Seven months ago.
Zayna was assisting her mother on the farm. While her mother planted her crops, she went to the river to fetch some water. As she walked back, she heard a set of small squeaks.
Curious, she put the bucket of water down and followed the sounds. They seemed to be coming from a bush. She carefully parted the bush and was startled by what she had found.
It was a baby Gallimimus! She had seen pictures of the living dinosaurs at school. However, they were contained in North America, supposedly.
"How did you get here, little one?" Zayna asked softly.
The baby backed up two steps. It eyed Zayna with a mix of hope and fear. It let out a tiny whimper.
"Shoo, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you, I promise." She reached into her pocket and slowly pulled out some rice.
She held her hand out. The little dino leaned forward and took a sniff. She waited patiently as the dinosaur took a few more steps. Then the baby started gobbling the rice down, its little tongue tickling her skin.
"That tickles!" she laughed. The little dinosaur finished the rice. Looking up at her face, it no he, chirped for more.
"Oh, you're still hungry? Come with me. I'll get you some more."
The little Gallimimus chirped and started running alongside her. Zayna sped up and so did the dino. Soon they were at her home.
"Mama! Baba! I have someone you need to meet!"
Later that night, while Zayna slept with the newly named Geba, her parents talked quietly.
"The little Gallimimus confirms the rumors we've been hearing. Dinosaurs are roaming around," Ousmane expressed to his wife.
Aminata nodded and replied she'd hoped Oumar had been wrong when he swore he witnessed a Pteranodon flying over his bar. "How many more dinosaurs do you think are out there?"
Ousmane shrugged his shoulders. "We need to document every dinosaur we see or hear about. That will give us a better idea of how widespread they are."
Over the next few months, more dinosaurs started showing up near their home or reports came from further up the river. The family had barely avoided being attacked by a Suchomimus. It ran away after a family of Stegosauruses claimed the area around the farm as their home.
The Mballo family talked with authorities but they wouldn't give them answers. It appeared the government wanted to keep the information in the country. Most likely to prevent the loss of tourism, an important industry in the country's economy.
While the government did its best to cover up the events, additional people along the river were encountering dinosaurs. The Mballo family realized it was up to them to get the answers to their questions.
Present time
It was another day at the Mballo homestead. Zayna was helping her mother harvest some of the rice. The rains had been good this year bringing a surplus of rice patties.
"With this much rice, we can keep our guests satisfied for weeks. Not to mention Geba will be ecstatic to have a midnight snack."
"You shouldn't be feeding him midnight snacks. He gets enough food as it is. You don't want to make him fat and lazy, do you?"
Zayna laughed saying Geba was never lazy. "Alright, no extra rice. Can I please take some to our guests instead?"
Amanita shook her head and laughed. "I'm beginning to think your brain has switched places with your stomach. You're so obsessed with food these days."
"I like seeing which food Geba and the others like. We need to make sure they're happy. The happier they are, the more likely they are to stay."
"True, we wouldn't want to lose the Stegosauruses with that Suchomimus so close by." Amanita shielded her eyes as she looked at the position of the sun. "You and Geba should get more water from the river before the trough dries up."
Zayna nodded and called out for Geba. The Gallimimus came running over and rubbed his head against Zayna's.
"Geba stop, please. You're too big for that now." Zayna gently pushed Geba's head away. She picked up a nearby bucket. "Do you want to come with me to the river?"
Geba made a sound agreement. He dashed ahead and then looked back to see if she was following him.
"Silly Geba, you need to follow me and not the other way around. We'll be back soon Mama."
"Be careful, Zayna! Remember, don't go too far into the jungle."
With a smile, she got back to work. She was unaware of the five young adults wandering in the jungle behind the homestead.
"Where in the world do you think we are camp fam?" Sammy asked. She had removed her jacket and was tugging up her sleeves. "It's very humid."
"It has to at least be in the eighties," Yaz added. She stopped to catch her breath and looked at the terrain around them.
"None of these plants look like anything I've seen before. Not even when I competed in international races. At least, none of the European countries I competed in."
"We could be in Africa. My family took a trip to Ghana when I was six. These trees are similar to the ones there," Darius remarked.
Then he rubbed his forehead. "At least, I think they're similar. That visit was twelve years ago. My recollection could be wrong."
Ben cleared his throat and pointed up to the high branches of the tree they were standing by. Sitting in the tree was a small flock of red-throated bee-eaters enjoying a meal. "Those birds are native to West Africa."
"Fine, we're in Africa. Can we get started on finding the Broker?" Kenji demanded.
"Hang on Kenji. We need to figure out where in West Africa we are. If we're not careful we could end up in a danger zone."
Before Kenji could retort, Sammy hissed at everyone to be quiet. Peering around the side of the tree, she gestured for the others to take a look. That's when they saw the Stegosauruses grazing.
One question went through all their heads. How were there dinosaurs in Africa? Could the Broker be responsible for this?
That's when Yaz saw what was behind the dinosaurs. "That looks like a farm. Do you think the people there know about the dinosaurs?"
"Maybe or maybe not. We can't make any assumptions here," Ben pointed out. He glanced down at the phone and was delighted to see that it was fully charged now.
Then he frowned noticing it didn't have a signal. "The phone's charged, but I can't get a signal. I'm going to have to get higher if I want to check on the Dark Jurassic forum."
"Do you think they might have some information on what's going on here?" Kenji asked. For some reason, he clutched the handle of the suitcase tighter.
Ben said it was worth checking out. Darius was worried about Ben going out on his own. He suggested that Kenji should go with him.
Ben said he would be fine. He promised to be back before nightfall. Sammy told him if he wasn't, she was going to capoeira his butt.
As Ben headed off into the jungle, the others debated on what to do. Should they leave the Stegosauruses alone and warn the farmers or should they do it in reverse? It was a difficult choice to make.
Darius eventually suggested that Kenji and he would keep an eye on the Stegosauruses while the girls talked to the farmers. The girls were warned to be very careful. He also told them to never mention their relationship.
The girls were confused by that warning. Darius explained in most African countries, same sex couples were outlawed. If anyone learned the girls' relationship status, along with the fact they were here illegally, then they could end up in jail.
That sobered everyone up quickly. The girls vowed they wouldn't tell anyone. For now, any romantic gestures were on hold.
The girls stepped out of the jungle and started walking towards the house. They hoped the farmers were nice. Also, that they could understand English.
Amanita wiped the sweat off her forehead as she stretched her muscles. She heard footsteps approaching. She glanced over her shoulder and saw two ladies approaching her home.
"Hi there, we were wondering if you could help us. We're a little lost," the one with the two-toned hair said.
"Are you Americans? Where was your last stop on your tour guide?"
"Yeah, were Americans, but we didn't come with a tour group. I know this is going to be a weird question, but where are we exactly?" the taller one asked.
Suspicious, Amanita asked why they didn't know they were in Senegal. The girls looked at one another hesitantly. She could sense they were trying to figure out what to say.
"I can tell you two have quite a story to tell. Please, sit down and I'll get something for us to drink. Then you can tell me what is going on."
Behind the house, Kenji was beginning to get impatient as they waited for the girls. "This is taking too long. We should start moving the dinosaurs now before they cause trouble."
"Maybe we should wait a little longer," Darius suggested.
"How much longer? How do we even know if the farmers can speak English? What's going to happen if the Stegosauruses get spooked and start rampaging?"
"I know it's a risk, but…"
"No buts, Darius. If you're that worried, we don't have to move them far. If this area is for farming, there's probably another clearing nearby. We can lead them there and back easily."
Before Darius could say anything else, Kenji hid the suitcase under a bush. Grabbing a leafy branch, he started leading the Stegosauruses away. Reluctantly, Darius followed his lead.
Back with the girls, they had just finished explaining their situation to Amanita. What they told her made her worry for her husband. "Is it possible these smugglers and their boss, this Broker, could be the reason dinosaurs started appearing upriver?"
"It's a strong possibility. Our friend was trying to discover who was in charge of the smuggling ring. If the ship was coming here, there might be another dinosaur warehouse around," Sammy replied confidently.
"How far up the river have the dinosaurs been appearing?"
"At least five kilometers from here starting around seven months ago. Our government has refused to answer our questions. That is why my husband and a few others are doing their own investigation."
Yaz asked what dinosaurs besides the Stegosauruses and the Gallimimus had been seen. Before the woman could go get the list, they were startled to see several flocks of birds fleeing the area. Instantly, the three were on edge.
The girls quickly followed their hostess as she hid them behind a retaining wall. Out of the jungle, stomped a Suchomimus. The creature's screech echoed to their bones.
The predator leaned down and started chugging down all the water. It raised its head to smell the air. Luckily, the trio scents didn't carry on the breeze.
"I don't understand why the Suchomimus is here," Amanita stated softly. "It's normally too afraid to approach with the Stegosauruses around. Why haven't they driven it off yet?"
The girls exchanged anxious glances. They both thought the boys would wait for them to return. They apparently decided to take matters into their own hands.
"The boys must have got tired of waiting for us and moved them. One of us will have to go look for them. I'll do it," Yaz said. She got up but was tugged back down by Sammy.
"Are you crazy, Yaz? We don't have any idea where they are. Plus, who's going to distract the Suchomimus so you can sneak past it?"
She must have spoken too loudly because the dinosaur stopped drinking. It tilted its head back and took a took a good sniff. The wind had changed direction now it was blowing their scent towards the dinosaur.
If a dinosaur could grin this would be. The Suchomimus started to steadily walk towards the hidden trio. They were all frozen in fear now.
"Hey, Suck-o-mimus, over here!" a male voice called out. It was Kenji! "That's right, come get your free meal over here!"
What in the blazes does Kenji think he's doing?! Yaz thought frantically. She wanted to yell at him to stop, but that would only bring the dinosaur's attention back to them.
With a guttural roar, the Suchomimus sprinted towards Kenji. The young man took off running into the jungle. Once the Suchomimus was gone, Darius leaped over a wall and in front of the group.
"Darius! Why didn't you and Kenji wait for us before you moved the Stegosauruses?" Sammy demanded
Between gasps for breath, the teenager explained what had happened. "I…tried to …stop him but…he wouldn't listen. The herd is…in a clearing…nearby. Zayna's…leading them…back here…after Kenji took off and I…followed after him."
Amanita asked how long until the herd made it back home. He admitted he wasn't sure, but guessed it wouldn't be longer than five to ten minutes. "We've got to help…Kenji. I don't think he can last on his…own for that…long."
"Sammy and I will go help Kenji. You stay here and wait for the Stegosauruses to come back." Holding hands, the girls ran into the jungle after their friend.
Inside the jungle, Kenji was climbing up a big pile of boulders. He reached the top of the pile and slowly turned around. The Suchomimus was scaling the boulders with only a little difficulty.
"Come on, a little bit more," he whispered to himself. As the creature reached the summit, Kenji backed up until he was on the precipice.
Sammy and Yaz burst onto the scene just as the Suchomimus lunged for Kenji. The girls screamed as their friend jumped off. Kenji managed to twist his body so he could grab a hold of the rock face.
The Suchomimus's momentum carried it over the edge and it crashed onto the jungle floor. It let out a moan of pain as it struggled to push itself up. Kenji was struggling to get back on top of the rock structure.
"Sammy, help Kenji! I'll lead the Suchomimus back to the farm!" Yaz bellowed as she raced towards the predator. "Hey, over here! Come over and get me!"
The Suchomimus roared in fury. It was angry now and that made it extremely dangerous. Locking its eyes on Yaz, it surged forward.
Yaz started running into the jungle to prevent the beast from seeing her friends. She hadn't run like this for a few months now and it showed. She was starting to breathe heavily as her lungs burned for oxygen.
Digging deep, she sprinted the last few feet to the farm. The Suchomimus was too focused on catching her, it didn't notice the Stegosauruses until one of them hit it in the face with its tale spikes.
Yaz collapsed on the ground a few feet from the fighting. She was too exhausted to move as the fighting got closer. One of the Stegosaurus's was backing up toward her.
That's when Ben appeared out of nowhere and grabbed her by the shoulders. He started dragging her away from the fighting. He was soon joined by Darius and they got her to the house.
Soon enough the Stegosauruses dispatched the Suchomimus who fled deep into the jungle. A few minutes later, Sammy returned with Kenji. His hand had a minor cut on it.
"Oh, dear. That looks serious. Let's get that looked at," Amanita insisted as she led Kenji inside the house.
Yaz thanked Ben for showing up when he did. He stated it wasn't that big deal.
"So, were you able to get online? Did you find anything on Dark Jurassic that could help us?" Darius inquired.
Ben stilled as he tried to come up with an answer. He had seen something that he was still having trouble believing. A video for the DLN that had Brooklynn in the background!
The video had been posted last week, meaning she hadn't died months ago. But why was she pretending to be dead? Why was she working with the DLN?
No, he couldn't say anything until he was a hundred percent sure it wasn't someone who looked like her. Once he was certain, he would tell the others. "I was and I watched a video."
"According to the DLN, there are rumors of dinosaurs popping up in other countries. The video had an image of a possible breeding site on a tributary further up the river."
"That's great news! I was worried we wouldn't find another lead for the Broker. Now we're one step closer to getting justice for Brooklynn," Darius exclaimed.
Ben did his best not to flinch. Thankfully, no one noticed it. Amanita and Kenji came back out. When Kenji heard the news, you could see the excitement in his eyes.
"What are waiting for? Let's get going now!"
Zayna remarked that it wouldn't be a good idea. "The river can be dangerous to navigate at night. A better idea would be to rest tonight and prepare to leave tomorrow."
"Zayna's right, Kenji. I don't know about you, but I'm tired and hungry. A little rest wouldn't hurt," Sammy mentioned.
Kenji conceded she was right. "Okay, but we need to leave as soon as possible tomorrow. This might be our only chance to catch the Broker."
Surprisingly, the Camp Family were able to sleep deeply that night. It helped they weren't in a container on a rocking boat. Another plus was not having to worry about a surprise dinosaur attack with the Stegosauruses' standing watch.
Early the next morning, Ben slipped outside and hid behind the house. He brought up the video he saw yesterday. He had to know for sure if it was Brooklynn he saw.
He tapped the video and watched it play. Pausing the video right before it finished, he enlarged a section in the background. The girl had a different hairstyle and hair color.
Still, her facial features were identical to Brooklynn's. He couldn't see any evidence suggesting plastic surgery. But in a world where dinosaurs could be brought back to life through cloning, he looked for something that would prove this girl was their dead friend.
Peering closely, noticed something giving off a glint in her hair. The person was wearing a metallic flower hair ornament. Pulling the phone closer, he saw the center of the flower was actually a fingerprint reader.
"It is Brooklynn," Ben gasped. They had never recovered her pendent, believing One-Eye had eaten it. Now it seemed like Brooklynn had faked her death and altered the necklace to keep her identity secret while continuing her investigations.
Ben slumped to the ground as he struggled with what to tell the others. How do you explain to your friends/family that someone you lost is still alive? "Why, did you do this to us, Brooklynn?"
He would give Brooklynn one chance to explain. "Hey, Crest it's good to see you again. How about we have a private chat later and catch up?"
Once he made the post, he switched the phone off. He could hear everyone else starting to get up. Rubbing his hands together, he got up and headed back inside.
A bit later, Zayna was helping the Camp Family with procuring supplies needed for their river trip. "It is important to stock enough food for a large group. The boats are long but narrow, so you also need to figure out how much space your food is going to take up from your other supplies."
"No problem, we can store enough food for three people per boat," Kenji remarked as he checked on the eggs.
Zayna was puzzled by Kenji's statement. "There are only five of you. Why would you need to pack enough for three per boat?"
Kenji remarked that he was including her as part of the group. "You and your mom, know this river. I figured you would be the one navigating this trip."
Zayna appeared to be shocked. She had never considered that they would ask her to be their guide. "There are plenty of professional guides who would be willing to lead you upriver."
"Wouldn't they be the same people asking why we don't have passports?" Kenji replied cynically. "Come on, where is your sense of adventure?"
"Right here, with my Mama and Geba. I have plenty of adventures right where I am."
Amanita placed her hands on Zanya's shoulders and turned her slightly. "Actually Zayna, I believe Kenji's suggestion is the best one. You know this river and the territories of the local dinosaurs better than any guide."
"Perhaps, but I can't leave you alone. I especially won't leave Geba alone. He needs me," Zanya insisted.
"Alright, we can talk about this more later." Amanita kissed her daughter's forehead before turning her attention to Kenji. "Will you be bringing those eggs with you or leaving them here?"
Glancing back at the house where the suitcase currently was, Kenji's expression went blank. "I know this sounds harsh, but I would prefer if we kept the eggs with us. I know you would keep good care of them until we get back, Auntie Amanita."
"We have a dinosaur family member too. Her name is Bumby and her egg is in that case. We almost lost it once and I can't risk losing it again."
Amanita and Zayna's faces soften. "We understand where you are coming from. We would do the same for Geba if he fathered any eggs. Come, I think there are some bungee cords you can use in the house."
Right before they entered the house the group heard a loud whump followed by a metallic clatter. Everyone screamed as tear gas started dispersing everywhere. Soon they started coughing as the gas entered their lungs.
"What's…cough…cough…going on?" Sammy choked out. She reached out and found Yaz's hand.
"I don't…cough…cough…cough…know! Keep your mouth covered…cough!"
Ben kept his mouth covered as he ran through the gas trying to find the others. He saw someone moving in front of him. He reached for them and found Darius.
Ben pulled the boy down while gesturing him to use his jacket to cover his mouth. Darius tried, but he was very disorientated and his watering eyes made it hard to see. He struggled to figure out which way to pull his jacket.
Kenji moved to get into the house only to be slammed into the wall by powerful hands. Ignoring the pain, he managed to hobble inside and saw Captain Lang wearing a gas mask. The man was trying to get the eggs back!
"Leave, those eggs alone!" he snarled as he launched himself at the captain. Lang was instantly unbalanced as Kenji barreled into him. He struggled to stay standing.
Kenji was doing his best to keep the larger man pinned. Lang's thrashing made it difficult to hold onto the man. Lang threw a punch striking Kenji's jaw.
The young man let go instinctively and was thrown off. Before he could recover Lang kicked him hard twice. The air was forced out of Kenji's lungs and he heard something crack.
"Stay out of my way, kid!" Lang snarled as he stomped on Kenji's hand. Disregarding the wails, he seized the suitcase and left.
Outside, Sullivan was also wearing a gas mask. He and another crewman were dragging a lassoed Geba to a waiting truck. The Gallimimus struggled to get free to no avail.
He let out a frightened screech as he was thrown into a cage. He tried to slash Sullivan and was tasered instead. Lang ran to the truck and jumped inside.
The group heard the truck racing away as they still struggled in the fog. It took several minutes for it to disperse. The farmstead now looked like a battlefield.
The rice patties were destroyed, the door to the house was ripped off, and the water troughs upended. Everyone's throats felt extremely raw as they tried to blink away tears. Kenji had done his best to crawl to the door before passing out.
This ambush had been planned well. The smugglers had reclaimed the eggs and had a new dinosaur to sell. They also ensured the Nublar kids couldn't follow them and hinder their operations further.
It was clear that the Broker knew they were in Senegal. This was a warning to them. Stay out of their business or the next time they would be killed.