//------------------------------// // Chapter 10: Admits The Ferns // Story: Friendship is Magic: Jurassic Park // by Triple B Studios //------------------------------// A sizable hourglass gracefully tips over, causing miniscule particles of sand to cascade downwards and settle at the base. The motion is unhurried yet unwavering, as the tiny grains are gently carried through the air in a flawless circular pattern. Celestia gracefully passes by the aforementioned glass before ascending the spiraling staircase, her steps purposeful and deliberate. She arrives at the balcony, which offers a commanding view of the majestic mountains' silhouettes. The sun rests just at the base of the sky, bestowing a deep orange glow upon the land below it. Its rays extend outward, reaching the city beneath, illuminating the buildings and the individuals who inhabit them. The shadows cast by the colossal stone pillars stretch long across the roads and streets, creating a path between each edifice. Ponies gracefully traverse their designated routes, their hooves resounding with a distinct click against the cobblestone road. A select few ponies carry baskets and buckets brimming with provisions as they traverse the town. The atmosphere is teeming with vitality and anticipation, as everypony embraces the day to its utmost potential. Truly, it is a spectacle of unparalleled magnificence. Celestia observes this with keen interest, her lips curling upwards in a subtle expression of delight. The ambiance of this scene remains consistently animated and exuberant, regardless of the prevailing season. Undoubtedly, this will be a cherished memory. Celestia gazes intently at the sun, gradually descending just beyond the majestic peaks. Celestia's horn emitted a radiant yellow glow, indicating the commencement of yet another night. She shut her eyes as the sun gracefully descended behind the majestic mountains, making way for the moon to cast its luminous glow upon the heavens. The celestial canopy above was adorned with stars. Resembling tiny fragments of glitter delicately scattered upon a tapestry, shimmering with unparalleled brilliance. Tonight the stars seemed to radiate with an intensity never witnessed before. Celestia was captivated by the sheer beauty of the scene unfolding before her. It was almost inconceivable that she was bestowed with the privilege of beholding such magnificence each and every day. Celestia cast her gaze downwards, reflecting upon the passing of five years since her faithful student, Twilight Sparkle, and her friends had departed from Equestria and embarked upon a journey to a parallel world, resembling their own. Since their departure, a profound silence has befallen Equestria. During the time when Twilight was still present, Celestia had become accustomed to her student's weekly correspondence. Each missive that Celestia perused contained Twilight's diligent account of the lessons she had acquired through the magic of friendship. However, since Twilight's departure to the alternate realm, Celestia has not received a solitary letter from her diligent pupil for a span of five extensive years. If Celestia were not so occupied with the duties of governance, attending to royals from foreign realms, and making visits to the esteemed White House to meet with the president, she would not object to the notion of paying a visit to her faithful student. Celestia glanced up at the moon; she wondered what Twilight could be doing right now. All present were astounded as they observed the five diminutive dinosaurs tenderly nuzzling against the velvety fur of Fluttershy. They emitted contented purrs as they engaged in this affectionate act. Fluttershy herself was utterly incredulous at the sight unfolding before her eyes. “Oh my god…I don’t believe it,” breathed the nurse. “Did… did I do something wrong?” Fluttershy asked meekly. “I’m sorry.” The nurse shook her head. “No, no, you didn’t do anything wrong, Ms. It’s just that…” “This has never happened before,” Dr. Wu spoke up. “What do you mean?” Twilight asked. “This is the first time a dinosaur has imprinted on someone else other than Mr. Hammond.” “That’s our Fluttershy,” Applejack boasted. “I… I didn’t mean to…,” Fluttershy shyly bowed. The infant dinosaurs were able to perceive her discomfort and simultaneously began to wriggle and chirp, causing quite a commotion. “Oh, shh, shh, it’s alright,” Fluttershy spoke quietly. The nurse placed her hand on Fluttershy’s shoulder. “How about we take these little guys to the next room? That way they can move freely.” The nurse said. They all proceeded to accompany Dr. Wu and the nurse as they made their way towards the subsequent room. The room in question possessed a circular shape and was entirely adorned in a pristine white hue. Within its confines, several incubators akin to those commonly employed in hospital nurseries were present, albeit currently unoccupied. The floor of the room was strewn with an assortment of rags and toys. Positioned upon the floor, with her back facing them, was a youthful woman donning a white coat. “What’ve you got here today, Kathy?” Dr. Wu asked. “Not much,” she said. “Just a baby raptor.” Dr. Wu smiled. “Let’s have a look.” The woman got to her feet and stepped aside. Nedry glanced at Andrei. “Looks like a lizard.” Andrei remained quiet and stared at the little creature. The creature resting upon the ground measured approximately eighteen inches in length, akin to that of a diminutive primate. Its hue was a shade of brown, adorned with faint stripes of black, reminiscent of the majestic tiger. Its countenance bore a resemblance to that of a reptile, with a lengthy snout and a head akin to that of a lizard. However, it defied convention by assuming an upright posture, supported by robust hind limbs, while maintaining equilibrium with the aid of a thick, straight tail. Its forelimbs, comparatively smaller in size, gracefully swayed in the atmosphere. With a slight tilt of its head, it cast a curious gaze upon the onlookers who stood above, their attention fixated upon its presence. “My goodness,” Twilight said breathlessly. A group of men dodged through the group, carrying the five dinosaurs in their arms. They slowly put the aforementioned dinosaurs on the floor. One by one they existed the room before giving their greetings to Dr. Wu. Fluttershy glance up at Dr. Wu. “Um, is it okay?” “Oh, yes, go ahead.” Dr. Wu said, nodding. Fluttershy stepped into the room. Her presence gained the six little dinosaur’s attention. One of the little lizards tilted their head, and the animal next to the sixth cast a curious gaze at the yellow pegasus. “Hello little ones.” Fluttershy greeted the six animals. Grant’s eyes widened when a shocking realization dawned on him. “Velociraptor,” Alan Grant said, in a low voice. “Velociraptor mongoliensis,” Wu said, nodding. “A predator. The sixth raptor is only six weeks old. “I just excavated a raptor,” Grant said, as he bent down for a closer look. Immediately the fifth little raptor sprang up, leaping into Fluttershy’s hooves. “Hey!” Tim was startled. “They can jump,” Wu said. “The babies can jump. So can the adults, as a matter of fact.” Fluttershy apprehended the velociraptor and cradled it in her hooves. The diminutive creature possessed a rather negligible weight, merely a pound or two. Its skin exuded warmth and was entirely devoid of moisture. The minuscule head hovered mere inches away from Fluttershy's countenance. Its dark, bead-like eyes fixated upon her with unwavering intensity. A petite forked tongue intermittently darted in and out. The other raptors circled around Fluttershy, chirping at her for attention. “Will they hurt her?” Tim asked. “No. They’re friendly.” Dr. Wu replied. “Are y’all sure ‘bout that?” Asked Applejack, with a look of concern. “Oh, quite sure,” assured Wu. “At least until they grow a little older. But, in any case, the babies don’t have any teeth, even egg teeth.” “Egg teeth?” Nedry was bewildered. “Most dinosaurs are born with egg teeth—little horns on the tip of the nose, like rhino horns, to help them break out of the eggs. But raptors aren’t. They poke a hole in the eggs with their pointed snouts, and then the nursery staff has to help them out.” Dr. Wu explained. “You have to help them out,” Grant said, shaking his head. “What happens in the wild?” “In the wild?” Dr. Wu shifted his gaze to Grant. “When they breed in the wild,” Grant said. “When they make a nest.” “Oh, they can’t do that,” Wu said. “None of our animals is capable of breeding. That’s why we have this nursery. It’s the only way to replace stock in Jurassic Park.” “Why can’t the animals breed?” Twilight asked. “Well, as you can imagine, it’s important that they not be able to breed,” Wu said. “And whenever we faced a critical matter such as this, we designed redundant systems. That is, we always arranged at least two control procedures. In this case, there are two independent reasons why the animals can’t breed. First of all, they’re sterile, because we irradiate them with X rays.” “And the second reason?” Grant inquired. “All the animals in Jurassic Park are female,” Wu replied, with a pleased smile. Malcolm chimed in, “I should like some clarification about this. Because it seems to me that irradiation is fraught with uncertainty. The radiation dose may be wrong, or aimed at the wrong anatomical area of the animal—” “All true,” Wu said, interjecting Malcolm. “But we’re quite confident we have destroyed gonadal tissue.” “And as for them all being female,” Malcolm said, “is that checked? Does anyone go out and, ah, lift up the dinosaurs’ skirts to have a look? I mean, how does one determine the sex of a dinosaur, anyway?” “Sex organs vary with the species. It’s easy to tell on some, subtle on others. But, to answer your question, the reason we know all the animals are female is that we literally make them that way: we control their chromosomes, and we control the intra-egg developmental environment. From a bioengineering standpoint, females are easier to breed. You probably know that all vertebrate embryos are inherently female. We all start life as females. It takes some kind of added effect—such as a hormone at the right moment during development—to transform the growing embryo into a male. But, left to its own devices, the embryo will naturally become female. So our animals are all female. We tend to refer to some of them as male—such as the Tyrannosaurus rex; we all call it a ‘him’—but in fact, they’re all female. And, believe me, they can’t breed.” The little velociraptor sniffed at Fluttershy, and then rubbed her head against Fluttershy’s neck. Fluttershy giggled. “They want you to feed them,” Wu said. “What do they eat?” Fluttershy asked. “Mice. But the sixth one has already eaten, so we won’t feed her again for a while.” Dr. Wu responded. “But since these little five have hatched, it won’t be an issue to feed them.” “Already have that covered.” The nurse returned to the room carrying a bucket. Said bucket carried the contents of cold, dead mice. She gently dropped the bucket next to Fluttershy. “Here, feed ‘em with this.” Fluttershy delicately sets the small velociraptor down. She discreetly glanced over the bucket and promptly withdrew her head. She covered her mouth with her hoof, thoroughly disgusted by the dreadful odor emanating from the deceased mice. She grabbed the bucket with her hooves and turned it over. The contents spilled down on the floor, piling up into a small mountain. Fluttershy watched the creatures crouching in front of the dead mice pile and sniffed at it. “Go on, it's good for you.” Fluttershy encouraged. The velociraptor infant’s jaws spread wide, revealing serrated teeth. Its head shot forward and snatched the mice’s head in its jaws. The little animal shook it violently from side to side then lifted its head and swallowed it in one gulp. The four other infants emulated its actions, each ravishing their own share of dead mice. Andrei turned his gaze at Ed Regis. “How long do these animals live?” Andrei asked, looking at Ed Regis with curiosity. “Well, some of them die within five minutes. We have lost several from postnatal stress syndrome, which we believe is adrenocortical mediated.” Ed Regis replied. “These animals are also delicate in infancy; so I would highly advise everyone here, not to pick them up or move ‘em around.” The nurse added. “it is also important that the animals here should be treated in the most humane manner.” She shifted her gaze to Grant. “But promise you that you will have every opportunity to examine them later.” Despite the nurse's promise, Grant found himself unable to resist the allure of the six diminutive dinosaurs. With utmost caution he approached the creatures, positioning himself in close proximity to Fluttershy. As he observed them intently, the smallest velociraptor situated nearest to Fluttershy, unexpectedly parted her jaws and emitted a hiss. Assuming a stance of profound and sudden fury. “Fascinating,” breathed Grant. “Can I stay and play with one of them?” Tim requested. “Not right now,” Ed Regis declined, glancing at his watch. “It’s three o’clock, and it’s a good time for a tour of the park itself, so you can see all the dinosaurs in the habitats we have designed for them.” The sixth velociraptor traversed the room, delicately seizing a cloth rag in its jaws. With dainty claws, the diminutive creature gently tugged at one end, as the other velociraptors gracefully ambulated throughout the room. The harmonious symphony of their melodious chirps and delightful squeals gracefully permeated the atmosphere. The five velociraptor infants stopped and cocked their heads when they saw Fluttershy leaving the room. The five infants clumsily followed her. Fluttershy glanced over her shoulder and rolled her body around to face the little dinosaurs. The infants halted simultaneously as she did. “Oh, no no, you have to stay here.” Fluttershy said, pointing her hoof at the floor. The infants emitted mournful chirps, expressing their distress. The fifth infant took a step forward and gently pressed its head against the softness of her fur. Following suit, the fourth infant imitated this affectionate gesture by rubbing its head against her right hoof. The third, second, and first infants stood beside her, emitting chirps directed at Fluttershy, as if beseeching her not to depart. Fluttershy smiled warmly and slowly stroked their little snouts one by one. “Oh, don’t worry. I’ll be back. I promise.” Fluttershy pulled away from the five velociraptor infants, trailing after the group that had already left the room. The infants watched the yellow pegasus with cocked and tilted heads as she exited the room. One of the creature’s chirped mournfully; they wished their mother didn’t have to leave. Strolling back towards the control room, Twilight couldn't help but shoot a curious glance at Dr. Wu. "Dr. Wu, I’ve been thinking. Just how many different species have you managed to whip up?" Dr. Wu scratched his head, looking a tad uncertain. "Well, I reckon the current count stands at fifteen. Fifteen unique species. Right, Ed?" Ed Regis nodded. "Yes, it's fifteen." Malcolm, with a hint of mock surprise, chimed in. “You don’t know for sure?” Wu smiled. “I stopped counting,” he said, “after the first dozen. And you have to realize that sometimes we think we have an animal correctly made—from the standpoint of the DNA, which is our basic work—and the animal grows for six months and then something untoward happens. And we realize there is some error. A releaser gene isn’t operating. A hormone not being released. Or some other problem in the developmental sequence. So we have to go back to the drawing board with that animal, so to speak.” He smiled. “At one time, I thought I had more than twenty species. But now, only fifteen.” “And is one of the fifteen species a—” Malcolm turned to Grant. “What was the name?” “Procompsognathus,” Grant said. “You have made some procompsognathuses, or whatever they’re called?” Malcolm asked. “Oh yes,” Wu said immediately. “Compys are very distinctive animals. And, we made an unusually large number of them.” “Why is that?” Applejack asked. “Well, we want Jurassic Park to be as real an environment as possible—as authentic as possible—and the procompsognathids are actual scavengers from the Jurassic period. Rather like jackals. So we wanted to have the compys around to clean up.” Dr. Wu replied. “You mean to dispose of carcasses?” Twilight asked. “Yes, if there were any. But with only two hundred and thirty-odd animals in our total population, we don’t have many carcasses,” Wu explained. “That wasn’t the primary objective. Actually, we wanted the compys for another kind of waste management entirely.” “Which was?” Malcolm probed further. “Well,” Wu began, “we have some very big herbivores on this island. We have specifically tried not to breed the biggest sauropods, but even so, we’ve got several animals in excess of thirty tons walking around out there, and many others in the five- to ten-ton area. That gives us two problems. One is feeding them, and in fact we must import food to the island every two weeks. There is no way an island this small can support these animals for any time. But the other problem is waste. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen elephant droppings. But they are substantial. Each spoor is roughly the size of a soccer ball. Imagine the droppings of a brontosaur, ten times as large. Now imagine the droppings of a herd of such animals, as we keep here. And the largest animals do not digest their food terribly well, so that they excrete a great deal. And in the sixty million years since dinosaurs disappeared, apparently the bacteria that specialize in breaking down their feces disappeared, too. At least, the sauropod feces don’t decompose readily.” “Hmm… I see.” Twilight’s horn lit up and grasped both her pen and notepad in the grasp of her magic. Diligently she jotted down notes in her notepad, her pen moving swiftly across the paper after she received new information from Dr. Wu. “That’s a problem,” Malcolm said. “I assure you it is,” said Dr. Wu, his smile wavered. “We had a hell of a time trying to solve it. You probably know that in Africa there is a specific insect, the dung beetle, which eats elephant feces. Many other large species have associated creatures that have evolved to eat their excrement. Well, it turns out that compys will eat the feces of large herbivores and redigest it. And the droppings of compys are readily broken down by contemporary bacteria. So, given enough compys, our problem was solved.” Malcolm crossed his arms. “How many compys did you make?” Dr. Wu sighed. “I’ve forgotten exactly, but I think the target population was fifty animals. And we attained that, or very nearly so. In three batches. We did a batch every six months until we had the number.” “Fifty animals,” Malcolm pointed out, “is a lot to keep track of.” “The control room is built to do exactly that. They’ll show you how it’s done.” Dr. Wu told him. “I’m sure,” Malcolm said. “But if one of these compys were to escape from the island, to get away…” “They can’t get away.” “I know that, but just supposing one did…” “You mean like the animal that was found on the beach?” Wu said, raising his eyebrows, “The one that bit the American girl?” “Yes, for example.” Malcolm replied. “I don’t know what the explanation for that animal is,” Wu said. “But I know it can’t possibly be one of ours, for two reasons. First, the control procedures: our animals are counted by computer every few minutes. If one were missing, we’d know at once.” “And the second reason?” Malcolm probed with a brow raised. “The mainland is more than a hundred miles away. It takes almost a day to get there by boat. And in the outside world our animals will die within twelve hours,” Wu said. “How do you know?” “Because I’ve made sure that’s precisely what will occur,” Wu said, his thin thread of patience finally cut. “Look, we’re not fools. We understand these are prehistoric animals. They are part of a vanished ecology—a complex web of life that became extinct millions of years ago. They might have no predators in the contemporary world, no checks on their growth. We don’t want them to survive in the wild. So I’ve made them lysine dependent. I inserted a gene that makes a single faulty enzyme in protein metabolism. As a result, the animals cannot manufacture the amino acid lysine. They must ingest it from the outside. Unless they get a rich dietary source of exogenous lysine—supplied by us, in tablet form—they’ll go into a coma within twelve hours and expire. These animals are genetically engineered to be unable to survive in the real world. They can only live here in Jurassic Park. They are not free at all. They are essentially our prisoners.” “Prisoners..?” Fluttershy repeated in a whisper, pain laced in her tone. Twilight and Applejack notice Fluttershy’s saddening expression. The duo exchange knowing glances. “Here’s the control room,” Ed Regis said. “Now that you know how the animals are made, you’ll want to see the control room for the park itself, before we go out on the—” He stopped. Through the thick glass window, the room was dark. The monitors were off, except for three that displayed spinning numbers and the image of a large boat. “What’s going on?” Ed Regis said. “Oh hell, they’re docking.” “Docking?” Twilight repeated. Ed Regis shifted his gaze at Twilight. “Every two weeks, the supply boat comes in from the mainland. One of the things this island doesn’t have is a good harbor, or even a good dock. It’s a little hairy to get the ship in, when the seas are rough. Could be a few minutes.” He tapped on the window, but the men inside paid no attention. “I guess we have to wait, then.” Ellie turned to Dr. Wu. “You mentioned before that sometimes you make an animal and it seems to be fine but, as it grows, it shows itself to be flawed.…” “Yes,” Wu responded. “I don’t think there’s any way around that. We can duplicate the DNA, but there is a lot of timing in development, and we don’t know if everything is working unless we actually see an animal develop correctly.” Grant chimed, “How do you know if it’s developing correctly? No one has ever seen these animals before.” Wu smiled. “I have often thought about that. I suppose it is a bit of a paradox. Eventually, I hope, paleontologists such as yourself will compare our animals with the fossil record to verify the developmental sequence.” “But the animal we just saw, the velociraptor—you said it was a mongoliensis?” Twilight inquired. “From the location of the amber,” Wu replied. “It is from China.” “Interesting,” said Grant. “I was just digging up an infant antirrhopus. Are there any full-grown raptors here?” “Yes,” Ed Regis said without hesitation. “Eight adult females. The females are the real hunters. They’re pack hunters, you know.” “Will we see them on the tour?” Twilight asked. “No,” Wu replied, looking suddenly uncomfortable. There was an awkward pause. Wu looked at Regis. “Not for a while,” Regis added cheerfully. “The velociraptors haven’t been integrated into the park setting just yet. We keep them in a holding pen.” “Can I see them there?” Grant requested. “Why, yes, of course. In fact, while we’re waiting.” He glanced at his watch. “You might want to go around and have a look at them.” “Of course. We’ll go right away,” said Twilight. “I certainly would,” said Grant. “Absolutely,” added Ellie. “I want to go, too,” Tim eagerly stated. "Well, as long as this 'holdin pen is keepin' them dinosaurs from runnin' wild, ah reckon ah don't mind catchin' a glimpse of 'em," Applejack quipped. Fluttershy remained silent, as her enthusiasm for observing the velociraptors did not match that of the others. If anything she was tempted to stay behind and wait for the other’s return. “Just go around the back of this building, past the support facility, and you’ll see the pen. But don’t get too close to the fence.” Ed glanced down at Lex at his side. “Do you want to go, too?” “No,” Lex said. She looked appraisingly at Regis. “You want to play a little pickle? Throw a few?” “Well, sure,” Ed Regis said. “Why don’t you and I go downstairs and we’ll do that, while we wait for the control room to open up?” Ed Regis walked beside Lex toward their destination. Lex looked over her shoulder, and watched Applejack veering far from her sight as she followed the group. Lex frowned and stretched a hand towards her. “…Applejack?” Ed Regis didn’t notice Lex’s peculiar attachment to the earth pony. Twilight and her companions strolled alongside the three knowledgeable individuals and the child, proceeding down the dusty pathway. The path was bordered by grass that reached up to their knees, while majestic banana trees and fig trees adorned both sides of the valley. “What do you know about Velociraptor?” Grant asked Tim, deciding to start a conversation with the boy. “It’s a small carnivore that hunted in packs, like Deinonychus,” Tim replied. “That’s right,” Grant said, “although Deinonychus is now considered one of the velociraptors.” Twilight chimed. “And the evidence for pack hunting is all circumstantial; It derives in part from the appearance of the animals, which are quick and strong, but small for dinosaurs—just a hundred and fifty to three hundred pounds each. Scientists assume they hunted in groups if they were to bring down larger prey. And there are some fossil finds in which a single large prey animal is associated with several raptor skeletons, suggesting they hunted in packs. And, of course, raptors were large-brained, more intelligent than most dinosaurs.” “Precisely, Twilight,” Grant acknowledged. “How intelligent is that?” Malcolm asked. “Depends on who you talk to,” Grant said. “Just as paleontologists have come around to the idea that dinosaurs were probably warm-blooded, a lot of us are starting to think some of them might have been quite intelligent, too. But nobody knows for sure.” They departed from the visitor area and shortly thereafter the resonant hum of generators reached their ears, accompanied by a subtle scent of gasoline. As they proceeded, they encountered a cluster of palm trees and beheld a substantial, modest concrete structure with a steel roof. The source of the noise appeared to emanate from this edifice. “It must be a generator,” Ellie said. “It’s big,” Grant said, peering inside. “They can’t need all this just for a resort,” Malcolm said. “They’re generating enough power here for a small city.” “Maybe for the computers?” Grant guessed. Malcolm shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe.” “Aren’t there any workers here?” Fluttershy asked as she looked around, trying to spot any ingen worker nearby. “Ah’m pretty sure they’re somewhere around here, Fluttershy.” Applejack said, looking around herself before trailing after the group. Twilight and Grant discerned the sound of bleating and proceeded northward for a short distance. They arrived at an enclosure housing a multitude of goats. Upon a swift calculation, Twilight approximated the number of goats to be around fifty or sixty. “Boy howdy! That’s a lot of goats.” Applejack gawked. “What are they for?” Ellie asked. “Beats me.” Grant shrugged his shoulders. “Probably feed ’em to the dinosaurs,” Malcolm said. The group advanced forward, traversing a dirt pathway that meandered through a thick bamboo grove. Upon reaching the opposite end, they encountered a double-layered chain-link fence, towering at a height of twelve feet, adorned with spirals of barbed wire at its summit. An audible electric hum resonated along the outer perimeter of the fence. Beyond the confines of the fences Twilight's gaze fell upon dense clusters of sizable ferns, reaching a height of five feet. Accompanying this visual spectacle, she discerned a snorting sound, reminiscent of a gentle snuffling. Subsequently the sound of footsteps, accompanied by a distinct crunching, grew increasingly nearer. There was a long silence. “I don’t see anything,” whispered Tim. Grant raised a finger over his lips. “Shhh.” Twilight patiently awaited, as several seconds gracefully elapsed. Flies hummed softly in the surrounding atmosphere, yet her vision remained devoid of any discernible presence. Fluttershy gestured with her trembling hoof, indicating a particular direction. Twilight shifted her gaze towards the area that Fluttershy had indicated. Her eyes widened as she immediately froze in place. A pair of large, dark eyes stared at her coldly from within the ferns. The creature remained motionless, partially concealed by the foliage. Its head measuring two feet in length, featured a pointed snout and a long row of teeth that extended back to the auditory meatus, which served as an ear. The creature's head reminded Twilight of the lizards she had seen at Fluttershy's Cottage. Not once did the creature blink or move. The skin of the creature possessed a leathery texture, reminiscent of pebbles, and bore a coloration that closely resembled that of the six infants: a rich brown hue adorned with faint dark markings, akin to the majestic stripes of a tiger. As Twilight observed, a solitary forelimb extended with utmost deliberation to separate the ferns adjacent to the creature's countenance. She discerned that the limb possessed considerable muscularity. The hand boasted three dexterous fingers, each terminating in gracefully curved talons. With utmost gentility and gradualness, the hand proceeded to displace the ferns. The foliage exploded from both left and right sides. Charging raptors swiftly traversed ten yards to the fence, displaying astonishing speed. In the dim light Twilight could vaguely discern the presence of robust bodies standing at six feet tall, accompanied by rigid, balancing tails, limbs adorned with curved claws, and open jaws revealing rows of serrated teeth. As the creatures advanced, they emitted snarls, before propelling themselves into the air, raising their hind legs adorned with formidable dagger-like claws. Subsequently, they forcefully collided with the fence before them, resulting in the emission of twin bursts of scorching sparks. The velociraptors descended to the ground, emitting a hissing sound. The entire group proceeded forward, captivated by the sight. It was at that moment that the third creature launched an assault, leaping up to strike the fence at chest height. Tim and Fluttershy let out screams of terror as sparks erupted in their vicinity. The creature emitted a snarl, a low reptilian hiss, before retreating into the midst of the ferns. And just like that, they vanished, leaving behind a faint scent of decay and lingering acrid smoke. “Oh nelly.” Breathed Applejack. “Holy shit,” said Tim breathlessly. “Bad language, bad language.” Fluttershy covered her ears with her hooves. “Oh, um, sorry. Force of habit.” Tim said, rubbing the back of his nape. “It was so fast,” Ellie added. “Pack hunters,” Grant said, shaking his head. “Pack hunters for whom ambush is an instinct … Fascinating.” “I wouldn’t call them tremendously intelligent,” Malcolm commented. A black man in overalls came running up to them. “Are you all right?” “We’re okay,” Grant said. “The alarms were set off.” The man looked at the fence, dented and charred. “They attacked you?” “Three of them did, yes.” Twilight replied. The black man nodded. “They do that all the time. Hit the fence, take a shock. They never seem to mind.” “Not too smart, are they?” Malcolm chuckled. The black man paused. He squinted at Malcolm in the afternoon light. “Be glad for that fence, señor,” he said, and turned away. The group began to walk back. “They are remarkably fast.” Malcolm commented. “Yes,” Grant acknowledged. “Much faster than any living reptile. A bull alligator can move quickly, but only over a short distance—five or six feet. Big lizards like the five-foot Komodo dragons of Indonesia have been clocked at thirty miles an hour, fast enough to run down a man. And they kill men all the time. But I’d guess the animal behind the fence was more than twice that fast.” Twilight jotted down her notepad while walking beside Grant. “From beginning to end, the entire attack could not have taken more than six seconds. The speed was astonishing—the animals were so fast, I had hardly seen them move.” “Cheetah speed,” Malcolm said. “Sixty, seventy miles an hour.” “Exactly.” Grant nodded. “But they seemed to dart forward,” Malcolm said. “Rather like birds.” “Yes.” Grant replied. “So these velociraptors look like reptiles, with the skin and general appearance of reptiles, but they move like birds, with the speed and predatory intelligence of birds. Is that about it?” Malcolm asked. “Yes,” Grant said. “I’d say they display a mixture of traits.” “Does that surprise you?” Malcolm probed. “Not really,” Grant said. “It’s actually rather close to what paleontologists believed a long time ago.” “Actually, what I was driving at was this: Is it a persuasive animal to you? Is it in fact a dinosaur?” Malcolm pondered, looking at Grant curiously. “I’d say so, yes.” Grant replied. “And the coordinated attack behavior …” Malcolm probed further. “Well, it’s to be expected,” Grant quipped. “According to the fossil record, packs of velociraptors were capable of bringing down animals that weighed a thousand pounds, like Tenontosaurus, which could run as fast as a horse. Coordination would be required.” Twilight glanced up at Grant. “The way they came together in perfect coordination. How do they do that without language?” “Oh, language isn’t necessary for coordinated hunting Twilight,” Ellie explained. “Chimpanzees do it all the time. A group of chimps will stalk a monkey and kill it; all communication is by eyes.” “And were the dinosaurs in fact attacking us?” Malcolm asked. “Yes.” Grant answered. “They would kill us and eat us if they could?” Malcolm probed. Grant nodded. “I think so.” Applejack raised a brow at the mathematician expert. “Somethin ‘on your mind, Doc?” “The reason I ask,” Malcolm began, “is that I’m told large predators such as lions and tigers are not born man-eaters. Isn’t that true? These animals must learn somewhere along the way that human beings are easy to kill; only afterward do they become man-killers.” “Yes, I believe that’s true,” Grant said. “Well, these dinosaurs must be even more reluctant than lions and tigers. After all, they come from a time before human beings—or even large mammals—existed at all. God knows what they think when they see us.” Malcolm quipped. “Wait, Dr. Malcolm. What are you trying to say?” Twilight questioned, glancing up at him. Malcolm glanced over his shoulder and stared at the fence from afar. “I’m saying: have they learned, somewhere along the line, that humans are easy to kill?” The group fell silent as they walked. Malcolm smirked as he turned his gaze to both Grant and Twilight. “In any case,” Malcolm concluded, “I’m gonna be extremely interested to see the control room now.” Fluttershy cast a fleeting glance over her shoulder. Her eyes widening as they fixated upon the towering ferns situated just beyond the confines of the fence. Alas, the elusive creatures eluded both her sight and hearing, yet an unwavering intuition assured her of their presence. Concealed amidst the verdant foliage, the predators silently observed her, their cold watchful gaze palpable to her very core. Fluttershy faced forward and quickly trailed after the group to catch up. All the while hoping the animals weren’t still watching her.