I wished that I still had that tire iron. Unfortunately, it had been dropped during our earlier adventure with the ostrich-saurs.

Still, I didn't let the abuse go on for long. Shrugging Cassie from my back, I jumped into the air and struck my enemy's head with a flying kick.

I always loved how Master Splinter did his Kung Fu kick during the opening sequence of the Turtles cartoon. He flew through the air, smashing wooden things right and left.

Afterwards, I saw Kung Fu movies where guys jumped up in the air and did a kick in slow motion. Some of those kicks turned out to be pretty devastating. Then there's Muay Thai. The guys in those videos could kill people with kicks.

Though I can do a fair amount of stuff with my arms, it doesn't change the fact that they're stubby little Velociraptor arms, not terribly useful for regular fist fighting and chops. My legs, though...

Yes, I'm a mostly sedentary creature, but I imitated the moves I saw on those videos, and have spent a fair amount of time trying them out on my fake trees and other objects in my cell, you know, just in case they put me together with other raptors again.

I gave the Proceratosaurus another jump kick to the head.

Rumpole wailed as my enemy's companions shredded him to bloody pieces.

Infuriated, I half shrieked, half screamed like Bruce Lee and kicked the other dinosaurs unconscious.

"Go!" I shouted to my companions. "I'll take care of this!"

I didn't have to tell Lex twice. Cassie, due to her previous experiences, also decided to vamoose, though she kept walking backwards to check on me.

Tim and Grant just stared.

"We have precious little knowledge of Proceratosaurus Bradleyi," the man said. "I only know about one fossil."

I kicked another of the `fascinating' reptiles in the head while he stood around gawking. "Move, you idiot!" I slapped another with my tail, shuffled in and kicked. When he didn't move, I added, "...Or get infected dinosaur bites! Don't say I didn't warn you!"

To his credit, Grant did back away somewhat.

...Right into a ranger supply box.

Interesting invention, even if it had been knocked off kilter by stampeding Gallimimus. Humans apparently put these wooden boxes on posts all over the place to figure out where they were. They contain topographic maps and...random stuff.

This particular box contained a rabbit skull, Jack L. Chalker's Midnight at the Well of Souls, and a bunch of bungee cords. Tim, being a devious little boy, decided to wrap one around a rock and pelt our attackers. Pretty clever, it made the rock-re-usable. Grant crafted his own `bolo' of sorts to help him out.

Boom! Pow! Boom! We clobbered the whole lot of them. The Proceratosauruses didn't appear to be able to get back up...at least not soon.

As Tim and Grant carefully snuck away, I lingered back for a moment.

I called after the man. "Is it a sin to kill other dinosaurs?"

"No, it's self defense." He distanced himself further from our victims.

I hurried after him, to continue the conversation. "Okay, but what if I'm hungry?"

"Well..." Grant paused and thought a moment.

At first I didn't understand the nervous look he gave me, but then, before he could speak, Tim opened the metaphorical can of worms. "Humans kill and eat cows. They're different species."

By that time, we'd caught up with the girls.

"It's still wrong," Lex argued.

Tim disagreed. "Only because you're a vegetarian."

"It's a sin to kill and eat humans," Grant announced. "And since you have a human brain...it would be cannibalism, a big no-no."

The boy scowled. "I thought you didn't believe—"

Grant gave Tim a frantic `shut up' wave, giving a vigorous shake of his head.

I nodded, but didn't quite get it. "I...see...would you say the same about me eating other Velociraptors?"

"Ummm..."

Lex nodded. "That's definitely cannibalism."

"But eating a Triceratops is okay."

Lex said no, but Grant said, "That's what you're supposed to do. Well, in the wild, if we had thousands of Triceratops instead of the current limited supply..."

"So I should leave Proceratosauruses alone."

Grant frowned, rubbing his chin. "Yes. Let's keep going."

Tim's explanation: "We love dinosaurs."

The man hiked faster, casting me uncomfortable glances.

Tim rushed up behind him. "So you believe in the bible and stuff now?"

Grant's face flushed red as he spoke in tones I guess he thought I couldn't hear: "You ever hear that joke about the lion who prays before eating the missionary? I'd rather not have that happen to us."

An odd piping noise filled the air. It almost sounded like that little "Ooh coo coo coo" ditty they sang in the Strange Brew movie.

I glanced back. One Eyed Willie had regained consciousness, and now stood with his nose fin extended, piping music through his nasal crest and...`flutes.'

Grant stared in amazement. "Wow! They theorized Proceratosaurus had an advanced olfactory system, hence the need for the enlarged nasal cavity—"

Before he could finish, a dozen more finheads came popping out of the tall grass.

"...So they can summon help," I groaned.

The great Dane sized reptiles closed in.

"Run!" Grant shouted.

"Gee, Grant, I didn't think that was part of your vocabulary."

Cassie mounted up. On my back.

We ran for what felt like a good mile with a horde of those things snapping at our legs...and my tail. It's all kind of a blur.

At some point we reached a tall concrete barrier, topped with barbed wire. Not close to the main tour route, just some dirt service road.

No electrical connections, just regular barbed wire. I guess they went back to the basics when it came to not-so-deadly herbivores. Although we could have hypothetically gone over, not a great place to climb without getting all torn up.

Grant tried the handle of a nearby security door and frowned. "Well that's lovely. Anyone have a key?"

I shrugged. "If we did, I would have been able to take you on a safer route. My badge got lost in the stampede." I stared. "Looks like it's an old school lock anyway."

We turned to face our attackers, I with my claws poised in karate knife position, Grant and Tim readying their bungee rocks.

Weary, Lex leaned against the locked door.

Funny thing about humidity. It sometimes mis-aligns doors so that latches sit improperly on the strike plate...like a few centimeters down where it can't lock in place. The handle didn't turn, so I guess there's that.

The door popped inwards, the girl yelping as she fell backwards into the dark.

We knocked out the Proceratosauruses closest to us and rushed inside, slamming the door behind us.

...Not closed, of course. We all put our full weight on it to keep it shut while the other dinosaurs banged against it.

"The jungle humidity must have compromised the lock," Grant said to himself. "Idiot construction workers should have put the door on the other way so it doesn't open inwards!" He turned to face the darkness, back against the door. "Lexie! You all right?"

I could barely see the bony figure in the dark. "Owww. Watch out, there's a staircase."

Wham! The door cracked open, a finned scaly nose sniffing at us. Grant shifted his weight and pushed to force it back out. "Anything heavy down there? Barrels? A two by four? Jerry Can?"

"No?"

"What about a hammer? Screwdriver?"

"I...don't think so...wait."

She brought us an aluminum shelving bracket. "Will this help?"

Grant gave a `no' type of "Hmmm" in response.

It...kinda worked. Grant lifted the handle, got Tim to shove it into the gap below, then forced it in a bit. The lock clicked, but it sounded a little tentative.

I heard castanets clicking.

"Don't!" Grant scolded. "We don't need to announce our presence."

He flicked a Zippo lighter, illuminating the dark with its small flame. "Lexie, bring me that cinder block...and that propane canister."

Yeah, not great to wave around a lighter near a propane tank, but the object had some weight, evidenced by Lex's complaining. "Why do you got me doing all the lifting?"

"Because you're bigger than Tim, but too light. The rest of us have to keep this door closed. I know you can do it."

Bang! The door slipped from its track, and in popped a dinosaur face. We forcefully shoved against the door until it backed out.

Grant searched the darkness. "Lexie, is that a prise bar?"

She propped the propane tank up against the door. "A what?"

"...Crowbar."

Lex set the cinder block next to the tank. "Oh. I thought that was another part of a shelf."

Honestly, not much better than the bracket. Grant got the door a little bit further up on the track, it resisted a thudding dinosaur body, but I feared another good jostle would make the latch pop out again.

Grant threw down a second cinder block, ushering us down the stairs by his Zippo light. "C'mon, before they force their way in!"

The tunnel proved to be a straight shot. No doors or connecting tunnels, just another staircase leading up. We popped out a second security door into another meadow.

To our surprise, this security door made a solid click behind us, refusing to come back open.

Grant tried the handle and shoved, just to be sure. "I wonder how the Proceratosauruses got into the paddock if this door doesn't open."

I rolled my eyes. "They're sneaky. They probably came from the main road and squeezed through a fence...or followed the T-Rex and her path of destruction."

We hiked through the field, through a dry stream bed, around a rock outcrop.

Cassie sniffed and wiped her eyes. Instead of riding me, she walked some distance away, kinda lagging back.

"You okay?" Lex asked her.

"Yeah, I'm just sad because they killed Rumpole. He was so cute."

Lex put her arm around her. "I know. I'm sorry he got eaten too."

Tim, though, had this wild look on his face, like he fought to keep down a grin. "We were in the tour vehicle and the T-Rex threw a bloody goat leg at our windshield!"

Cassie shuddered. "That's horrible!"

"Horrible? That's nothing! We had a guy with us—"

"Don't tell her about that!" Lex hissed, but the boy continued.

"He ran into a toilet and the T-Rex ate him, right through the walls and everything!"

Lex looked glum. "That poor man..."

"Yeah..." Tim sighed, his glee deflated somewhat. "At least we only lost a goat."

Cassie gulped. "I...s'pose things could be worse."

Tim walked up behind me, playing with my tail.

I snapped it out of his hand. "Did you not see the bandages?"

"Sorry." He put his hands to his side. "So...have you seen The Land Before Time?"

I smirked a little.

Cassie clicked her castanets. "She likes the Ninja Turtles."

Not wanting to sound one dimensional (or is it supposed to be two dimensional?): "I've actually seen the movie. Why?"

"Is that like a soap opera to you? I bet it made you really sad, didn't it? That whole thing with his mom and the leaf..."

I sniffed.

"Albert doesn't have a mother or a father," said Lex. "Remember?"

"I have...Mr. Hammond. He's kinda like a dad..."

"That's not the same," she groaned.

"It is to me."

"You know, scientifically..." Grant began.

Having heard enough of that evolution stuff from the PA system and Hammond himself, I changed the subject. "You think I need glasses? Because sometimes when I hold a book out in front of me, I can't read it. I tried putting on Mr. Hammond's reading glasses, but they don't fit the shape of my head."

He groaned. "I think you should ask Mr. Hammond about that when we get back. I'm sure they can build some for you if you actually need vision correction, though with your highly advanced eyesight and sense of smell, I hardly think it necessary."

We traveled over a hill. My rider clacked her castanets.

Grant seemed to be marching fast, to avoid me, but I caught up. "So...I guess, being as I have a soul, God created me, right? I mean, the genetic material, at least?"

The man gave a diplomatic answer. "Presuming God exists, I think he can create anything he wants."

"I didn't read about any dinosaurs in Genesis. Were they in the Garden of Eden? The language is a little difficult to figure out."

"The people of that day and age didn't have a word for dinosaurs. They described whales and such as sea monsters. Besides, the fossil record shows dinosaurs existing millions of years before man. Considering how the bible states everything was created in literally seven days..."

"It also states that to God a million years is like a day."

Grant stopped and stared at me. "I thought that was a thousand."

I shrugged. "So...no dinosaurs, I take it."

"Not that I'm aware of."

"That's disappointing."

"That's not to say they weren't there, I just mean they don't have words for it—"

Our conversation came to an abrupt halt when the fence loomed into view.

Standing over twenty feet high, and lacking any sort of convenient gap, it presented a formidable obstacle. Through the wires lay the sloping hills leading to the Visitor Center.

Unlike (ahem) some of the other fences, I didn't see any convenient way to wiggle through.

"It's a bit of a climb," Grant said. "You guys think you can make it?"

Tim sighed. "Nope."

Lex shook her head. "Way too high."

Cassie, though, seemed hopeful. "I...think so."

Grant frowned at the darkened warning lights, then poked the fence with a stick. "Guess that means the power's still off."

He tapped the fence with his boot, then grabbed a wire with both hands, screaming and shaking as if being electrocuted. I jumped back in startled surprise.

He stopped and turned around, giving us a mischievous grin.

"Don't do that!" I cried.

"Not funny," Lex agreed.

Tim laughed. "That was great!"

We froze as the T-Rex roared.

"We'd better hurry."

A long wearying climb, and a little awkward with my short arms. Had to make do like a parrot, biting the fence and climbing with my legs. More than once I came close to falling and breaking something as Cassie used me as a stepping stone.

The most horrible part: Crossing over the top and seeing that huge T-Rex sized drop below me.

We descended.

Tim struggled on the line, came close to falling, but caught himself. He stopped, refusing to budge.

Cassie fell screaming from the wires. I latched my feet-claws into the fence and dropped upside-down, biting the back of her shirt.

I caught her, tearing her clothing a little in the process. At least she caught hold of something after that, and I could let go.

We neared the ground. I dropped, and once on firm soil, positioned myself beneath Cassie. As she landed on my back with a whoop, Grant and Lex jumped down beside me.

Tim appeared to have a problem with heights, still hanging immobile on the wires far above us.

Warning lights on the fence flickered to life. Grant's eyes bulged.

"Uh-oh," I cried, rushing to Tim's side of the fence.

"Tim!" Grant shouted. "You have to let go!"

Tim didn't.

"C'mon, Tim! Move down, dammit!"

"I had to climb up there with my mouth!" I called. "Don't expect me to grab you with my little arms!"

Lex clenched her fists. "Timmy! The power's coming on! Down here! Quick!"

"I can't! I'm scared!"

Cassie crossed her arms. "Don't be a weenie! It's not that far!"

"Tim, you're going to have to let go. I'm going to count to three." Grant stepped forward, preparing to catch.

"Jump, Timmy!" Lex cried. "It's too late!"

"I'm afraid I'm going to fall!"

"I was afraid the moment I started climbing with my teeth!" I craned my neck up at him. "C'mon! We'll catch you!"

Grant kept offering his outstretched hands. "Go go! Jump!"

"You're crazy! I'm not going to jump!"

"Kid's got some trust issues," I muttered.

"Tim, you're going to have to let go of the fence! Get down right now! Off the fence!"

Lex gestured frantically. "Do as he says! The power's coming back on!"

"You're going to have to let go!" Grant urged. "Count to three! One...two..."

"You crazy? What if you miss? I hate it up here."

"Tim, I'm right here. Easy catch. Count to three..."

"Right!" I positioned myself close to one side. "And if he misses, you got a nice soft dinosaur to fall on! How about that?"

"You're going to get electrocuted!" Lex shouted.

"Stop scaring me!"

"Shh!" Grant kept holding out his arms. "I got you. Easy catch. You do the counting. One, two, three, and let go, okay?"

"Do what he says, Tim!"

"You want to be showed up by a little girl?" Cassie challenged.

"Shut up! What do you know?"

"We might as well go up and grab him," I groaned.

Grant reached for the wires, but then the fence emitted a low buzz and sparked to life.

"Okay, okay!" Tim began. "I'm going to count to three! One...two—"

Pow! The boy flew through the air, bowling Grant off his feet as their bodies collided.

Since I had positioned myself nearby, my body acted as a fulcrum, sending both sprawling into the dirt.

"Tim? You okay?" Grant shook the boy. "Tim!"

He stared at him for a moment. "He's not breathing!"

CPR is a tricky thing. I hear if you do it right, you're almost guaranteed to break a few ribs.

I stared as the man commenced chest compressions.

"Isn't it only supposed to be `one one thousand, two one thousand, three one thousand, puff?' Because that's what they did on TV."

"Quiet, I'm trying to count out fifteen."

"That's what I'm saying. You don't need that many."

Grant sighed in frustration. "Would you like to perform the CPR?"

"I can't! My mouth isn't shaped the right way!"

"Then be quiet! I'm trying to save a boy's life!"

I guess it worked, because the boy gasped and resumed normal breathing. "Three," he joked.

He got up, and we rushed up the hill to the Visitor's Center.

Pop! Someone fired a gun.

The following human scream indicated the weapon hadn't been terribly effective.

"Dad?" Cassie whimpered.

Looking fearful, Grant put a hand on her shoulder. He had this look like he knew nothing could be done. "C'mon, let's get inside."

"Daddy!"

Grant stooped down and looked her in the eyes. "Cassie, I know you're worried about your father, but..." While certain Mr. Muldoon was dead, he deliberately tried to avoid implying it. "I'm certain that he'd want you safe."

Cassie made sounds like she intended to cry.

Casting me a sideways glance, he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "Tell you what: Let's send your friend Albert to go...see what can be done while we get to someplace safe, shall we?"

The girl approached the rear entrance to the building and looked at me expectantly.

I swallowed hard. I'm just a disposable pet to them, I thought.

Though resentful of not being valued as highly as a human being, I appreciated the seeming respect, the confidence the man put in me following through with the task. Also, it meant freedom. I answered with a crisp salute.

Cassie brightened a little, amused by my claws and little arms performing the gesture. "Hurry."