She had brought Dr. Seeker back to his car before midnight, so that he could pick up his nephew from his neighbor's. He would have spent the whole night with her if she'd let him, but today was the day. They didn't need to cause a scandal showing up to work together while the press was there. Dr. Marsh looked around at the long line of people touring the old wing, looking at the different exhibits. The place was just shy of being packed. The doors to the Institute hadn't been open very long that morning, and she barely slept the night before. The first Time Rover Tour had already begun. The head of the World Paleontological Society, Vladimur Borontsky, was in attendance for the ribbon cutting ceremony, and Dr. Marsh had given her introduction to the tours with great success. It had been recorded for future use, at least until a new one would be needed. She was content for the time being.

"Hello. I'm Dr. Marsh, Director of the Dino Institute, and I hope you enjoyed those quaint exhibits in the Old Wing. That's how dinosaurs have been presented to the public since the study of fossils began, over 150 years ago," played a video of Dr. Marsh in the auditorium to the second group of people to sign up for the tours that morning. Dr. Seeker's nephew and his friend Marissa were standing, watching the introduction, and waiting patiently for their tour group to begin. They were excited that Dr. Seeker agreed to let them go to work with him with the promise that Marissa's mom, Mrs. Ridian, would pick them up later that afternoon.

"Today, that barebones approach is about to become extinct. In a perfect blending of science and technology, the Dino Institute has created the Time Rover—an amazing vehicle that will literally transport you to the age of the dinosaurs. How? That's proprietary; but the result is a breathtaking journey through a prehistoric world where you'll witness the most spectacular creatures to ever walk the Earth," everyone in the auditorium was awestruck by her words. "In a moment, you'll be going live to our control center for a comprehensive safety briefing, and then it's on to the tour that will convince you forever that the future is truly in the past."

There was static on the screen as the video changed to live footage, and a hush fell over the tour group. A tyrannosaurus rex puppet showed up on the screen in the theater. "Heelllo there! Welcome to our little trans-dimensional joyride, folks. I'm Dr. Seeker, your friendly controller, and a heck of a paleontologist if I do say so myself," His nephew, Will, was excitedly whispering to Marissa about seeing Dr. Seeker at work. "But let's not talk about me; let's talk about you, and how you can help me make history today with the Time Rover. It's like this: if I can bring you back from the Cretaceous Period, it stands to reason that I can bring back a live dinosaur with you. And not just any dinosaur; take a look at this guy," he pulled up his tracking footage of his dinosaur, the iguanodon. He was a beautiful dusty blue. His back foot "toe" claw was visible. "It's an iguanodon, and I'm certain that he is the key to understanding these magnificent creatures. I tagged him with a locator during an "unauthorized" field trip. Otherwise, I'd be traveling with you," he made a face and stood up to point on the big screen behind him. There was a map with several red blips, indicating different dinosaurs. "Right now, our dino should be about here—at the very end of the Cretaceous Period. That's where you're going today—" Dr. Marsh walked into the room and he froze. She had come to check in on him, knowing the second tour had started. She was not happy with what she had overheard.

"I've arrived, it seems, just in time to correct a little misstatement," she put her hand on his shoulder and lightly pushed him back into his seat, and he let it happen without protest. "Dr. Marsh…" He said, genuinely surprised to see her. He assumed she would be preoccupied with the press that had come to report on the opening of the tours.

She was standing over him, a warning look in her eyes, "that is impossibly close to the giant asteroid impact that destroyed most lifeforms on Earth." She said it sternly, as if she knew what he was planning to do. "Our tours are designed to take you to the early Cretaceous Period…" She turned towards the camera, knowing that the World Paleontological Society would be watching this broadcast as well as those going on the tour, "…and I can assure you that all Time Rovers have been securely locked on those coordinates."

Dr. Seeker nodded at her and turned towards his monitor, "That's right. See." The computer flashed "ACCESS DENIED" on the screen. "Securely locked. Access denied," he said looking back at her. She looked at him suspiciously, "...Continue."

"Of course," Dr. Seeker said to her. She lingered in the doorway, wondering what he was up to as he continued. "We were just talking about seat belts. Plug them in. Use them. It can get kinda choppy out there, so keep your hands and arms inside the vehicle at all times." Dr. Marsh sighed and left the room, heading back towards the loading dock. Dr. Seeker watched out of the corner of his eye, but continued his safety spiel, "Flash photography? I wouldn't. It alters the homing signal, and that's not good."

He looked back to make sure she was really gone, "Oh, and one more thing. Those "locked coordinates"?" He typed on his computer and it started flashing "ACCESS GRANTED," "We're in! Now, here's the drill: you follow the homing signal to the iguanodon. Then, I'll enlarge the transport field, and boom—you're back with one additional passenger, extra large. And don't worry about that asteroid. You'll be in and out of there before it even breaks the atmosphere. Trust me—what could go wrong?"

"Hey, it's me again," Dr. Seeker watched as the tour group filed from the auditorium to the loading dock. "Remember, only you guys are going on this special mission. So don't tell anyone… okay?" He called after them.

Dr. Marsh was waiting for everyone to load into the vehicle. She watched Will and Marissa whisper to each other, surprised to see them on this tour. She had an uneasy feeling in her stomach as the institute students were getting ready for the launch, checking everyone's seatbelts and making sure any loose items were properly stored away. She looked at the coordinates on one of the control panels to ease her mind, but she was second guessing herself on what they were before.

Once everything had been checked, Dr. Marsh quickly left towards the control room, following her gut instincts. When she got there, she found the door locked. She tried her access key. The computer kept saying "ACCESS DENIED." She knocked on the door, but she knew Dr. Seeker was not going to let her in. She ran back towards the loading dock.

The rover had already begun to move towards the time tunnel, and she pressed the emergency stop button at one of the control panels, much to the confusion of the students, and accessed her two way radio. The alert siren came on, and red lights were flashing. "Attention. This is Dr. Marsh. Due to a security breach, your tour is being terminated." Despite this, the rover lurched forwards. The students were all looking at each other, surprised. "Time travel commencing in T minus 10 seconds and counting," the computer said. Dr. Marsh was frustrated.

"This is Seeker," came his voice over the rover speakers. "Listen up: we've gotta get in, grab the iguanodon, and get out before that asteroid hits. Let's roll!" Dr. Marsh watched the rover disappear from the time tunnel, and she grabbed onto the railing next to her to steady herself. She took a deep breath, trying to stop the tears from coming. She cleared her throat, "Prepare for lock down," her voice cracked and she coughed again. "When they get back, none of them will be allowed to leave without investigation." With that, she turned on her heels and walked back towards the control room, calling the head of security on her way.

~0~

The screen was black for a moment and Dr. Seeker looked over his shoulder. He cracked his fingers when he saw the coast was clear and the screen came back on, signaling that they had traveled through.

"Okay. Now, let's go get that dino," he said to the travelers. He knew he wouldn't have long before Dr. Marsh would try to get back in. He honestly wasn't sure how long he could keep anyone from entering the room just by changing the code. There was a blip on the scope, indicating that a dinosaur was near.

"Computer, what're you tracking?"

"Styracosaurus." A Styracosaurus was scratching himself up against a tree in a dense forest. The moon was bright, and a meteor was smoldering nearby, but the rover still needed its lights for Dr. Seeker or his time travelers to see clearly.

"Not our dino."

He moved the rover past the dinosaur, its back pushing the tree a little too close to the rover. The computer beeped. "Warning. Meteor shower in range," the computer called out loud. "Just little ones," Dr. Seeker said to reassure everyone.

"Alioramus," the computer said. The dinosaur was choking down a smaller creature. Those in the vehicle exclaimed in surprise, but Grant didn't pay it or them any mind. The sound of rock erupting and sliding caught his attention. The light of flames and ash from a volcano nearby was seen by the group.

"Hadrosaur." The mother dinosaur was hovering over her babies. "Raptor." The computer quickly said. The raptor ran by the rover and towards the hill the hadrosaurs were on, lunging towards the babies. Dr. Seeker quickly changed his screen's perspective. He knew the mother hadrosaur was not quick enough for the raptor. A little girl, around seven years old, sat with her mother in the front seat next to Marissa and Will. She looked delighted at the carnage. Dr. Seeker switched to the camera of his nephew.

There was pounding on the door to the control room and Dr. Seeker tried to ignore it, moving them along. "Time to get serious. Locking autopilot on homing signal—now!" The rover lurched forwards and further into the dark forest. The rover slid down a muddy hill. "Hang on!"

"I'm tracking a big dino on the scope. Could be ours." They slowed down a bit, the rover almost slamming into something large. "Computer: full stop. Identify," the rover abruptly stopped. "CARNOTAURUS," The computer said, and the dinosaur roared almost in response, a dinosaur Grant knew all too well. Dr. Seeker could hear its roar reverberating through his speakers. "Definitely not our dino. Go! Go! Go!" The rover sped away quickly.

~0~

Dr. Marsh had called security, but with the amount of visitors the institute had that day, officers were spread thin across the exhibits. "What if we cut the power to the control room?" one of the two men who were able to be spared to stake out the control room suggested. Three others were waiting in the launching bay for the tour group's return.

Dr. Marsh put her hand on her forehead then rubbed her eyes. "He is currently controlling a rover filled with civilians close to the end of the Cretaceous Period. If we were to cut power, it could mean death," She was frustrated and angry, but mostly tired, "and there are children on board." The security officer looked down sheepishly.

Dr. Marsh's head shot up from her hand as she had an idea. "I'll be back, you stay here," she said to the men. She walked quickly down the hallway back towards her office. She sat down at her computer in a huff and tried to log into the tour database.

Suddenly, Dr. Seeker's voice was coming through her computer, "Another big guy comin' up. Computer, slow and identify." She tried to quell the feeling in her stomach. "Sauropod," the computer said. "Still not our dino, but at least this one's a vegetarian…" Dr. Seeker spoke again. She could see what camera angles he was looking at, and she saw the long necked dinosaur sneeze on the rover and its passengers with a collective "ewww."

"Asteroid impact in 90 seconds," the computer said and Dr. Marsh's heart leapt in her chest. "We'd better move it," she heard him say before there was a knock on her office door and Dr. Vladimur Borontsky was standing in her doorway. "May I come in?" He asked.

'Pterodactyl," the computer beeped. He looked at her with an eyebrow raised.

"Incoming!" Came Dr. Seeker's voice, and she closed out the program, cutting off screams. Dr. Borontsky stepped in anyways.

"I heard there's been a bit of an incident this morning?" The way he phrased it was more like a question. Dr. Marsh sat up straighter in her chair. "Everything is under control," she reassured him.

"Is it? I received word that the time rover broadcast was cut off to the public," he stated.

"Technical difficulties," Dr. Marsh stated, wiping the sweat off her hands and onto her skirt.

"I see," he rubbed his mustache, and stepped further into her office, holding onto the back of one of her chairs, the one with the coffee stain. Her collar was feeling a bit too tight around her neck, but she remained poised.

"If something were to go rogue, if someone were to get hurt," he said. "I will not hesitate to step in and help." Despite his words, It felt like a threat.

"Please, stay and enjoy the exhibits," she said to him, "I have work that must be done." His nose twitched and he turned to leave her office. She waited for a moment. As soon as he was down the hall, she logged back into her computer.

"That's it. Abort mission. Abort! Abort!" she heard Dr. Seeker's panicked voice. She sprung up from her chair. "Forget it! Get them out now!" She could hear from her computer, and raced down the hall.

Several alarms started going off as she quickly made her way back to the control room. There was a loud BOOM from somewhere else in the building. Security officers were running, and so were several students away from the direction of the loading dock. No one was standing outside the control room and the door was wide open. Dr. Grant Seeker was not in the room.