Chapter 3 – Shake-a-bone
"Well fuck," Mycaelis grumbled. He drummed his claws on the glass tank he had been sealed inside, glaring at the man on the other side.
Seth was a young man, twenty-seven years of age, with shoulder length blue hair he wore in bangs. It matched the colour of his eyes. He had a fair complexion and a pleasant non-threatening face. His most distinguishing feature were the ochre birthmarks like triangles on his cheeks.
He had been described as one of the most brilliant scientists of his generation, with advanced qualifications in biology, bio-chemistry, veterinary medicine, genetics and quantum physics. Easily the smartest member of the Alpha Gang, besides the Doctor himself.
Mycaelis wondered whether humans would find him an attractive mate. His youthful good looks made him seem cute but there something…off about him. Seth was a quiet man, rarely speaking to the other members of the Alpha Gang or it's dinosaurs other than about their mission. Though always pleasant he had been described as cold.
"Please, do make yourself comfortable in there," he said. He was softly spoken and his voice free of any malice, yet still it gave Mycaelis a sense of foreboding. "I shouldn't need you for too long this evening. You'll be back with your friends and mate soon."
Mycaelis threw up his claws in mock celebration. "Yayy! And just what have you got planned for me this evening."
"Nothing too taxing, I assure you," Seth replied. "Just a small amount of genetic manipulation. If I am successful, then you should be able to use move from any dinosaur element."
"And if not?"
The traces of a smile crossed Seth's face. "I hadn't planned that far ahead."
Mycaelis sighed and rolled his eyes. "Great! Have I ever mentioned that you're a dick."
"Many times."
Mycaelis watched as Seth flicked a series of keys on a console in front of him and the interior of the glass tube started to fill with some type of green aura. The Velociraptor's eyes widened as it encased his body. It quickly rendered him unable to see, as his vison became a sea of green. Even raising a claw in front of his eyes and waving it achieved nothing.
The only sense he was left with was his hearing…Enough to hear the doors to the laboratory to open and Doctor Z's voice call out, "Ahh, Seth my boy!"
"Good evening, Doctor," Seth replied, turning his head briefly for a second to acknowledge Doctor Z's presence.
"Thought I'd just drop by before bed to see how things are going. Mycaelis cooperating I hope."
"He's no trouble," said Seth, not taking his eyes off the console and the readings flashing across the small monitor above it.
"Have you have a chance to assess the damage to the time machine?"
"I have. And I'm afraid that the battle with the Space Pirates did more damage than we had initially thought."
"Oh." Doctor Z's face fell. "How bad is it."
"The reactor core has been badly damaged," said Seth. "I'm surprised it didn't explode."
Doctor Z pursed his lips and coxed his head. This wasn't the news he'd wanted to hear right before bed. "Can you fix it?"
"I can reconstruct it from the spare parts we have onboard," replied Seth. "But I'm afraid we don't have enough alpha metal to coat the new reactor core, meaning the generator won't work."
Doctor Z's heart sank. No, this was most certainly not the news he wanted to hear. "Blast. Alpha metal won't be discovered for at least another million year. And without it, we're stuck here. Damn this ignorant time period."
"Don't worry Doctor," said Seth, his tone now slightly upbeat as though trying to reassure him. "We the equipment we have, I'm sure we should be able to mine some. I will deploy the scouting drones as soon as the main generator is back online. Or course, that still leaves us with the problem of the structural damage to the hull!"
"I thought we'd repaired that?" said Doctor Z.
"Mostly, but unless I can acquire more alpha metal, we won't be able to seal it properly, and the dinosaurs could be exposed to radiation from the time vortex. I also think it would be wise to reinforce it, to prevent further dinosaur escapes in the future?"
"We need to recover those cards," the doctor exclaimed angrily. "The longer we wait, the more risk falling into the hands of those little brats, or others like them!"
Seth nodded. "I see. Is that why you were so enraged at Mycaelis here, for pursing the pirate instead of the dinosaur."
"Mmmhmm." Doctor Z nodded.
"I understand your frustrations doctor, but I wouldn't let it bother you too much."
Seth's tone was so upbeat it surprised the doctor. He raised his eyebrows and asked, "How so?"
"The D-Team as they call themselves," said Seth. "Are comprised only of two teenagers and one adult. And I used that term lightly. Teenagers whose technical capabilities are limited by the technology of this era. Retrieving the dinosaur cards from them, when the time comes, shouldn't prove too much of a challenge! The space pirates on the other hand are from our time period and are thus a much more capable foe. Eliminating Gomza will prove to make our lives far easier, I am sure."
Doctor Z scowled and folded his arms. "But the pirates will take revenge, surely. They won't let this slide, and without the ability to operate the time machines."
Seth cut him off. "Oh, I wouldn't worry about that too much. The Transmooka device will prevent Zeta Point being detected. From both the pirates and the time agency. So long as we don't draw attention to ourselves!"
"Hmmm." Doctor Z raised his head slightly and looked at the tank, now completely green. "Maybe I was too hard on the poor boy! But still, his hot headedness, arrogance and licentiousness is insufferable."
Another brief smile flickered across Seth's face. "Well, you may have a point there!"
[Pokémon]
The next morning…Nearly 10,000 km away…
Max Taylor's eyes scrunched closed, and he groaned as the sunlight streamed in through the window. Morning already! This was certainly not how he had wanted to start the day at all. It felt like it was only five minutes ago since he had fallen into bed after returning from Australia. His muscles were stiff and sore from the chase, and he felt entirely unrested.
He longed for nothing more than to throw the blanket over his head and go back to sleep. But today was a school day and he couldn't risk being late for any more classes. He was already falling behind in math class and his science teacher had it in for him. At least he didn't have any projects or tests due today. He sat up, stretching his arms to ease the stiffness in his neck.
As he rose, the sheets fell away from him, revealing not only his bare body but also the small dinosaur sleeping beside him. He beamed, suddenly feeling a lot better.
"Morning Chomp…"
Chomp was a yellow triceratops, a thick-set quadrupled dinosaur who's most distinguishing feature were the three horns on his head. Two on top of his head and one on the end of his nose. Max and Chomp hadn't know each other for that long…Only since the meteor had brought the stones and his card to earth some months ago. And yet now Max couldn't imagine his life without the little dinosaur.
Just watching him sleep, his chest expanding and contracting gently, made his heart flutter. Placed a hand under Chomp's chin and stroked him, coxing him to wake up.
"Wah-wah!"
Chomp's eyes fluttered opened, and he raised himself up onto his feet, looking up at Max.
"Waahh!"
He gave a happy cry, before leaping at the boy, his feet making contact with his chest as his maw gripped Max's nose.
"Whao…Chomp," Max whined as pain flooded his face and chest. It was a good type of pain though. Biting Max on the nose was Chomp's way of showing affection. Indeed, that was where the name Chomp had come from in the first place. "Yeah, I love you too. C'mon, I've got to get ready for school…"
It didn't take Max long to get ready for school. He just pulled on his usual outfit consisting of a red jacket, orange pants, red boots and gloves and his signature cap with the triceratops horns. He didn't bother combing his hair. His school bag was still full from the day before. He suspected his teachers would not be impressed that he hadn't completed any homework, the events in Sydney having left him with no time to do so. Perhaps he would get a chance to answer some of it during the break.
Breakfast was similarly a quick affair, leaving him with just enough time to visit his dad in the laboratory before heading to school. His friend Rex was already waiting for him there, wearing his usual blue outfit and a scowl.
"There you are Max. Took you long enough."
"Hey, lay off me," Max replied sheepishly. "It was a long night remember.
Rex was of a similar age and built to Max. Except with blond hair cut short and neat, as opposed to Max's auburn messy style. Like Max, Rex had a dinosaur partner of his own, Ace the carnotaurus.
Carotaurus were theropod dinosaurs, built similarly to the T-rex, albeit smaller and far slenderer, and with far shorter arms. They were recognisable from the pair of horns above the eyes and the row of spines along their back. Ace was dark blue in colour with a yellow streak down either side of his body.
The moment the little theropod saw Chomp, the two started to play with each other, with Chomp chasing the other around the laboratory, darting under tables and behind chairs. This elicited a sharp warning from Rex. "Hey guys, be careful!"
"How's the Parasaurolophus?" Max asked.
The duck billed dinosaur, now shrunk to it's chibi form, was laying on a stretcher in the laboratory under a bright light. A set of computer monitors erected beside it, flashed vital signs across the screen.
"Still weak," answered Rex. "Whatever the Alpha Gang did to it, it's taking a long time to recover."
Max looked down at the little dinosaur, all helpless on the bed, it's breathing laboured. He clenched his fits and mumbled angrily, "man, I hate those Alpha Gang creeps."
"Good morning boys," a loud voice boomed, brining Max out of his reverence and tearing his eyes away from Parasaurolophus. He looked up at his father, who had just entered the room.
Max's father was Spike Taylor, a palaeontologist and the owner of the D-Laboratories. An independent research facility dedicated to the study of dinosaurs, and which conducted fossil excavations all across the world. It also hunted down dinosaur cards scattered around the world…But that was not publicly known.
"Hey dad," said Max, while Rex greeted him, "morning Mr. Taylor."
"Quite a night you boys had? What on earth happened?"
"Someone was controlling Parasaurolophus," Rex explained. "They were on the run from the Alpha Gang when we found them."
"Who was it? Any ideas?"
Max shrugged. "Nope. They were weird though. Almost as if they weren't human."
"Well, whoever they were, it looks like the Alpha Gang has enemies. You boys will need to be careful from now on," said Spike. "God help me if I ever have to tell your mother that something's happened to you."
"We will be," Rex replied. "Don't worry. Any word from Reese or Zoe."
Spike sighed and bowed his head. "Not since Reese handed in her notice a month ago. I'm starting to think they're not coming back. I don't suppose Zoe's said anything to either of you?"
Max and Rex shook their heads in near unison.
"Nah, we haven't heard from Zoe since she stopped coming to school," said Rex. "I would have thought she might have texted or something."
Max bit his lip. "Jeez I hope nothing bad has happened to them. You don't think it could have something to do with the Alpha Gang, do you?"
"I'm sure their fine," said Spike, though he didn't sound convinced. "Right before she said Reese mentioned she was having some problems with her dad. Still, I think I may have to advertise for a new assistant."
Reese was Spike Taylor's assistant and co-founder of the D-labs. Her younger sister Zoe was a childhood friend of Max and Rex…Although, in the last couple of years since Max and Rex had started high school the two of them had been drifting apart.
Still, it had come a shock when, about two months ago, Max's dad had found a note on his desk from Reese advising of her immediate resignation, and his and Rex's form teacher Michelle, had told them Zoe would not be returning to school.
Since that fateful day, nobody had heard from either of them… Only a few days later, Max had discovered the meteor crash site, the elemental stones and Chomp's dinosaur card in the national park just behind his house. And his life had changed…
"Really," said Max. He felt a slight twinge in his heart. Though deep down, he knew Zoe and Reese were probably never coming back, if his dad were to take on a new assistant, it would make it definite somehow.
Spike sighed and placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "I can't run the lab by myself. Not with all these dinosaurs appearing all over the world. I can barely run this equipment." He gestured to the large computer and giant screen that took up most of the space in the laboratory. "Let alone organise grants and expeditions and the like. We need someone full time Max."
Max sighed, long and forelorn, "I guess."
"Whoa is that the time," Spike suddenly exclaimed, staring down at his wrist. "You boys better get off to school. I'll take care of Parasaurolophus. Max, try and learn something today."
Spike wasn't actually wearing a watch, and there was still a good half an hour to go before they needed to get off to school. Max knew he was just trying to change the topic and put and end to the conversation.
Still, he didn't press it. He turned to the two dinosaurs still running around the laboratory and called out, "Chomp. Come on let's go."
He reached to his belt and pulled out a strange looking electronic device. Long and rectangular with a screen and a large red button decorated with little lightning bolts. He tapped it, and almost at once Chomp's entire body started to glow bright white, converting to a form of energy that flew across the room over to Max, where it materialised in his hand as a card. The image of a triceratops adored the front.
[Dinosaur]
Meanwhile, back on Zeta Point…
"Shake-a-bone, Shake-a-bone, Shake-a-bone Stu…Ride your own dinosaur, two-by-two…"
Doctor Z raised his hands above his head before dropping the small pile of fossilized dinosaur bones on the map. They landed in the south of England. Two claws pointing toward the city of London. His two grandchildren watched on curiously.
"See, no matter how many times I do it," the doctor practically cackled. "It still says London. See for yourselves, take a look. What did I tell you, bones don't lie…"
"Umm maybe you should try something more scientific," said Rod, his arms on his hips and a scowl on his face.
"Yeah grandpa, how come you're messing around with dinosaur bones," she asked, her tone almost scathing.
Rod sighed and rolled his eyes. "Come on Laura, let's leave grandpa along with his fortune telling." He turned to leave the room, keen to go and find Blue.
Laura lingered for a moment, watching his grandfather curiously. "Are you sure he's okay. Zander said something about losing a marble."
"I haven't lost marbles, just dinosaurs," Doctor Z retorted. "But that doesn't matter now that the bones can find them. Hehehe." He laughed, then pulled out a communicator from inside his coat. "Ursula. You Zander and Ed, get your worthless butts in here. I'm sending you to London!"
