a roll of his eyes.
Billy looked up at the sky. "This rainforest is huge. It could be hours before we find them."
"At least the ground is soft in case we fall down," Jason pointed out.
Trini nodded in agreement. "Yes, it is. That is unless we land on tree roots."
Zedd switched off his visor. He turned toward Squatt and Baboo, an evil laugh coming from him. He curled his hand into a fist.
"The Rangers are on Isla Nublar right now!" Zedd yelled in great joy.
"Wonderful!" Squatt blurted out.
"You need to enact the force field right now!" Baboo added while holding up his hand.
"That is exactly what I intend to do," Zedd said, turning his attention to Earth. "I am so ready."
Zedd moved his staff forward and shot lightning from it. The lightning went to Isla Nublar and surrounded it. It formed a huge dome that became invisible quickly. He planted his staff into the floor. A malicious cackle came out of his mouth.
"The Power Rangers won't know what has happened until they try to get off the island or contact Zordon!" Zedd shouted.
"I cannot wait to see their reactions to both!" Baboo yelled cheerfully.
"Me neither!" Squatt added and clapped twice. He and the others broke into evil laughter.
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A Pteranodon soared above the rainforest canopy on Isla Nublar twenty minutes later. It spotted the edge in which it led into a large field that happened to be surrounded by trees. It headed downward with a soft caw. It landed on a branch near the top of a tree. It lifted its head high and opened its mouth as it folded its wings close to its body. It squawked in a loud way. It closed its mouth before shaking its head. It scanned its surroundings carefully.
The Pteranodon blinked three times. It heard footsteps and quiet chatter. It turned to see Tommy, Kim, Jason, Trini, Billy, and Zack moving through the undergrowth. The Power Rangers were now heading northwest according to Billy's device pointing that way. They saw the edge of the rainforest coming into view. Tommy balled his hand into a fist while taking deep breaths as Kim touched her throat.
"Wow. I never thought this rainforest would lead into a field," Tommy said and cleared his throat.
"We will probably see some prehistoric species here," Kim said while putting her hand at her side.
"Like herbivores," Trini whispered hopefully.
"Do not count the carnivores out, Trini," Jason warned sternly. "They may be hiding somewhere in which they are hunting for food."
"I hear you, Jase," Zack said, his breathing turning into shudders. He opened and closed his hands to flex his fingers. "We must remember the herbivores can be dangerous if they feel threatened."
"That is so true," Billy agreed.
The Rangers reached the edge and went a bit into the field before coming to a halt. They looked around at a slow yet steady pace. They spotted dinosaurs such as Sytracosaurus and Monoclonius grazing in herds of four each not far apart. The first Sytracosaurus and second Monoclonius lifted their heads. They emitted loud bellows. They resumed grazing.
Tommy, Kim, Jason, Trini, Billy, and Zack settled their eyes on an Apatosaurus making its way toward a tree not far from the herds. It stopped before the tree and opened its mouth to grab a large leaf-filled branch. It pulled the branch off. It gobbled its meal down. It proceeded to get a slightly smaller leaf-filled branch. Kim sighed in much warmth, as did Trini.
"This is such a sight to behold," Kim said, her voice showing much amazement.
"You are so right, Kim," Trini agreed.
Billy gestured toward each of the species. "You can see how the Monoclonius, the Sytracosaurus, and the Apatosaurus have their own niche. The ceratopsians feed on ground plants. The sauropod prefers to feed on trees."
"Sauropods can spot danger and alert the other herbivores. They cannot move quickly, but they can defend themselves by standing on their hindquarters and lash out with their feet. They can use their tails as weapons as well," Zack added.
"Apatosaurus was once called Brontosaurus. Brontosaurus has been rendered obsolete," Jason commented truthfully.
Tommy touched his temple. "Not all scientists agree with that assessment."
"Science is always evolving, Tommy. One theory often replaces another," Billy replied in much seriousness.
"Wouldn't it be crazy if an unusually aggressive herbivore decided to target us?" Zack asked.
Kim shook her head. "Zack, you have a wild imagination."
Tommy, Kim, Jason, Trini, Billy, and Zack tilted their heads as they listened to the second Monoclonius and third Sytracosaurus rumbling, though it was barely audible. They heard loud snorting. They spun around to see a Triceratops digging her front hoof through the soil. She emitted an aggressive bellow while narrowing her eyes at them.
The Triceratops swung her tail from side to side. She happened to be green all over her body. Yellow stripes went up and down her back. Her left horn was slightly longer than the right horn was. Her nose horn had a tiny chip on the tip of it. Her left forelimb contained a scar starting from the base of the hoof and stopping just under her shoulder. Zack looked toward Kim.
"You were saying, Kim?" Zack asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Okay. Forget I said that," Kim responded while rolling her eyes.
Trini touched the top of her head. "That Triceratops seems to be ready to charge."
"I agree," Jason said, nodding slowly.
"Me too," Kim said, her body shaking."
Tommy placed his hand on Saba. "Rangers, prepare to draw your weapons in case it does charge."
"Wait a minute, Tommy," Billy said, holding up his hand. "Remember what Zordon said about our Power Coins?"
"He said they contained the spirits of the animals they represented and would enable us to communicate with them telepathically to gain their trust," Tommy explained.
"Are you going to—" Zack started.
Billy nodded. "Yes, I will try to talk to this Triceratops."
"Be careful, Billy," Tommy warned in a stern voice. "You do not know what it will do."
Billy gave his leader a thumbs-up. He pressed the buttons the same number of times to turn off his device. He tucked it in his belt. He turned to the Triceratops and made his way toward her slowly. He touched his Power Coin in which it glowed brightly. The brightness dimmed a bit rather quickly. He held his hand out as he came closer to her.
"Do not come any closer! I mean it!" the Triceratops demanded fiercely as she dug her hoof through the soil.
"Calm down. We mean you no harm," Billy whispered.
"How do I know that?" the Triceratops asked. "You look like someone who would hunt me down for sport. Some of the Jurassic Park operators joked about that."
"My friends and I would never do such a thing. We are the Power Rangers," Billy answered gently. "We are superheroes who protect people and animals."
"Power Rangers?" the Triceratops said incredulously. "That is a weird name for superheroes."
"It is," Billy agreed and stopped before her. "What is your name? Mine is Billy."
"My name is Mia. John Hammond gave that to me when I was a baby," the Triceratops said.
"That is a beautiful name," Billy complimented.
Mia lifted her head and relaxed her posture somewhat. She blinked twice, but she kept her eye on Billy.
"Listen to me, Mia. John, Lex, Tim, Alan, Ellie, and Ian were captured by Goldar, Scorpina, and a monster named Tigton," Billy said.
"John is here?" Mia whispered in shock.
"Yes. These people are agents of Lord Zedd, who has been trying to conquer Earth. We are trying to find the Jurassic Park survivors because they were brought here to be held prisoner," Billy explained.
She exhaled. "Lord Zedd's minions sound vicious."
He sighed heavily. "They are. We could use a little extra protection from you. We may have powerful weapons, but you could help by alerting us that predators are in the area while we are on our way to find our friends."
Mia emitted a soft snort. Though she was still uncertain about the Rangers, she knew Billy was right. She would be able to alert them of carnivores if she accompanied them on their quest. She ached to see John again as she recalled how caring he was to her and her fellow Triceratops, especially Michelle, who died from her unknown illness after Jurassic Park was abandoned. She lowered her head a bit.
"I will come with you on your quest," Mia said.
"Thank you," Billy replied gratefully and touched her nasal horn.
Mia nudged the Blue Ranger gently after releasing the tension from her body. He petted her in between her eyes. He looked at his teammates and waved his hand toward himself.
"Come on, guys. It's okay," Billy assured.
Tommy, Kim, Jason, Trini, and Zack came to their friend's side. They watched him pat Mia in the same spot.
"Nice work, Billy," Tommy complimented.
"We need to get going," Billy said, taking out his device. He pressed the buttons. The arrow pointed west. He motioned in that direction. "We need to be heading that way."
Tommy exhaled. "All right. Let's go."
Tommy, Kim, Jason, Trini, and Billy began heading west. Mia followed them close behind. She swung her tail from side to side.
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John, Ian, Alan, Ellie, Lex, and Tim observed Goldar and Scorpina playing paper-rock-and-scissors as Tigton stood nearby watching a Pteranodon fly overhead. The Putties were not far from him. Goldar and Scorpina moved their fists up and down three times. He kept his as it was while she turned hers into scissors. He laughed in happiness. Tigton went over to his comrades.
"Rock breaks scissors," Goldar said and bumped his fist on her hand gently.
"You got lucky this time," Scorpina said while crossing her arms. "I still won five times in a row."
"Maybe you have, but at least I won this time," Goldar said, standing tall and proud.
"I wouldn't get so smug if I were you," Scorpina warned and pointed her finger at him. "It will bite you on the ass when you least expect it."
"Ha!" Goldar said with a shake of his head. "I am not afraid."
"You should be afraid. I am the queen of mean," Scorpina said with much pride.
"What you are the queen of is being a badass warrior," Goldar pointed out warmly.
"That is true," Scorpina agreed.
"Of course, I am still the better warrior," Goldar commented while rubbing his hands together.
"No, you are not," Scorpina responded firmly. "Anyway, let's play another round."
"It will be my pleasure," Goldar said eagerly. "Oh, yes."
Goldar and Scorpina formed their hands into fists. They moved them up and down four times. He turned his into scissors while she laid hers flat in midair. He chuckled in much delight.
"Scissors cut paper," Goldar announced and acted as if he were cutting her fingers. He placed his hand at his side. "I win again."
"I am very impressed with you, Goldar," Scorpina said with a smile.
He chuckled. "I am glad you are impressed with me."
She squeaked. "I am glad that you are glad."
Chuckling caught the duo's attention. They looked at John and Ian, whom stared at them in much defiance.
"You two are so weird to be playing a human game like paper-rock-scissors," John said.
"I was thinking you'd be practicing sword fighting with each other," Ian added.
Goldar huffed. "Just because we are eager to conquer Earth does not mean we can't enjoy games you humans play."
"That's right. We love playing checkers, chess, jacks, and other games," Scorpina said, her voice showing much pride.
"Didn't your mother tell you it was wrong to show so much pride?" Lex snapped irritatingly.
"Why you little—" Scorpina started and was about to go toward her when Tigton laid his hand on her shoulder.
"Careful, Scorpina. You do not want to go Homer Simpson on Lex," Tigton warned in a firm voice.
"Tigton is right. We need all of these people alive to ambush the Power Rangers," Goldar added.
Tigton nodded in agreement. "Yes."
Scorpina held up her hands in surrender. She knew when she should not argue with her comrades. At the same time, she wished the prisoners would keep their mouths shut. She placed them at her sides as they sighed in relief.
"Good girl, Scorpina," Goldar commented in much warmth.
"Yeah. Good girl," Ellie muttered sarcastically.
"The Power Rangers will be here and get us off this godforsaken island," Alan growled in determination.
"You won't get away with this at all," Tim added and flared his nostrils.
"Yawn," Scorpina whispered. "We don't want to hear it."
Goldar, Scorpina, and Tigton walked off while singing nonsense. A Putty walked up to Lex. It reached out its hand and was about to touch her head when she caught it in the corner of her eye.
"Don't even think about it," Lex warned and glanced at the Putty. She smirked when it pulled its hand away. "Good."
"Nice job of warning that Putty, Lex," Alan complimented.
"Thanks, Dr. Grant," Lex responded with a soft sigh.
"If only we could actually kick the butts of these Putties right now," Tim said irritatingly. "I hate staring at them."
Ian let out a small chuckle. "You're not the only one who feels that way, Tim."
"I hope the Power Rangers get here soon. Sunset will be here before we know it," Ellie muttered in some fear.
"Some carnivores will be out hunting for food," John whispered and swallowed hard.
"Like the Velociraptors and Utahraptors," Lex commented with a nervous laugh.
John exhaled. "Exactly. Let's keep hoping for our safe return home."
The others nodded in agreement. They listened to the Pteranodon squawking until it faded into nothing.