Chapter 5 – Tyrant lizard clash
Canary Wharf, London, England…
Speckles knew he was cornered…
It was a classic pincher movement used by velociraptors all the time. Back the prey into a corner with raptors on all sides and no way to retreat backwards. Then one of the raptors would jumped onto its back and go for the neck while the other two attacked his legs. That way, they could bring down dinosaurs twice and even three times their size.
Add the tyrannosaurus rex to the picture and it did not make for a hopeful…
"Good to see ya, Spackles!" the raptor Mycaelis growled. "Remember us?"
"Mycaelis," Speckles roared in return. "You've got a lot of nerve showing your face to me again!"
Mycaelis chuckled, a grin spreading across his face. "Now…Is that really the way to greet an old friend."
"You aren't my friend," the tarbosaurus roared. His terrible cry echoed across the city of London. "After what you did! If it's the last thing I ever do, I will kill you!"
"Ugh."
Mycaelis rolled his eyes, and Blue and Terry each let out roars of their own, showing Speckles they wouldn't be intimidated.
"Look around you Speckles," said Mycaelis, waving his claw to the skyscrapers that made up the Canary Wharf complex. "This isn't our world anymore! Earth belongs to the humans now."
"What?" At Mycaelis beckon, Speckles looked around, taking in the sites of East London. His eyes widened, as though he had not really noticed his surrounds before. As far as the eye could see was a world of concrete and glass. In the distance, towers taller than any tree rose into the sky like the peaks of mountains.
Speckles looked back at the other theropods in shock and horror. "What-What is this place. How did I get here?"
"Merry old England Town," Mycaelis giggled, putting on a mock cockney accent.
"A calamity," said Blue, a little more gently than Mycaelis. "A great fireball from the sky. The land burned and the skies turned black. It destroyed our kind in five seconds flat. Only those who were brought to the ark have survived."
"Only those who ascended to being cards," added Terry.
"Everything's different now," said Mycaelis, his tone suddenly more forelorn that before. "We're the only dinosaurs left."
Speckles shook his head. "No. It can't be. How can that be?"
Max and Rex exchanged glances. To them the dinosaur conversation was just growls and grunts; utterly incomprehensible.
"What are they saying," Max wondered aloud.
"No idea but I bet it's not good," said Rex. "They're probably trying to convince tarbosaurus to join the Alpha Gang."
"There is a way though," Mycaelis continued. "A new dawn for our kind. If you come with us!"
"We're the only dinosaurs left," added Blue. "More than that the only theropods left. The only ones like us. We have to stick together if we are going to survive. It's time to let old feuds die and learn to trust each other!"
"Don't listen to them!"
The theropods all whipped around at the soft voice that interjected the conversation. It was Chomp. The triceratops standing in front of Max and Rex, gazing in concern at Speckles.
"Who are you," Speckles growled.
"They're lying to you," said Chomp desperately. "They're member of the Alpha Gang. They belong to this crazy doctor who wants to use dinosaurs to take over the world and rule it as the Dinosaur King! You can't trust them!"
Speckles looked back at Mycaelis. "Is that true!"
"That so called crazy doctor is our saviour," said Blue. "He brought the ark to us on the eve of our destruction and caused us to ascend to the form of the cards. Without him, we would have perished in the great fireball from the sky!"
"He has chosen us to live in his kingdom," Terry added. "There isn't another way!"
"Not true. You could come with the D-Team," Chomp yelled desperately. "We'll protect you!"
"That's quite enough from you Chomp!" shouted a suddenly enraged Mycaelis. "OLD LADY. The Card!"
From her position on the back of Levi, Usual shook he fists and bellowed back, "I AM NOT AN OLD LADY!" Nevertheless, she produced a card and swiped it across her Alpha scanner, crying out, "Velociraptors… Final Fury!"
Mycaelis and Blue charged at Chomp, their bodies transforming into red and blue energy streams respectively. They collided with Chomp, throwing the triceratops into the air.
"No Chomp," cried Max. He turned desperately to Rex. "I need some help here."
Rex gritted his teeth and looked down at his partner still cowering in his arms. "I'm sorry buddy. "But I need your help." He took out his own Dino-holder and swiped Ace's card across it. "DINO SLASH! Carnotaurus, blow them away!"
There was bright flash of blue light as Ace transformed to his full size, with an almighty roar. But immediately it became apparent that something was wrong. Ace's let out a how, looking in horror at the river as the waters lapped against the bank.
Rex bit his lip. "Oh no. Come on Ace. I need you to get over your fear of water if we're going to win here."
Meanwhile, Terry attacked Speckles. Raising his eyebrows for a moment, his jaws open in a wide grin, he let out a roar and threw himself at the smaller theropod, biting the tarbosaurus right in the neck. Speckles howled in pain, but fought back nonetheless, using his own powerful jaws to bite down on Terry's throat and slashing out at him with his short claws.
Chomp landed with a thump in the concert, as Mycaelis and Blue turned back to their corporal forms. They both stood there, grinning mockingly at the triceratops.
"Now," growled Chomp, pain, and exhaustion evident from his tone. "I won't let you do this."
As if reading his mind, Max took out another card and dramatically swiped it through his Dino-holder. "Electric Charge."
"Ursula," called out Mycaelis.
"Critical Block," shouted Ursula, swiping her own card in the Alpha scanner once again.
Chomp charged with electricity preparing to charge at Terry and Speckles. But Mycaelis and Blue leapt onto his, their feet landing on his face and preventing the triceratops from attacking.
Max gasped with horror. "No. They're blocking the move card."
"C'mon Ace, let's help Chomp out," Rex cried to his carnotaurus partner.
But Ace it seemed had had enough. He ran off, throwing himself through the glass of a nearby building in order to get out of the rain and away from the scary water of the river. At the same time, Terry and Speckles continued to brawl it out, each seemingly trying to rip chuck out of the other's neck and sides. A fury of jaws and teeth.
Though he and Terry seemingly evenly matched, Speckles had made a grave miscalculation. He failed to notice Terry's defensive movements, taking a step backwards every time Speckles attacked. Drawing him closer to the edge of the river bank.
"Now Levi," Ursula cried.
She regrated that a moment later as Levi dived back into the Thames, pulling her Zander and Ed down with him. A split second later…
SPLASH
The mosasaurs leapt from the river and onto the bank, hooking his jaws onto Speckles' neck. The tarbosaurus gave a cry of surprise but had no opportunity to react to protect himself as he was dragged back into the river by the larger Levi. As his great body disappeared below the surface, there was a bright flash of light as Speckles transformed back into a card.
"Ugh, I feel like I've been spun through a washing machine," Ursula grumbled as Levi resurfaced a second later, allowing the Alpha Trio to clamber off him and back to dry land.
"I just feel sick," added Ed.
Levi opened his giant maw wide and stuck out his tongue. Resting on the end of it was a small green dinosaur card, which had only a second or so ago been Speckles the tarbosaurus. Ursula reached out, pulled it off and placed it in the holder slot in her Alpha scanner. Their tasks now completed, Mycaelis, Blue and Terry turned back into beams of energy and arched back into Ursula and Zander's hand, also becoming cards once again.
All the D-Team could do was watch in horror…except for Rex, who had to go and pull Ace out of the lobby of a nearby building…
[Dinosaur]
Zeta Point…Several Hours Later…
"…Entering night phase," the computerized voice announced. "Your chosen track for transition. Ravel's Bolero."
The pleasant harmony of strings and wind instruments filled the island and the underground facility. A relaxing rendition from the London symphony orchestra and one of a million or so pieces of music kept in Zeta Point's databases. Of course, Doctor Z only listened to classical music.
It was a stormy evening on the pacific. Dark clouds had been slowly gathering all afternoon and were decidedly looking more and more black. It was likely going to rain overnight. Still, all around the island and its underground complex there was activity.
Alpha Droids, human shaped robots, were busy carrying out repairs, mopping floors, and tending to the watering and pruning plants in the jungle that comprised most of Zeta Point. The maid, Helga was gathering washing from the line before the storm hit. Spiny was relaxing in a small pond, catching fish to eat. Tank was resting nearby.
The bell to call the dinosaurs to dinner sounded, audible over the top of the sounds of Bolero, but not sufficient to drown our spoil the music. A large dinosaur sized trapdoor opened somewhere on the middle of the island to allow the great creatures to make their way inside.
It was Rod's job to count them on the way in, ticking each one off on a clipboard as they passed.
"Brachiosaurus, check…Diplodocus, check…Ankylosaurus, check…"
Seth was in the main control room, carrying out repairs on the time machine. "Hmmm…Looks like most of the circuitry in this unit will need replacing."
Finally, Doctor Z and his three human minions and two velociraptors and t-rex were in his laboratory. And for once, whether because of the music or the tarbosaurus card, the doctor was in a good mood.
"Whahahaha…Good job team," he practically cackled, as he removed the card from a large square purple machine. "He was a bit docile, so I modified his personality into a more aggressive one using the Alpha controller."
The card burst into light in his hand and formed into a small form version of the giant tarbosaurus.
"I don't know, he still looks pretty tame to me," commented Ed. At these words, Speckles proceeded to lunge at him, sinking in now thankful small teeth into his back side. The next few seconds were spent with the Alpha trio running up and down the lab to avoid being bitten by Speckles.
It finally came to an end when Mycaelis cleared his throat to get the other's attention. "So, Speckles, welcome to the team. I hope there are no hard feeling."
"Rahh!" Speckles stopped dead in his tracks, then turned and wandered over to Mycaelis.
"There aren't enough of us left to continue to bare a grudge. So, what do you say." He held out his claw.
Speckles didn't say anything, but begrudgingly reached out with his own…as far as he could…and shook the velociraptor's claw…
