I apologize for posting this a day late. I was overworked during the week and didn't finish typing until today. I promise the next chapter will be on time.

Yaz was enthusiastic about today. She was finally going to present her final project to her college committee. She had been working hard on it since coming to Wyoming a year and two months ago.

As she poured herself a cup of coffee, she looked at the photo above the coffee maker. It was of her and Brooklynn at the immersion therapy center. Yaz pressed her hand over her heart.

That was the last time she had seen Brooklynn alive. If she had known it was their last time, she would have done her best to persuade her to stop investigating the dinosaur underworld. Trying to prove something to yourself shouldn't come at the loss of a life.

She turned to the fridge to take out the eggs for her breakfast and paused. There was another important photo on it. A photo of her and Sammy, at the weapon's range.

Sammy had been trying to prove to her that she was good at sports too. It had been a very interesting date. Yaz would never forget the look of satisfaction in Sammy's eyes when managed to hit all the targets with her crossbow.

Thinking about Sammy was hard right now. They hadn't kept in touch as much as they should. At least, according to Yaz's mother.

Yaz remembered the lecture her mom gave her the last time they talked. Yaz had complained Sammy was still treating her like glass. She was mad that Sammy couldn't see she was getting better.

"It is hard to see someone change if you keep them at arm's length. Communication is the most important part of a relationship. If you want Sammy to stop treating you like glass, then you need to make the effort to show and tell on your part, Yazmina."

Her mom was right of course Yaz thought as she fingered her pendent. Communication was how they survived on the island. How they kept their secret from the world.

At the pavilion, Yaz did her best to get the sensors to turn on when someone stepped inside. "Come on, why are you picking up any movement?" She checked the connection between the sensors and the power source.

"Hmm, signal strength is down. I got to fix that." She fiddled around with the control panel and was satisfied when the signal strength went up.

Her phone rang and she looked to see who it was. Sammy was calling her again. Maybe she should answer it this time.

"Hello, Sammy! How are you?"

Sammy said something, but Yaz couldn't hear her very well. It seemed Ben was beatboxing to the radio. She smiled picturing Sammy punching Ben to shut him up.

"Sorry about that, Feathers. Ben can be extremely annoying. Sorry, for calling you so much."

"Yeah, I should have answered earlier, but my final project is being presented today. I should have at least texted back," Yaz replied trying to laugh it off. "So, why have you been calling?"

"I wanted to let you know I'm coming to visit you. Ben too but only because he's the driver. I have something I want to share with you."

Yaz winced hearing this. What if Sammy asked her to move into her ranch? She wasn't sure she was ready for that.

"So, how long until you get here?" she asked warily.

"About an hour and a half. Can't wait to see you!"

"Yeah, same."

A short time later, Yaz was greeting her camp family. "Ben, you need to stop growing! Sammy, what's with the crossbow? Ready to show me up again?"

"It's for protection. We also bought some armor as well. It's dangerous to camp after all."

Yaz was confused by this. Why had her friends been camping when they could have stayed in a hotel? Eyeballing the armor, she realized it wasn't the kind you could purchase legally.

She stared at Sammy waiting for an explanation. Sammy looked at Ben for a few seconds. He nodded and the two briefed Yaz on what was going on.

Yaz was shocked to hear this. Especially the part about Brooklynn's death wasn't an accident. "I knew investigating the underworld would lead to trouble. I should have said something to her, but I didn't."

"Even if you did, it would be unlikely that Brooklynn would have listened. She always walked to the beat of her own Crest," Ben pointed out with the use of Brooklynn's nickname.

"So, you can see why we need to get going. I bought you a crossbow and some armor," Sammy told her girlfriend. She held out the miniature crossbow and gestured to the back of the van where the armor lay.

"Whoa, wait a minute, Sammy. This is a dinosaur free zone. We're safe here from dinosaur attacks."

Ben questioned how that was feasible. Surely, this place couldn't keep out every dinosaur, flying reptile, and marine reptile. Yaz was excited to show them.

Sammy held her ground and said she wouldn't look around unless Yaz put at least the bullet resistance vest on. Yaz scowled a bit. She didn't need it here but if it would put Sammy at ease, she would wear it.

Yaz began the tour, "After what happened at Big Rock, this place was created to help witnesses of the event have a place to work through their trauma. The residents here learn to cope with having dinosaurs walking around again."

"My college is one of the sponsors for the island. Students with majors in Psychology, Engineering, and Biology/Botany live here. We earn credits with our projects designed to make it easier for people to transition back into society."

As they were roaming, people said hello to Yaz. Others asked her about her final project. She would reply and then inquire about theirs.

The psychology majors of course were in charge of the therapy sessions. Engineering majors had helped create most of the island's defenses. She also told them about the collaborative work between the Botany and Biology majors to keep the dinosaurs out while creating ways to help modern wildlife thrive.

"Ever since the food chain was altered, more creatures are on the endangered species list than ever. They've talked about creating new self-contained ecosystems to give the wildlife a chance to recover."

Sammy huffed upon hearing that. "So, they want to create mini versions of Nublar all over the world? Because that worked so well last time."

Yaz shook her head. "It's not like that. Do you know how Isle Sonar was nicknamed the Lost World? The students want to create pockets of lost worlds to ensure we don't lose any more plants and animals to extinction."

Sammy said it was that kind of thinking that caused the first recreated dinosaur to be brought to life. "Living here is giving everyone a false sense of security. You can't run away from what's transpiring."

"No one's running away from the world. Come on, I want to show you two my final project. I need to make sure everything is working properly before I show it to the committee."

They went to the large pavilion and Yaz stepped inside. "Tada!" she said as she held her arms out like she was showcasing something.

"What are we supposed to be seeing?" Ben asked when nothing happened.

Yaz looked to her side and cursed. "Not again! I thought I fixed the sensor issue. Give me a few seconds."

Sammy and Ben weren't looking at the pavilion. Ben was trying to tell Sammy to give Yaz a break. Sammy said that's what she had been doing.

A monstrous roar filled the air and the two gasped. In front of them, was Rexy! They screamed and fell to the ground.

Sammy reached for her crossbow when Yaz stepped straight through Rexy. "Are you two, okay? I really should have warned you before turning it on."

"Turned on what?" Sammy demanded to know.

"My holographic immersion station. This station can be programmed to display different types of dinosaurs for people to overcome their trauma safely. It's perfect for people who suffer from PTSD like I did."

Sammy was getting upset. Could Yaz not understand the situation? "Yaz, the protection here is giving you a false sense of security. None of this will stop Atrociraptors from attacking us."

Yaz was scowling now. She was tired of hearing Sammy dismiss her thoughts. "Will you stop thinking you're the only thing that can protect me?! I've managed to do very well by myself this past year!"

Sammy lashed out saying that wasn't what she believed. She was trying to support her in the best way she knew how. That she didn't want to bring back her PTSD.

"See, right there! I'm not made of glass, Sammy! I won't break if you're not here! Why can't you see the progress I've made?"

"Hard to do that when you don't communicate with me. You barely answer my calls. Lately, you haven't sent me a text, or responded to an email, heck, you didn't even let me know if you got my postcard!"

"Don't blame me for your failure to communicate. I gave you as much space as you wanted to heal. I didn't even call you when my folks abandoned me because I wanted to support your recovery!"

Yaz looked taken aback. She was about to ask what Sammy meant when her girlfriend brushed past her and walked away. She dropped the miniature crossbow and box of bolts on the ground as she stepped out of the pavilion. Without looking back, Sammy started marching towards the exit of the island.

Yaz spared a look at Ben. "Did her family really abandon her?"

Ben took a deep breath and nodded. "You might want to sit down. It's going to take a while to give you all the details."

When Yaz got the full story, she felt bad about the things she said. "I didn't realize she was keeping so much bottled up."

"Sammy knows how to give to others, but doesn't know when she needs to take it," Ben admitted. "I know she was treating you like you're fragile and she shouldn't have. I think she was projecting how fragile she is onto you because it was easier to do than admit how she felt."

"Sigh, my mom was correct. I do need to communicate better."

Just then a loud dinosaur-like growl filled the air. There were no other immersion stations on the island. The sound system was off so what was making that sound?

Then emerging out of the forest area was a Becklespinax. People froze in disbelief as the dinosaur got closer. As soon as it stepped into the town everyone was panicking.

The townspeople ran in all directions. Some of them tossed items at the dinosaur hoping to scare it away. Since they thought they had been protected, there wasn't a task force set to deal with dinosaurs should they get through.

Yaz went into action, grabbing the crossbow, she loaded the twenty bolts with ease into the weapon. Next to her, Ben cobbled together a spear. The Becklespinax looked up from its feast and spotted the duo.

Bellowing, loudly, it went after them. When it was close enough, Yaz unloaded five bolts into it. The animal screeched as the bolts lodged them into its jaw.

The Becklespinax shook its head in an attempt to dislodge the bolts. Ben lined up a shot and launched the hunting spear. It pierced the animal's right leg. The creature was really angry now.

The two took off running, Yaz stopping long enough to activate the hologram. That bought them a precious minute to get to the van. Another civilian tried to jump into the van but was chopped in half mid-jump.

"Yaz, call Sammy!" Ben said as they took off.

Yaz called Sammy at the same time she was putting on her arm guard. "Come on, pick up."

Sammy was on the bridge looking at the water below. She was wondering how deep it went when she heard a roar. Dumbfounded, she looked back into the tunnel and saw Ben driving his van as fast as possible with the injured Becklespinax chasing it.

Without thinking, Sammy fired her cursive crossbow, wounding the other leg. The creature tripped giving Sammy time to take a running leap into the van. Yaz hugged her tight knowing she was safe.

"Floor it, Ben! We need to get out of here!" Yaz shouted.

They had nearly reached the end of the bridge when Ben slammed on the brakes. A second Becklespinax was coming through the opened gate. Yaz was astonished that the gate had been left open.

The trio was wondering what they should do when DPW arrived on the scene. They thought they could relax but they were wrong. The officers were shooting at them, not the dinosaurs!

"Why are they shooting at us?!" Ben yelled as he tried to turn the van around. Yaz was about to lower the window to shoot back at them when the first Becklespinax headbutted the van.

The trio screamed as the van was shoved against the railing. They couldn't get out of the van. With another shove, both the van and the dinosaur plummeted into the lake.

Back with Darius and Kenji, Mateo had dropped them off at a secret apartment that Brooklynn owned. Neither of them had known she had an apartment nor did they know she had paid a year's rent in advance.

After getting inside, the two young adults started searching the place. It was a decent apartment with a huge skylight. Kenji shivered in the cold air.

Darius went over to Brooklynn's work desk. He noticed some files that Brooklynn never put away. He picked up one and frowned.

It was a memo to one of the DPW regional district managers, Dudley Cabrera. Ronnie had introduced him once. He was the one who approved Darius's employment despite the department requiring someone to be over twenty-one.

The memo was about work hours for department members. The workers had a nine-hour workday, seven days a week. Everyone got one day off a month so that meant the total work hours for a month were 1890.

According to the memo, Mr. Cabera would be selecting the workers who needed to work overtime to earn more money. Brooklynn had highlighted that part of the memo.

The additional documents were also memos. However, these were addressed to Mr. Cabera, and not from him. Brooklynn had also highlighted paragraphs in them.

"Number of deceased dinosaurs increasing in regional areas under Cabera district? Requests for additional staff denied? Inspection of sanctuary area dated a month before Brooklynn died?"

Why in the world would Brooklynn have these? How were the highlighted texts related to one another? His hand brushed her laptop and it turned on.

The Dark Jurassic website was up. Noticing there was another tab, he clicked that one. It was a website to track DPW vehicles.

It wasn't the public website, however. The public one was used by drivers so they knew which routes to avoid. This one had the actual vehicle identification numbers and where each of them was going.

Checking back on the Dark Jurassic website, he saw a notification for Brooklynn had popped up. "Asset 9 is on the move. Estimated drop time tomorrow at midnight."

Something touched Darius's shoulder. He jumped and fell out of the chair to the floor. Kenji was hovering over him.

"I apologize. I wasn't trying to startle you."

"Say something next time," Darius grumbled. "What's in the bag?" he asked pointing to the duffel Kenji had at his side.

His adoptive brother pulled the zipper back and revealed millions of dollars stuffed inside. Darius's jaw dropped. "How much is in there?!"

"Half a million dollars. I found this note," Kenji said showing Darius the slip of paper that went with it. "I think Brooklynn was planning to use the money to buy a dinosaur for my dad. If he vouched for her, she would have been able to get closer to members of the underworld."

Darius couldn't believe it. He protested that Brooklynn would never do something that stupid. Besides, why would she work for the man who tried to kill her?

"I don't know Darius. Nothing about this makes sense anymore! Was Brooklynn really trying to get the inside scoop? She might have changed sides for all we know."

"I refuse to believe that our friend would betray us by working for your father."

"Well, my father has a way of twisting everything to suit his needs! I mean, he did have a way of twisting everything."

Kenji sniffled and turned away. He didn't want Darius to see him cry again. It had only been a few hours since his father died and part of him believed this was a nightmare.

After a few moments, Kenji regained his composure. "We should go to that drop off. It might lead us to whoever is hunting us."

Darius nodded and the two left the apartment. Finding Brooklynn's motorbike, the two headed to the nearest electronic store. They needed to purchase a phone to contact Sammy to update her team on what was going on with them.

While the duo investigated the apartment, the trio was trying to get out of Ben's van as it sunk. The Becklespinax was trying to claw its way to the surface. Both the dinosaur and the trio were struggling to get out of the water.

"We need to force the doors open!" Ben was saying as he smacked his body against the driver's door.

"I'm trying, but the water pressure is keeping it closed!" Yaz shouted back.

"The back doors won't open either!" Sammy squealed as she forced the door to back shut. "We need to force our way out."

That's when the van was hit again as the Becklespinax used it as a platform to swim up. The claws scraped the hood and pushed the van down further.

"Smash the windshield open, Ben!" Yaz shouted. He replied if he did that they would drown with the sudden influx of water.

"Not if…spat, choke, hold onto this!" Sammy said as she held out what appeared to be a massive float made of bullet resistant vests. "Trust me, this won't make us sink."

Ben smacked the windshield over and over, but it wouldn't break. Yaz fired a few bolts that caused it to crack but not break. They thought it was over for them.

That's when the Becklespinax foot crashed through the windshield. The animal had sunk back in the water and used the van to push up. The trio held onto the float as it carried them up to the surface.

They popped up near the shore that was hidden under the bridge supports. They coughed out the lake water and took deep breaths to fill their lungs. None of them wanted to repeat that experience.

"How did those heavy vests float?" Yaz asked curiously between coughs.

"The body armor I purchased for Bumpy is a version developed for sea-to-land missions. I figured the buoyancy would help her if we needed to escape the water."

Yaz laughed, saying it was nice to know it doubled as a float for them. She then turned her eyes back to the water. Small items were starting to surface. Mostly post-it notes, the dino shaped air freshener, and food cartons.

There was a roar and the trio gasped as they saw the Becklespinax trudging up the embankment towards the bridge. A wave of water splashed over them causing them to cough again. Something also struck Yaz's thigh.

Spitting the lake water out, Yaz was surprised to see a half-empty box of bolts next to her. The dinosaur must have accidentally brought it to the surface. "Alright, there are five bolts left. Three for me and two for Sammy."

"I knew it was a good thing to keep my crossbow with me. Adding these two, I have ten bolts left. What about you, girlfriend?"

"These three make thirteen for me. Ben, you have one spear left?" Yaz asked. Ben nodded and also pulled out a soggy sling from his coat pocket.

They had lost most of their body armor. All three still had their bullet resistance vests. Ben still had his thigh armor, Sammy had managed to keep her neck armor, and Yaz only had the wrist guard she had put on during their escape.

Both the girls' phones were unsalvageable so they left them on the rocks. Taking what little they had, the group clambered up the embankment as well. They took it slow, not wanting to trip over anything.

They got to the top and peered over the side of the bridge. The two DPW officers were forcing the Becklespinax into the back of the trailer. They were having a little trouble since they had tranquilized the animal slightly.

"First, they set those things loose to kill us, and now they're taking the Becklespinaxs with them? Why not leave them loose like they did with the Allosaurus?" Sammy whispered.

"Who knows, but I bet we can find out who's hunting us if we hitchhike on the trailer," Ben replied softly.

"Agreed. They think we're dead so this is our best chance to learn the truth. We should ride in the section with the sleeping Becklespinax," Yaz informed them.

"Yeah, I don't want a repeat of what happened at the Menagerie to happen on the road trip," Sammy added as the trio got onto the trailer.

They all grabbed their pendants as they recalled what they saw when they stumbled onto Dr. Wu's Menagerie.

After carefully getting off Main Street, the campers went back home to review the original blueprints. Kenji's memory was great but they needed the map of the park to overlay the prints on.

Bumpy carefully laid the map out on the table while each of the campers took a different set of blueprints to look at. Kenji would then tell them where exactly on the map they were.

"Alright, these blueprints are for the raptor pens. So, they go there," Kenji said as they marked the map.

"Oh, I found the blueprints for the Hidden Adventure, you all! You wouldn't believe how many rides they were going to construct for the place," Sammy squealed as they labeled the map.

Brooklynn asked where the quarantine pens were supposed to go. Kenji pointed to an area halfway between Main Street and the genetics lab.

"I remember only visiting there once. It's when they kept the new dinosaur species for a short time to make sure they didn't have any diseases that could spread to the others."

Kenji peered closer at the blueprints and then pointed to something on the blueprints.

"There should only be eight quarantine pens. This ninth one is further back and much bigger than the others are."

Ben estimated this pen area covered at least three acres of land. "The other eight only cover a single acre. You can bet we can find answers there."

"Not to mention find out what other dinosaurs that Dr. Wu stashed away for experimentation," Yaz quipped.

If they left now, they could reach the Menagerie with enough time to walk back while it was still daylight. Grabbing a few snacks to eat on the way, the camp family set out.

The walk to the quarantine pens was arduous. They managed to evade the predators for the most part. A couple of Compys would try to bite them but Kenji and Ben managed to scare them off.

About an hour later they reached the pens. They reminded the group of an animal shelter except on steroids. Each pen was big enough to hold one dinosaur.

Darius eyed the buildings cautiously. "Bumpy?"

Bumby lifted her head. "Yes, Darius?"

"Can you hear or sense anything in the pens in the area?"

The preteen tilted her head and listened. She didn't hear anything with her ears. She then got on all fours and pounded her tail on the ground a few times.

The others were puzzled by what she was doing. How was smacking her tail supposed to let them know if anyone was around?

"I don't sense any vibe…vibrations in the area," she said as she stood back up.

Now understanding her behavior, the group moved forward. They still kept an eye out for trouble in case Bumpy missed something. Darius especially because his traits let him feel vibrations as well.

It took another fifteen minutes to reach the Menagerie. The road leading there had been hidden behind a movable boulder. When they saw it everyone's jaws dropped.

The main building was three stories and made from ICF panels. The top floor appeared to be made of tinted glass. The jungle had yet to reclaim the sparkling parking lot.

What had actually made their jaws drop wasn't the building. No, just beyond the building as a large oval shaped domed structure. Inside the structure, you could make out three types of fences.

The first fence was barbed wire, the second being made of concrete and steel beams, and the last one was electrical. A single pathway could be seen running down the middle of the structure.

"Where do we start? The building or the Menagerie itself?" Sammy asked.

"We need to split up," Darius announced to the group. "Brooklynn, Ben, Bumpy, and Kenji should check out the building. Yaz and Sammy will join me to check out the Menagerie itself. Stay close to one another."

The group agreed to meet in one hour to talk about what they had discovered. Darius, Yaz, and Sammy took deep breaths and entered through the gate to the large Menagerie.

Upon entering the Menagerie, the first quarantine pen seemed to stretch for half a mile. They looked for a sign or a label to tell them what was in the pen. That's when something smashed itself against the fence.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" they screamed at the sight of a large brownish-pinkish therapod, which had a crest shaped like Elvis Pressley's hair, pounding on the secondary fence.

It roared and darted back into the jungle trees. Yaz widened her eyes and saw its shadow moving in the trees. It stood there for about five minutes, then left.

"Darius, what was that?" Sammy whispered.

Darius could hardly speak with his heart beating rapidly. "That was a Cryolophosaurus. A therapod…from the Jurassic Era, found in Antarctica."

"Judging by its size, I think that was a juvenile. According to the fossils, it should be bigger."

"Let's hope there isn't an adult around here," Yaz hissed as they got to their feet. A moan from the pen on the opposite side drew their attention.

A goldish colored scaly dinosaur was sunbathing. Its claws were similar to Darius's. The creature had a few unique features.

It had a steep face, a raised knob on the upper jaw, and a larger knob on its cheekbone. It opened its beak mouth to moan again. The beak had teeth inside it.

Sammy found a small sign hanging between the barbed wire fence. "It says this dinosaur is known as Zephryosaurus."

"No way! No one has ever found a complete skeleton of a Zephryosaurus! Why would they keep this a secret?"

Yaz shushed him. She reminded them they were on a mission. To find out more about the dinosaurs here and how they connected to the gas.

Properly chastised, Darius promised to remain focused. They continued to follow the path, wondering what other species they would run into.

Inside the building, the group was shocked that the lights were working. If power was out across the island, how did this building still have power? It turned out that the entire complex and the pens were solar powered.

That explained why the dinosaurs in the pens hadn't escaped until recently. There had been enough sunlight to still run everything. But with the recent storm, the power levels had dropped, which is when some of the creatures made their escape.

"Where do we start looking for information?" Kenji asked out loud.

"Dr. Wu had to have an office or a lab somewhere in this building. We each take a floor and if we find something, call the others," Ben suggested.

"Bumpy and I will search this floor. Kenji, you take the second, and Brooklynn the third." Without waiting for confirmation, Ben took Bumpy's hand and tugged her down the right corridor.

Brooklynn and Kenji started climbing the stairs to the next two floors. When Brooklynn made it to the third floor, she was taken aback by what she discovered. The tinted windows weren't windows, they were video screens!

"Whoa, this is amazing," she said to herself as she walked over to the first screen. There was a small control panel in front labeled Pen C. Activating it, the screen instantly showed her footage from one camera in the pen.

In the video, she could see the juvenile Cryolophosaurus using his tail to brush fallen leaves off the ground. He was also using his head to push some fallen trees away.

Tapping the screen, a side menu appeared. A double click brought up all current data on the dinosaur, which it identified as a male juvenile. There was also a symbol next to the dinosaur's name.

It looked like a drop of blood inside a no-symbol. Scrolling for a legend, she learned what the symbol stood for. It was the status of how much blood had been used in experimentation.

"They didn't take any blood from this dinosaur. I wonder why?" Brooklynn mused. She moved to the next screen and activated it.

The first image showed her a hole in the barbed fence. Zooming in on the dirt, she saw the Deinonychus tracks. It confirmed that the Menagerie was the place these unlisted dinosaurs were coming from.

She walked to a few other stations and looked over the screens. That's when she noticed that C-M were all predators and N-Z were herbivores. Confused to as why there were no cameras for A or B, she checked again.

In the center of the hallway was a desk for a security guard. The computer monitor was linked to all the cameras. She typed in a search for cameras regarding section A.

Camera A was linked to the cameras inside the building. She quickly rotated through them to check on her friends. She was relieved when she saw that they were okay.

Searching for cameras regarding section B only showed a single camera activated. It was aimed at a door marked morgue. Suddenly, the letter B made sense.

She went back to Camera A to see if she could locate where in the building the morgue was. "Come on, where are you? Please, don't be in another hidden building."

Then she found it. It was on the back left corner of the first floor. She whooped in delight. After checking the screens once more to make sure the group inside the Menagerie was doing okay, she hastened to find her friends.

Kenji had just finished checking another conference room when Brooklynn ran up. "Hey, Crest, find anything useful?"

Brooklynn lifted a single eyebrow. "What did you call me?"

"Crest because you have a head crest. Figured we needed new nicknames to match our new forms. I'm Frill by the way," Kenji replied in a cocky tone.

"You know, since it's a thrill to know me. Darius is Dig Boy because he likes digging up new facts on dinosaurs. Yaz is Feathers, obviously."

"Ben and Sammy are Iggy and Maia. I'm still working on a name for Bumpy. Something more human so she can really feel part of the group."

Brooklynn said Bumpy would love that. The two made it down to the first floor calling for Ben and Bumpy. Both appeared from the left corridor.

Bumpy was wagging her tail again. "We found something that might be useful. The bad man left a note on his desk."

Ben explained they found Dr. Wu's office, but it looked mostly unused. There hadn't been much inside aside from a simple desk and chair. The note on the desk said something about conducting a necropsy in the morgue.

"We found the door but we can't open it. Not that I'm eager to get inside either. You know how I feel about dead things."

Brooklynn and Kenji recalled his reaction to finding the dead workers. Hopefully, he could hold it together. They needed to check that room for answers.

Using the master keycard, it was easy to enter the area. The morgue consisted of a long corridor with three rooms. In the three rooms, the back and left walls had floor-to-ceiling refrigerated units.

The right side of each room was the exam area with large tables to perform the necropsy. There were cabinets and smaller freezers filled with chemicals as well. The front wall was the desk area to type out reports.

The quartet started to shiver vigorously. It seemed they kept the entire morgue cold and not just the freezer units. They shuffled inside the first room since it was the closest.

The campers looked at one another trying to figure out if they should try the computer first, or, open a refrigerator.

The choice was made for them when Bumpy's tail hit one of the units and the door popped open. She stumbled backward as the tray slid out. Ben rushed in front of her to block her sight.

On the tray lay a leg from a Juravenator. Attached to a claw was a toe tag. Brooklynn flipped it over and read the facts. "This dinosaur's DNA was used in two experiments."

Kenji carefully sat down at the computer and turned it on. A screen filled with a list of files associated with each dinosaur popped up. "How do you spell that thing again?"

Typing carefully, Kenji found the file and opened it. "Okay, according to this, the Juravenator experiments included using it to try to create a hybrid using its DNA combined with a Unaysaurus. The experiment was deemed a failure when three sets of eggs didn't hatch."

"According to the file, they were necropsy and found that the unborn hatchlings all had bone issues. So, it wasn't considered anymore for the hybrid project. The second experiment was for, hey it's our experiment!"

That got the others' attention. They tripped over each other as they made it over to the computer. A few clicks brought up a video log of Dr. Wu.

"Today, I began the attempt to lace the hybrid gas with DNA from a young Juravenator. This predator is small but fierce. I believe that it will be the perfect animal for the first human trial."

"Human trial? What do those words mean?" Bumpy asked. Her mind knew what the words meant separately. However, she wasn't aware of what words meant if they were two-part words.

"Human trials means that humans are being tested to see how they react to a drug," Ben explained. "Where did he get the test subjects?"

Kenji clicked the next video. Dr. Wu had a smile on his face as the video played. "I have successfully laced the DNA into the gas. Initial tests show that gas remains stable for several hours outside a canister. To ensure longevity, I have started putting the gas into specially designed canisters to store until use."

In the next video, Dr. Wu looked extremely excited. "We tested the gas the first time on our volunteer subject yesterday. Using a small amount of hybrid gas, we were successfully able to change the right leg of the subject."

"The process took longer than I expected. Instead of a few hours, it took nearly half a day to finish the metamorphoses. During those hours, the subject felt extremely anxious and tried to claw the walls of the room."

"At one point, the subject entered into a coma-like state. It appears to be the body's response to allow the changes without the subject being aware of the tremendous changes happening. We will continue to watch the subject to see if there are any unexpected effects."

The next few videos were about the progress of the test subject. There was even footage of the subject, a twenty-year-old dock worker, using his new leg. However, by the time they reached the eighth video, something was going wrong.

"The health of the Juravenator hybrid is rapidly declining. Even an additional dose of the stabilizer formula has failed to reverse the health crises. The dinosaur limb is becoming gangrene. If we can't figure out what is wrong, we might have to amputate the limb."

Video number nine was a record of the amputation failing to stop the infection from spreading throughout the human body. Within 48 hours of amputation, the subject was dead.

The campers felt their hearts beating rapidly as they played the last video. They hoped it would tell them why the limb started to rot.

"After performing a full autopsy on our subject and comparing the results to the necropsy of the dinosaur limb, I have figured out what happened. The body rejected the limb the same way it would reject an organ if it wasn't compatible with a person's blood type."

"I will attempt to fix this issue and begin another round of testing. This time, I will use different DNA and a larger amount of gas and stabilizer to see if this fixes the problem."

The video ended and the campers were numb. The first subject died. Did that mean they were already dying?

"We need to check all the refrigerated units. It's the only way to find out what other dinosaurs were used," Brooklynn whispered.

After going through all the units in the room, it was discovered that a total of five other dinosaurs had been used. Besides the Juravenator, there had been Eotyrannus, Gasosaurus, and Indosuchus. The remaining two had been a Khaan and a Marshosaurus.

According to the video logs, each test subject lasted longer, but they still ended up dying from rejection. They watched the last video in the Marshosaurus as Dr. Wu spoke about the project.

"The hybrid experiments have been failing and my client is demanding a progress report soon. He is not a person to make an enemy of. I have yet to figure out why the predator DNA is constantly rejected."

"I've decided to move on to using omnivores for DNA samples. It's possible the DNA failed because humans are omnivores which could cause a metabolic issue. I will begin with using the newly created Nomingia DNA, and go from there."

None of the units in the room had parts with that dinosaur name. They moved into the next room. Besides the Nomingia, there was an Ornithomimus, Rinchenia, and Fruitadens. Lastly was Yaz's donor and another species named Thecodontosaurus.

In Dr. Wu's videos, he explained how he had extracted DNA samples from newborns to lace his gas with. The stress of getting enough DNA samples to work with killed the newborns. All but the Stenonychosaurus who continued to thrive in the Menagerie.

The videos showed that the new DNA stayed stabilized longer. It wasn't as easily rejected. Yet, at the end of this round of these experiments, all the test subjects died after a few months.

Except for the Stenonychosaurus subject. He took his own life after being unable to cope without his friends. Dr. Wu looked shaken by the fact the test subject committed suicide.

"I am extremely hesitant to continue with this experiment. I understand sacrifices have to be made for scientific progress but I am still uneasy with how many people have passed. My client has ordered me to try one more time to perfect the gas to create weaponized soldiers."

"To figure out what I am doing wrong, I've decided to use herbivore DNA for the test subjects along with the Stenonychosaurus. I believe that samples from these animals will put less stress on the human body. I also am doing this because I'm hoping that no one will take their life. After all, they are worried about eating people."

The group went to the last room in the morgue. They pulled out samples from their dino donors. Aside from showing signs of initial decay, the specimens were perfectly preserved.

Ben looked at the samples from his donor. They were the front legs of the animal and a patch of skin. Strangely, the scales weren't blue.

Brooklynn also found her donor's crest and skin, but they were an olive-brown color. Kenji's donor's colors were greenish/gray and black. What was causing the strange colors?

Bumpy was pondering where her human donor had come from. From what she had seen on the videos, the humans who allowed the mean doctor to change them all had dark brown or black hair with dark colored eyes.

Why did she have, what had Ben called it? Oh, blond hair and purple eyes? Perhaps the video files would give an answer.

Kenji opened the file on his donor and pressed play. On screen, Dr. Wu appeared to be cautiously optimistic.

"Today, I have harvested the DNA from the Stryacosaurus. The animal is in good health and has shown no signs of stress from the procedure. If the animal continues to show good health, I believe I can present it to Masrani for exhibition."

"To ensure there is no rejection this time, I have decided to use it first on the chimps we have here. If they can remain stable for at least three months, then I will move on to human test subjects."

A few videos later, Dr Wu was smiling. "It has been three months since I have altered the chimps' DNA from the six donors. All six chimps have remained stable and have shown no sign of rejection."

"This is a vital step forward in the project. My sponsors were pleased with the progress on the project, except for my contact in Ingen. He declared he didn't pay for a soldier to have wimpy herbivore characteristics."

Dr. Wu massaged his eyes and complained about Hoskins being too dumb to understand that herbivores had great defense abilities. "All he cares about is making every soldier a natural born killer. It did no good to point out that humans already have the instincts for that."

"I've started on producing a reversal agent to avoid what happened with the last batch of test subjects. I have also added more genetic diversity in the booster because using DNA from the Costa Ricans has not been strong enough for test subjects not from there. Should both chemical agents work, then I will start synthesizing the gas for use on humans."

There were only two more videos to view. The campers and Bumpy held their breaths. They hoped the next video would tell them more about the reversal agent.

This time, Dr. Wu had a guarded expression on his face. "It has been two months since my last entry. I am concerned about the results. Of the six chimps we used, only three were cured by the reversal agent. The other three didn't and were subsequently put down."

He clasped his hands together and seemed to be contemplating his next words. "I have mixed feelings about the results. A fifty-fifty chance of returning to normal is a huge gamble when it comes to human life. Hoskins and my sponsor are pushing for the human trials to start."

"Aside from the reversal agent, I have also re-analyzed the human booster. The compounds in the mixture have shown increased effectiveness and have decreased the amount of time needed to assist with the DNA coding."

Dr. Wu then explained he had run the data into a computer to see the estimates on how well this attempt would work. He even ran the data for multiple uses of transforming and reversing.

"The computer models show fifty percent of the human subjects can be transformed and return to normal. The computer model also hints that a human could use this method up to six times. I can only hope that results match the computer models."

"I've decided to use my private lab in the Visitors Center to make the gas and booster this time. The components I need are more readily obtainable there. I also need to make more appearances because Masrani is getting suspicious of my many unexplained absences."

"Once, I'm finished at the lab, I will take the products to the secondary genetics lab to create specific reversal agents for each of the gases. Once that's done, I shall return here to test the gas out. This will be my final attempt on this experiment."

They played the last video. Dr. Wu was speaking about how one of the interns had misplaced the experimental gas and booster. He had fired them on the spot.

"I have informed my sponsors that it is impossible to proceed with the experiment without the compounds. Therefore, as of now, Project Hybrid Soldier is over. I've been asked to use the knowledge I've gained to create hybrid dinosaurs for military use."

"I am up to the challenge. I'm confident I can create a hybrid that will satisfy all my sponsors. Depending on which sponsors give me the best opportunities, they will be the ones receiving my final creation."

A concerned look appeared on Dr. Wu's face as if he was recalling something. He appeared to be looking around to make sure he was alone. He then whispered.

"Since I don't know where the gas ended up, I have decided to keep my notes and the chemicals I needed in the secondary genetics lab. Should someone be exposed, I will be able to cure them quickly without too much difficulty. I cannot allow any human to suffer the fate of the volunteers."

The computer screen went blank leaving the quartet in shock. They now knew they could undo what had been done to them. Nonetheless, it came with an incredible risk.

"A fifty percent chance of returning to normal. What if none of us are on the winning side of that gamble?" Kenji whispered.

"We won't know if we don't try. I'm sure the others will agree," Brooklyn replied.

Bumpy tugged on her dress. She was wondering what her odds were because she was a dinosaur, not a human. Would a cure turn her into a complete human?

Being able to fit into buildings and communicating with her herd properly were big advantages. She would be able to leave the island and stay with her "daddy". She might even be able to learn more about humans.

There were also disadvantages of becoming human. Her ability to defend herself would be gone. She liked being bigger than her herdmates.

If she wasn't around to protect her human family, they might all die on the island. Being a dinosaur meant she would not have to worry about human sensibilities. Lastly, she loved her home and she had others of her kind to be friends with.

Ben, noticed Bumpy's uneasiness. He squeezed her hand letting her know he was there for her. "Whatever happens Bumper Car, we'll stand by you all the way."

The quartet exited the building and met up with the trio in front of the building. Sammy and Darius were panting hard. Darius had dirt under his new claws.

At the same time, Sammy's belly appeared to be sagging. In the hour they had been apart, it appeared that her weight increased. Yaz was cleaning her feathers.

"What happened to you three?" Kenji asked. He looked back at the Menagerie. "Should we be running away or hiding right now?"

Darius shook his head and explained what they had discovered. Most of the dinosaurs were still in their pens. A lot of the signs about the animals had been knocked down in the storm.

"I dug up a lot of them. Sammy and Yaz helped reattach them. It was hard work and Sammy ended up eating a few granola bars she packed."

Yaz added that sometimes the dinosaurs had rushed the pen's fences trying to break free. She has been using her feathers to shield Sammy from harm.

Yaz reported besides the Tarbosaurus and Deinonychus, three other carnivores had escaped. Thankfully, they were on the small side.

The Euroraptor would only reach to their shins and liked small lizards to eat. The Microraptor was about an inch or two bigger but they like bugs. Pelecanimimus came up to a person's hip but mostly ate fish.

"A few herbivores have also succeeded in escaping. Those Qantassauruses we saw the day we disposed of the meat came from here," Sammy added.

If they hadn't been worried about the predators coming in for the meat, they might have discovered this place sooner. They could have prepared for the Deinonychus and Tarbosaurus.

Bumpy's Rhabdom has also escaped. That made Bumpy hopeful she would run into the flute tooth. The last herbivores that escaped was a small group of Xiaosaurus.

Knowing what other dinosaurs might pop up would come in handy in improving their defenses around camp. With Darius's wisdom, they could also plan safer expeditions when they went out.

The group started on the way back to camp. Upon hearing what the quartet had discovered, the trio was hopeful they could make the cure. They tried not to think about the fifty percent chance it wouldn't work.

In their hopeful state, they didn't realize a new predator had broken free and headed into the jungle. Unlike the Tarbosaurus, this predator didn't want to make a nest. No, it wanted to take over someone's territory.