Hanging up the cleaning supplies, Tristan sighed - another day at the park had come to an end. While working here had proven wondrous at first, the mystique had only lasted so long. Even if it was still an amazing job, there were days he when he looked forward to his shit being over. They were rare, but they happened.

"Oi, Tris, you done?"

Glancing upwards, the boy focused his attention on his older coworker, Cameron. "Yeah. Just about to close up the shed."

"Good. You ain't working the night shift, so I think it's about time you go home."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. Thank you for your concern. Seriously, thank you."

The Australian woman could only nod. "You're welcome. First, though, could you answer a question other than the one I am asking now?"

"Shoot."

"You one of those guys giving orientation to our, ahem, 'special employee and consultant group' tomorrow?"

Tristan nodded.

"Thought so. Listen, get a good night's sleep - we got a lot of work tomorrow, and I've heard that the big wigs will be looking at promotions for those involved in this 'special day'."

"Already knew that, but thanks again. You want me to say anything to Sean, Elise, Mike, Lin, Jun, or An before tomorrow?"

The Australian woman thought for a moment, then shook her head. "Nah, I'm good. Have a good night."

The sun had yet to complete its descent below the horizon, but the sentiment was appreciated. "Again, thanks," he said, smiling. "You have a good night as well."

XxXxX

Back in his den, Nigel sighed. Another day, another successful rescue. Yet another target in the park's crusade against extinction had been saved.

Though, as his attention fell on a list of files, that sense of victory faded ever so slightly.

They weren't bills, thankfully - the park had generous investors, especially given that there were many scientific breakthroughs this preserve could offer. Ones that, thankfully, had minimal impact on the residents. That many of these goals also advanced the park's intended plans for conservation was a nice bonus.

No, these documents weren't anything involving bills, audits, or threats.

They were potential targets for future rescues.

Nigel glanced at the mission lists for a few minutes. Then he glanced at the mirror. The man who looked back was someone with a good heart, great vision…and a great sense of weariness.

He may have proven that extinction didn't have to be forever, but Nigel was getting old. He was not the spry naturalist he had been twenty some years ago. And even then, there was only so much he could do with one park.

Though there was still a lot left he could do.

Taking his vision away from the list of potential rescues he had compiled, Nigel glanced at a photo hanging on the wall. There, Nigel saw himself alongside so many others, all smiling before the newly assembled entrance to the park. There'd still been so much work to be done, but for the moment, they basked in their victory. Though Nigel couldn't help noting how young many of them had been, and how time had taken much from them. Bob's hair had grown greyer, while Sir Winstone had begun to bald. Vincent and Ai hadn't let age ravage them too much, but Mrs. Thompson's many pregnancies and the earl's other adventures had exacted their own tolls. And then there was Wyatt, who hadn't really had much opportunity to even check in on the park more than once in a long while.

Though the team had remained intact, it was clear as day that they weren't quite the same as when the picture had been taken.

Nigel looked longingly at the picture for a few more seconds, then shifted his glance towards his calendar.

Yes, the date seemed right.

Tomorrow, it would be time for the park's quarterly meeting.

This time, though, it was the park's future that was on the table.

XxXxX

At the southern end of the park, two pairs of eyes watched as a giant swam gently beneath the waves. The mammoth reptile slowly yet elegantly approached the feeder, then surged forward, devouring a mass of squid in a single gulp. It soon circled around for another go, for that mouthful was hardly enough to satisfy its bulk.

The two humans observed the feeding for a few minutes, before turning their attentions to the papers before them. Notes were hastily jotted down, marking how the animal looked, how it attacked, and how long it fed. This process repeated for a quarter of an hour, after which the duo found that they had enough information to work with. Then, their pens fell silent as they finally took their leave. The ichthyosaur paid them no mind - it didn't even know it was being observed.

"So," asked the elder of the duo, "looking forward to seeing your brother's friends tomorrow, Elise?"

"I am, Fiona," admitted the curly brown-haired girl. "Plus, they're bringing their siblings over, which is always nice."

"I figured. Gonna be nice having some familiar faces over here. I mean, ones you are familiar with, at any rate."

"Always is."

"Hope they enjoy it here as much as we do."

"Eh, they should find something to enjoy here - this may be the Ultimate Wildlife Sanctuary, trademark pending, but we have stuff here to enjoy for everyone!"

"Yeah, yeah, no need to boast among friends."

Fiona scoffed at her junior coworker's lack of enthusiasm, but decided to let the subject drop - she had other questions to ask. "You got any guesses where Nigel is heading next?"

"Somewhere that doesn't have dinosaurs - he prefers to mix things up that way, from what we've seen. Maybe the Cenozoic. As for what he brings back, who knows - Indricotheres, Hyaenodonts, sprassodonts, bear dogs - the list goes on."

"Sky's the limit."

"It is."

"Yeah, well, have a good evening."

"You too."

XxXxX

"Heading home now, Sean?"

"Yes, Hadir. Have to get ready for tomorrow."

The Middle-Eastern man nodded, absentmindedly throwing out a fruit. Moments later, a crested pterosaur descended and gobbled up the fruit, before glancing toward the keeper with a pleading look on its bizarre face. When no additional morsel came, it made a rumbling noise, and was rewarded with a pear, which it swiftly devoured. The sight provoked a chuckle from both Hadir and Sean, who soon flashed smirks at one another.

"What're you two laughing about?" asked a newly arrived blond haired girl, clad in a lab coat that had been opened slightly to allow her some breathing room.

Momentary surprise colored Sean's face, which soon faded to an expression of warmth. "Oh, hey Cass. Just talking about tomorrow and laughing about how the pterosaurs act."

The blond nodded, accepting the response. "I see. Those are Sinopterus, correct?"

"Yep. Only tapejarids in the park - one of the creatures Nigel brought back during his mission to rescue Microraptor-"

"-Which," Cassandra interjected, "if I remember correctly, also saw the rescue of Yutyrannus and several animals from the Yixian Fauna alongside those from the Jiufotang area. Am I right?"

"Bingo."

"Yay for me. Now then, I need to ask - are Isaac and Kim coming?"

Instantly, some of the confidence fell out of Sean. "..yeah, they are."

The sole girl of the trio quirked an eyebrow at that. "Really?"

"Yes, really - they were offered a chance to join, and accepted. "So, I'll finally be able to meet them in person?"

"Yes, though I don't think they'll be happy to meet you."

"I didn't mean to steal away their best friend."

Sean sighed. "Yeah, but they won't see it that way," he whispered. Then he took a deep breath and turned his attention to Hadir. "So, what're you doing tonight, Hadir?"

"Taking my wife and children to see the Ceratosaurus - they've wanted to see those creatures so badly, so I made a request with management to schedule a viewing time. Yesterday I received the notice that it was approved and that an opening was available today."

Both Sean and Cassandra smiled at that. "Well, I think I speak for the both of us when I say that we're happy for you," said Sean.

"Mutshakaram, my young friends. "Now please, help me get everything ready for the night shift - I wish not to have any reasons to be drawn away from my children on such a special day."

"Five kids are a handful," conceded Sean. "Then again, I have six siblings, so I have no room to judge."

"Nope," agreed Cassandra, "you don't."

XxXxX

And so it was around the park as many went about, preparing for the night shift and the momentous day that was to come tomorrow, where so many factors that would affect the future of their livelihoods would be up for discussion. Of course, not everyone was focusing on the day to come - Hadir, as he had promised, was introducing his children to the type genus of ceratosauria, while at one of the holding pens, a young boy was tipping a piece of flesh over the fence into the waiting jaws of the largest predator Nigel's latest adventure had rescued.

Still, these were all over as evening faded into night, with the majority of the non-night workers deciding to turn in early. Some stayed in the workers' barracks, others took up residence in the recently completed hotels. With an uncertain day ahead, most did not engage in revelry, and the few who had snuck in some alcohol only partook in a modest amount.

Whatever happened tomorrow, one thing was certain: change was inevitable.

And so it was that as everyone else went to sleep, a few staff members checked over creatures they would be important for tomorrow, including, in one case, a younger keeper watching over Jane the Tyrannosaurus while holding onto a dog whistle of all thing.

XxXxX

The next day…

Taking a deep breath, Ai opened the door. On the other side was a table, with all but one seat already taken. Smiling at her fellow park management executives, the Chinese American woman made her way to the head of the table and took her seat.

Sensing that it was his time to speak, a very familiar British zoologist cleared his throat. "For those of you who haven't been here in a while, or at all, welcome to Prehistoric Kingdom. Your support in making our dream come true is invaluable. Now, myself and my fellow heads of staff at the park are prepared to take you on a tour of-"

"That will not be necessary, Mr. Marven," spoke an older man in a distinctly British accent - Alexander Winstone, one of the park's major backers. "We had our own inspectors arrive discreetly yesterday to examine the park. And before you ask, they have all agreed that you exceed expectations."

"Ah, I see. And thank you."

"Please reserve your praise, Mr. Marven," spoke another British man - he was named Edgar, and was Witterbane's cousin by marriage. "Our audit only examined the satisfaction of the animals and staff at the park. We will need to conduct a second examination to decide if our plans should go forward."

"I…understand."

"Thank you. I apologize, but while I share your dream, running a park like this is neither cheap nor easily concealed. Even exploiting the amount of waste the park's residents create to produce fertilizer and growing food on-site to minimize imports, this wildlife preserve is an immense money sink that people are already beginning to question."

"Generating power from renewables, which my company has assisted in the development of for this park," added a Middle Eastern woman, Salma, "also helps, but still, it will only be a matter of time until people find out about it."

"And thus," finished Ai,"the second part of this examination will decide how we will let this secret be disseminated into the public."

"I see," acknowledged Nigel. "So, when will these auditors arrive?"

"They're not official auditors," was AI's response, "but I'd say they'll be showing up any moment now."

XxXxX

The subway slowly meandered its way under the park, slowly making its way to the entrance. It was preferred that incoming park guests (be they new workers or something else) not be informed about the exact nature of the park until they were at the front gates - or was a right of passage to gawk at the reality of their new lives. Today, however, would be the first time large groups of non-workers arrived at the park, though this didn't result in too many changes of pace. Said guests were, for the most part, quiet as the subterranean train made its way to the entry station, contemplating what awaited them at the end of this ride.

Most did not equal everyone, though.

"Welcome back, people! This is Ms. Golden Fox, streaming live from the Caribbean and - no, stop, that didn't feel right."

That statement had come from a girl sitting off on her own aboard one train car, with only a few others sharing the car, all giving her a few seats worth of space. Occasionally she asked them for advice, but mostly they just sat back and watched her…well, except for the one blond haired girl who sat relatively close to her. Said girl had no idea what the blond haired, amber eyed girl was doing when she started talking to a non-existent audience for a few seconds, only to stop after finding what she had just said unsatisfying. Initially, she decided to ignore the odd ramblings, seeing how everyone else in that particular car seemed to be tolerating the absurdity. After half an hour, though, things became difficult to brush off.

Finally having enough of the madness, the blond cleared her throat. Instantly, the amber-eyed girl was on alert.

"What?"

"Hello?"

"Wha-oh! Sorry, was just practicing for later."

"…are you a live streamer?"

"Yeah. I know we had to sign non-disclosure forms before coming here, but that's only for stuff at this park, not what we do in our personal areas."

"I see. And really? Personal areas?"

"Not sure what we will get after we go through the front gates. Could be houses, apartments, cabins, or even a worker barracks. Really hoping it isn't the latter, though."

"Same here. By the way, I never caught your name."

"Michelle. Michelle Griffin."

"Thanks. I'm Lauren Slayton."

"Slayton? You by any chance related to a Hilary Slayton who ran a…what was it…Dino Adventure Camp over the summer?"

Lauren scratched her head nervously. "Yeah - she's my mom. How'd you know about her?"

"My little brother went there. Had the time of his life."

"Oh, nice. Sorry if I don't quite remember him, it was quite a crazy summer. You hear about the rumors regarding Two-Toed Jack?"

"My brother wouldn't shut up about it. So, what brings you to…Prehistoric Kingdom?"

Michelle barely kept the disbelief in her voice restrained, as if the name was some affront to her very being. Lauren swiftly picked up on this. "Name weird to you?"

"Just kinda surprised someone would name a park with that particular name. Nothing particularly bad about it, just shocked."

"I see. So, how'd you get involved with this?"

"Invite from a friend…well, former friend."

Lauren noted the discomfort in Michelle's voice. "Former friend?"

"He's my ex. We broke up a few months ago over him keeping secrets from me."

"Oh. Sorry."

"It's fine, you had no way of knowing. And for the record, I think the secret was related to this park. But I ain't gonna say more, okay?"

"Sure."

While Michelle merely wished to keep secrets, her timing had been fortuitous- an announcement informed the passengers that the train was about to stop, and that they should prepare to disembark. It took an additional five minutes to finish, but eventually, the train did come to a halt. When the doors finally opened, Lauren was the first one out, followed by the four other passengers in the car, and finally Michelle, who swiftly joined her friends in being sorted into groups for a guided tour of the park.

She did not like who her assigned guide was.

"Right, looks like there's only one person left in our group, and that's…oh."

"You looking for a Michelle Griffin?"

Tristan flinched at the question, before glancing at his former girlfriend. "Yeah. Hi, Michelle."

"You know, you got a lot of nerve inviting me here after we broke up."

"Yeah, I know, and I have even more nerve inviting Lucas, Emma, Matt, and Ludmilla here as well. Still, can we reserve the insults and complaints for later?"

Glancing at her friends, Michelle thought over her exe's offer, before sighing. "Fine. But you owe us one when you're off the clock."

"I know, and I will tell you the truth. But first, let's topside!"

XxXxX

The group soon found themselves heading up an escalator, leading them into what was obviously intended to be a park entrance. Posters filled the walls, naming all kinds of exhibits, shows, and other attractions, as well as dining opportunities and locations for souvenirs. The prehistoric theme (complete with some pretty novel titles and puns) was hardly a surprise - you didn't call a place Prehistoric Kingdom without making some paleontology jokes. Most of the new arrivals understood the references being made and indulged in a few laughs - perks of being in the know. Those who weren't, though, were left scratching their heads in confusion.

"What's this little guy named Tiny supposed to be?" Wondered a man named Wallace, one of the park's newly hired cooks. "He looks familiar, but I can't quite put a name on him."

"Probably a Leptictidium," was Lauren's answer. "It's a mammal from Germany that showed up about fifteen million years after most of the dinosaurs died out. Most people who know about it that aren't paleontology fans probably saw it in the first episode of Walking with Beasts."

"Yeah, I remember now. Thanks."

"Tiny is indeed a Leptictidium," confirmed Tristan. "Not the most well known genus, but we hope to change that."

"Good to know," said Michelle. "So, how's this dinosaur park work?"

"Hmm?""

"Well, this is clearly a theme park about dinosaurs, like Jurassic Park, so I'm just wondering how they'll be represented. Dioramas, animatronics, display screens, what are you using?"

"We'll get there when we get there."

Deciding the answer was sufficient, Michelle dropped the topic. Just in time, too - they had finished passing through the entrance and its accompanying attractions and photo opportunities, and were now at a set of safari buses, all prepped for the first ever tour of the park. Each group was herded onto a bus, with Michelle claiming a window seat as soon as she had the chance. As the last of the group settled in, Tristan pulled out a walkie talkie and hit the broadcast button.

"Are all animals in place for our tour?"

"Everyone's in position, kid. Time to wow them."

"Thanks."

Hanging up, Tristan cleared his throat.

"Welcome to Prehistoric Kingdom. Be you here merely as guests or seeking to become members of our amazing team, we're all glad to have you here. In a moment, we'll begin our tour of the park. Now, before we get started, I'll throw out a few general rules: keep your hands, arms, feet, and legs inside the tour vehicles while we are in motion, do not stand up while we are driving, avoiding flash photography, and do not feed or irritate the animals."

Some people snickered at that statement.

"Oh, and no live-streaming- everyone already signed the non-disclosure agreements, but we really want to keep what you're about to see under wraps of or at least a few more months, so do try and avoid spoiling the secret."

That provoked a few confused remarks, but no dissenting ones, which was acceptable. Taking a deep breath, Tristan nodded for the driver to get them started, while his free hand gripped a silent whistle - not really something that would help here, but it made him feel more comfortable all the same.

And thus began the tour.

XxXxX

As the bus started driving off, several internal video screen suddenly started up, revealing the image of an elderly Englishman. He initially seemed focused on a ceratopsian fossil on his desk, but he soon noticed the camera and smiled.

"Ah, welcome. I'm Alexander Winstone, one of the founders of the park you now stand in. In a few moments, you will be undertaking an experience that until now was deemed impossible: a journey through prehistory. You will see creatures that were assumed lost to time, now once more roaming the Earth."

The speech dragged on for a bit, eventually introducing Nigel and Ai, but Tristan couldn't help zoning out - he'd seen the video enough times to know what it said. Instead, his attention was focused on a set of shapes soaring through the air - the first residents of the park that this group would see. Privately, he hoped they would obey the training Hadir and his coworkers had attempted - they needed to wow the newcomers if they wanted the orientation to go as planned.

Luckily, the intro video was almost finished.

"Now, you should be moments away from seeing the first residents of the park. Now, they may look terrifying, but I assure you, these majestic creatures are not a danger. For many of them, this will be the first time they've seen a large group of humans, so they'll probably be just as curious of you as you are of them. With that, I'll leave you to the tour team. I hope you enjoy your town here."

As soon as the last line was finished, the park's logo filled the screen, accompanied by some music. Gossiping soon followed.

"Huh. Didn't expect them to claim the story behind the park involved time travel."

"Jurassic Park already claimed genetics as a way of creating a prehistoric theme park - probably would have been sued into oblivion by Universal if they didn't use something else."

"I just hope the animatronics here look accurate."

That was Tristan's cue. "Well, if you want to see that for yourselves, I suggest you look up - our first animals will be overhead in a matter of moments."

Instantly, everyone looked upwards. Sure enough, the pterosaurs were moving overtop of them. Binoculars were taken out, leading to an outburst of cries and statements regarding the accuracy of the flyers, as well as what groups they belonged to - though Tristan knew that there were exactly four species flying overhead: Quetzalcoatlus, Pteranodon, Feilongus, and Sinopterus. All species with unique traits and morphs that gave the pterosaur keepers many exhausting days and sleepless nights before they had calmed down. Some of the bus riders were particularly surprised over how colorful the pterosaurs were, which was amusing.

But things really came into focus when the pterosaurs flew right over the group and kept going, until one of them, a Quetzalcoatlus, was directly in the path between the buses and the sun. For while the group could see the pterosaurs flying in the sky, they didn't exactly have a scale for them. Most, inevitably, assumed they were scale models.

And seeing how a real Quetzalcoatlus was the size of a World War II fighter plane….

"WHAT THE FUCK?!"

"How did it do that?!"

"W-what?!"

Tristan laughed at the cries of shock from the passengers, before glancing at the driver, who simply nodded in approval. Taking one last look at the scenery to confirm that the buses had reached the target location, Tristan surreptitiously took out a remote and hit play.

Music soon started playing over the speakers of the bus, hooking the attention of everyone aboard.

"There is something missing from our world."

Everyone grew quiet as images of fossils from various museums all over the world appeared on screen.

"The amazing creatures that time has left behind."

Now those images were replaced with pictures taken from the park's various residents, not that the group had realized this yet.

"But what if we could bring them back?"

"What if extinction…didn't have to be forever?"

A couple of passengers shared glances as the buses made their way over several hills, though with nothing to see just yet.

"We're going back in time on a safari with a difference, as our wildlife adventurer team plunges into prehistory to rescue creatures on the brink of extinction."

"Our goal is to bring them back to the safety of the present, and give them a second chance."

Glancing ahead, Tristan could see they were almost at their target destination.

"Now, we would like to welcome you for a sneak peek into the success of this program, and invite you to join in achieving our dream."

As the music crescendoed toward its climax, an unfamiliar bellow filled the air. All eyes turned forward, with several widening in shock at what lay before them.

"Welcome to the ultimate wildlife sanctuary."

A mixed flock of bipedal herbivores darted out of the way of the oncoming buses, joined by a group of fuzzy rhinos, one wielding a single impressive horn, the others two.

But they paled in comparison to the menagerie behind them."

"Welcome, to Prehistoric Kingdom."

XxXxX

AN: Ok, that took forever to get out.

If this has more space than it should, the formatting was eaten by FFN.

I'm going to wait a few hours before posting my notes for this chapter, let you all have the chance to take things in. Feel free to comment, and please, do not say this was written by an AI. I can't tell you how offensive that is.

I take it as especially rude because I will be complete honest if I use AI tools for anything relating to this story.

Read and Review at your leisure! This is Flameal15k, signing off!