10 - Predators
The sun had begun to sink below the tree line as Fluttershy and Twilight continued on through the jungle. The sky was a vibrant palette of pinks and reds, and shafts of brilliant orange light cut through the thick canopy. Visibility was quickly diminishing beneath the trees and the pair paid more attention to where they were headed. In the fading light, danger became much harder to spot.
They had been ascending a very gentle slope for what must have been the past hour and this, combined with the tropical heat and stress of the situation, added to the pair’s fatigue. Impatience was taking hold; both of them had gone past the stage of optimism and just wanted to reach the compound. They were done with trekking through the endless jungle.
Their hopes ramped up once more as they crested the hill. Even though the view from the top was poor – a mist hung over the jungle and in the dying light it was difficult to pick out anything other than trees – they finally felt like they were making some sort of progress. One thing that did stand out, however, was a mountain much larger than any of the others in the area, one that the pair could now see in full view. It was instantly recognisable as a volcano. Just seeing the mountain lifted their spirits; they both knew that somewhere at its foot lay the InGen compound.
Keen to press on, they picked their way down the slope.
About half way down the steep hillside, something at the bottom caught Twilight’s eye. She was amazed she was able to see it through the dense foliage but whatever it was seemed so... out of place.
“Fluttershy, you see that? Down at the bottom there.”
She strained to see in the dusk light. “I think I see something, though I can’t make out what it is from up here. What is it?”
“I – I think it’s a fence.” She paused, her features straining. “Yeah. It is! Fluttershy, we’re nearly there! Come on, let’s keep going, see if we can find a way around it.”
It didn’t take long for the duo to scramble down to the foot of the hill and sure enough, as the jungle thinned out, they were presented with a fence. It was immediately apparent just how big the fence was; as Twilight and Fluttershy looked up at it, they were dwarfed. Twilight estimated it stood at twenty feet, some five times their own height. Also of note was just how strangely intact the fence appeared. It looked as if it was well-maintained for a structure that was at least seven years old, four of those apparently abandoned and left to nature.
Twilight approached the fence, keenly aware of its integrity. “The map says the compound is just beyond here,” she began slowly. “We need to find a way through – I guess we could climb, but it just looks too... new. It could still be on.”
“Um, Twilight... I think it is still on.” Fluttershy was staring towards the top of the structure.
Twilight followed her friend’s gaze and there, atop the fence, was a lit beacon. It pulsed gently, illuminating a small area around it in the fading light of day. Twilight cast her gaze along the top of the fence and sure enough there were two, three, four beacons, each slowly pulsing. She noted a few along the perimeter’s length that seemed to be faulty and not illuminate quite as well, but those in the immediate area certainly indicated to the two friends that this fence was indeed activated. They continued to watch the beacons momentarily until something else caught Fluttershy’s eye: hanging off of the metal girders some distance away was a sign. Without noticing they trotted over to it, able to get a better look.
DANGER: 10,000 VOLTS.
“Oh my,” Fluttershy uttered. “That certainly sounds dangerous...”
“There has to be a way in, somewhere. Come on, let’s follow it round! Hopefully we can get inside before it gets dark.”
They wasted no time; Twilight and Fluttershy began to trot alongside the lengthy iron structure. For the longest time there was no change in the situation as they made their way around. Most of its length was in good condition and there were no apparent breaks. Importantly, all of the beacons still flashed.
After some ten minutes of solid trotting, the pair finally came across something which stood out. Initially they struggled to see quite what had happened to the fence section they were approaching but the closer they got, the more apparent it became. Unease overtook them both, quickly transforming into a mortified sickness as they came up alongside the fencing.
“Oh...”
A large animal had clearly smashed into this length of fencing. Smeared across the highly damaged structure was a horrible, nauseating combination of dried blood and decomposing flesh, chunks of the creature packed tightly inbetween the iron girders. There was no obvious shape to any of the remains, much of the corpse now completely unrecognisable – be that due to decomposition, scavenging, or simply the sheer force of impact, did not bear thinking about.
Amidst the disgusting chaos was the very thing Twilight and Fluttershy had been looking for. There was a break in the fence. The concrete base had shattered in multiple places but the biggest fracture was a breach some two feet across – a breach big enough for a pony or two to squeeze through.
Horrified, Fluttershy hid behind her mane.
“Oh, Celestia!” Twilight was lost for words as she stared at the scene before her. She slowly approached the gnarled scene and the first thing that hit her was the awful, awful smell. The animal must have died some time ago as the stench was nigh on unbearable, not to mention the swarming flies around the remains. Doing her best to calm her churning stomach, she looked at the hole in the concrete base and quickly resigned herself to the facts. Sighing, she turned around. “I hate to say it, but this could be the only way in for miles. We’re going to have to pass through that breach, however horrible it is.”
Flicking her mane from her face, Fluttershy stared wide-eyed at Twilight, then up at the fence, then quickly back to her friend. “But – but that poor creature—” She paused, cutting herself off.
It’ll be okay, Twilight is here... I can do this...
She took a few deep breaths and shook her head. “Oh, it’s awful.”
“I know, I really do, but I don’t think we really have any other option... I suppose you could fly over? How’s your wing feeling?”
“No,” Fluttershy answered quickly. “We’re tackling this together, and – and if it’s not something you can do, then I shan’t either. We do it together.” She managed a meek smile. “Besides, it’s still a little sore. I’d rather not risk any more damage.”
With that, she turned towards the breach, closed her eyes, said something under her breath, and galloped through as quickly as she could.
Twilight stared at Fluttershy through the fence. “W-Wow, Fluttershy!... That was brave.”
“Can we move on? I don’t feel too good here.”
“Sure.” Mustering courage of her own, Twilight held her breath and slipped through the hole. She joined Fluttershy and sighed. “That’s it, we’re through. You okay?”
“I’ll be alright,” she replied breathlessly. “Just a little unsettled.”
“Yeah...” Twilight cast her eye towards the damaged fence one last time, grimacing. “Let’s keep going. I’m happy to take it easy for a bit though...”
The pair continued on, Fluttershy quickly regaining her composure. It was unlike her to act suddenly, particularly faced with such a horrid, disgusting challenge but she was all too aware that their situation was one that demanded swift actions. If she and Twilight hadn’t slipped through that breach, they might have been trotting for hours – in the dark – in a jungle filled with dinosaurs. She shivered at the thought as they pressed on, her thoughts wandering back to the fence breach itself. She wasn’t exactly sure what had happened to the animal that had died – in some ways, of that she was glad – but it was nonetheless a distressing situation. The poor animal must have suffered hugely and that alone was enough to sadden her. Obviously there was nothing she could have done for it, but just knowing something died in such a horrid manner was more than enough to upset her, to shake her to the core.
Added to that was the reason why the animal had charged into the fence and been killed. She dreaded to think what had caused it.
What had been hunting it...
“There,” Twilight said, pointing ahead. “We’ve made it!”
Fluttershy looked ahead. It was now completely dark and the dense jungle had starved the two mares of any light at all but the InGen labs were easy to see: the foliage and trees had thinned somewhat to reveal a forecourt, bathed in the moonlight. Past the forecourt the two could make out a flight of short stairs, leading to the complex entrance. Above the doorway, a great sign stood: ‘InGen Site B Command Complex’. Though they still had a short distance to go, finally reaching the compound lifted both their spirits – for the first time since arriving on Isla Sorna, they each had something to genuinely smile about. They were making progress towards their own safety; progress towards calling for help.
“That’s a welcome sight,” Fluttershy said with a tired smile. “Hopefully soon we’ll be able to make contact with somepony.”
“With any luck, yeah.” Twilight returned the smile, though equally as tiredly: just seeing their goal was enough to make her realise just how fatigued she was. “Let’s just get inside and see what we can do.”
Hurriedly the duo crossed the forecourt and arrived at the complex, ascending the short flight of stairs and stepping inside. They made sure to close the doors behind them as they entered; although they couldn’t hear any animals nearby they were taking no chances. Fluttershy stayed put by the doors, scanning the forecourt as Twilight produced two torches from the rucksack, passing one to Fluttershy. “You see anything out there?”
“No,” she replied, taking the torch. “I think we’re okay.”
With that, the two activated their torches, scanning the main entrance of the complex. Immediately they noticed that it was rundown and long-since abandoned. There was no sign of recent activity here. The hall was large but cluttered; vines had burst in through windows on the far side, slowly taking over the walls and the floors were littered with files, hardware and other discarded items once belonging to InGen.
“This is weird,” Twilight began uneasily. “That perimeter fence looked well-looked after, but this place has just been left to rot? It doesn’t make any sense...” She continued to mumble to herself as she scanned the area, failing to find anything of note.
“Here,” Fluttershy said as she shone her torch behind what must have been the reception desk, dragging Twilight from her thoughts. “This looks like it’s a facility map.”
Twilight hopped over the desk, taking a closer look at the map. “I wonder if – ah, yeah, hold on – there we go!” she exclaimed as she pulled the map from the wall, careful not to rip it. “I think it’s easy to say this’ll come in useful.” She folded it up and placed it inside her rucksack, taking a quick look around the desk. Initially, nothing stood out but as she continued her search, one panel caught her eye. It was full of switches, buttons, and dials. “Fluttershy, shine your torch down here. We may be able to get the power on in here.”
“Oh – um – we might, but this whole place looks quite derelict...”
“Yeah, but if the fence was activated, then maybe...” Twilight trailed off.
As the light hit the desk it became apparent that this one panel acted as a master controller for a number of features in the facility. There were door locks, light switches and lift power switches – a whole plethora of functions to control. In the centre of the panel was a large lever, marked ‘Master Power Control’.
She placed a hoof on the lever, hoping and willing it to work. “Here we go,” she said, and tentatively pulled the lever down. With a heavy clunk it locked into place – and nothing happened.
“Hmm...” Twilight tried again, moving the lever in the other direction.
Nothing.
Beginning to worry, Twilight tried moving it one last time. She pulled it down.
Still nothing.
“I was hoping we could get the lights on, but it’s no matter,” Fluttershy began optimistically. “We still have our torches!”
“You’re right, but I’m worried that if the power’s out here, it’ll be out in the radio room – if there is a radio room at all!” Twilight drew a deep breath, feeling defeated. She thought she heard Fluttershy say something like “of course there’ll be a radio tower” as she reached around on autopilot and picked the map out of her rucksack. Spreading it out on the floor, the two ponies gathered round.
Immediately apparent was the vastness of the facility. “This is, er, quite a big complex,” Twilight uttered as she took in the map’s scale. She’d found the area marked as ‘reception’ – the area the two were currently in – and compared to the rest of the buildings illustrated before them, it was tiny. As she surveyed the map further, it became clear that the compound was both cavernous and complicated. Countless narrow passageways criss-crossed one another, connecting massive areas throughout.
“There’s a number of buildings here – oh, look!” Fluttershy pointed towards a small area next to one of three enormous buildings. “This is marked as the ‘reserve power transformer’. So even if the main power is off, I think we could check the reserve power.”
“I – yeah, that’s a plan.” Twilight traced a path with her hoof. “It looks like we’re in for a long walk though. We need to leave the reception, find a way up to this bridge here and then we’ll enter this area – ‘Laboratory 01’. I guess we just make our way through there and then we reach the reserve power station.”
Fluttershy circled an area on the map. “Oh, here’s the communications tower. It looks like it’s on the other side of the complex.”
“So whatever happens, we’ve got a fairly long night ahead of us,” Twilight concluded with a heavy sigh. “As if this wouldn’t be easy enough after the day we’ve had...”
“Come on now, Twilight,” came Fluttershy’s surprisingly optimistic reply. “If we can make it through a day like... today... then we can easily get across this facility. No matter how big it is.” She offered a smile.
“I know, and I know you’re right. I guess I’m just getting really quite tired of this all.”
There was a pause; Twilight stared emptily at the map. All she could think of as she took her moment was sleep – the day had finally caught up with her. She didn’t feel a hot anger for Dodgson, neither did she feel the keen prick of fear when confronted with the animals that inhabited the island. There was only fatigue... and the hoof that Fluttershy had placed upon her shoulders.
“We’ve never given up before,” Fluttershy said warmly with a surprising amount of determination, “and this should be no different. We just need to keep moving.”
Twilight did not react straight away, but she knew Fluttershy was right. They’d had equally as challenging problems in Equestria to deal with and the six friends had pulled through with each other’s help – though they were in a completely different realm, the strength of their friendship remained the same.
With that she got to her hooves. “You’re right, again,” Twilight chuckled. “I’m sorry Fluttershy. I guess this is all getting to me more than I thought it would.”
“It’s okay. It’ll be okay if we stick together. We can do it.”
Powering through their fatigue, the pair packed the map away and readied themselves. With their route in mind they made their way out of the reception, aiming to navigate the labyrinthine complex and find the reserve power room.
As they passed through the first set of doors, neither of the two ponies heard the animals calling to one another outside of the complex buildings, neither did they pick up on the slender forms sprinting to and fro across the forecourt.
Outside in the darkness, the deft creatures were gathering, following a foreign scent. Their movements were sharp and focussed, moving as one. Had Fluttershy seen them, she would have instantly recognised it as hunting behaviour.
* * * *
Dodgson and his team had covered a lot of ground over the evening, moving swiftly and efficiently through the jungle. Tembo’s previous experience as a big game hunter paid off on more than one occasion: recognising signs of recent animal activity, he was able to steer the group clear of potential danger. As night fell they had stopped, adding to Dodgson’s frustrations. They had not come across a single nest all day since the attack and as such still had no eggs whatsoever. And now, Tembo was insisting they rest as travelling at night would be too dangerous.
“And where do you suppose we sleep?” Dodgson asked angrily. “We don’t have any tents, any equipment, nothing!”
“I should think that’s the least of our worries, being as though we are marooned on a dinosaur island, Lewis,” Tembo replied. “You can sleep where you like. I intend to climb this tree and rest up there, away from danger.” With that, Tembo slung his rifle over his shoulder, straightened his hat and began to climb.
“Who put you in charge?!” Dodgson called after his hired gun, who in return paid him no notice at all. With a sigh, he watched Tembo ascend. “For a miserable bastard, he knows what he’s doing.” He looked up at the tree, finally deciding to climb it himself. They’d already lost the two ponies earlier – best not to lose each other given the circumstances. “Gentlemen,” he said to King and Baselton, “I suggest we do the same. Now go get some sleep.”
He moved slowly but soon enough reached some wide branches. They were definitely thick enough to support his weight and high enough to avoid the business end of any large carnivores. Deciding this was enough he removed his rucksack and tied it to a nearby branch, sighing as he removed his hat and rested it over his face. This mission should have been quiet and slick, and so far it had proved to be neither. Just this alone was enough to annoy him. They had done so well in conducting their espionage – Levine obviously had no idea he was being observed right until those ponies had warned him. And now, some twenty four hours after they left Santa Fe, his expedition had lost a great deal of equipment, had no eggs to show for its efforts, and they’d even lost their Equestrian hostages.
“Fuck it,” Dodgson cursed quietly to himself. Still, he thought as he heard King and Baselton climbing up the tree, at least we’re all still here. True, the current situation was far from ideal but they were still able to continue. Crucially, everyone was alive and well. They still had some equipment with them, King still had his folder of notes – mostly intact – and Tembo still had his rifle and some ammo. Despite everything, they could still steal some eggs and hope to high heaven that come first light tomorrow they were able to escape the island.
“Hey, Roland,” he called.
“What?” Tembo hissed back. “You’ll need to keep it down.”
“Come wake me in two hours or so. We’ve still not yet got any eggs and our boat leaves tomorrow at eight AM.”
“Fine, you’re the leader after all,” came the reply after a pause. “You’ll be risking your life by working at night, I hope you realise.”
Dodgson didn’t reply. He’d hired Tembo to keep them safe and so far he’d done a stellar job, but this was still his mission. Dodgson called the shots; Tembo would do as he asked. With that in mind he did his best to catch some sleep.
...
...
“Lewis...”
“Lewis, wake up...”
Dodgson awoke with a start. “Whu-what’s going on?”
“Shush,” Tembo hissed. “It’s only been an hour but I needed to wake you.”
“Why?”
“We’re not safe here.”
“We’re fifteen feet up in a tree. How are we not safe?”
“Because, Lewis, we are fifteen feet up in a tree next to that.” He gestured with his head.
Dodgson looked down. It was difficult to see anything in the night but he could make out the trees thinning slightly and what looked like a large, circular depression in the ground.
“I can’t see,” he said.
“Then look through this,” Tembo replied, handing him his rifle. “Do not pull the trigger, just look through the sight. The scope is night-vision equipped.”
Taking the rifle, he raised it to his eye and held it steady.
“Oh, shit.”
“You see them then?”
“Yeah...”
The wide depression in the earth was some forty feet across and ten feet deep. The trees thinned out as they reached the edge of the bowl, the basin itself completely free of all foliage.
In its centre stood a four foot high mound, around which three juvenile dinosaurs were playing.
“Mother will be around here somewhere,” Tembo whispered. “It may look like the parents have abandoned this nest, but I highly doubt that. Somewhere nearby will be an adult. I had a look earlier but couldn’t see any other dinosaurs.”
Dodgson handed back the rifle. “I am assuming you’re unfamiliar with that species,” he said.
“Unfortunately, I actually do have an idea what these little chaps might grow up to be...”
“I need some eggs from that nest, Roland.”
Tembo double-took. “Are – are you mad? And what, do you propose we just walk in, grab some, and leave?” He shook his head. “Good luck with that.”
“Honestly, I’m not sure what we can do yet. But I can’t – I won’t – come all this way not to get a Tyrannosaur egg.”
Dodgson’s remark hung heavily in the atmosphere.
“There is no way we can get any eggs without creating a distraction,” Tembo said, raising his rifle and taking another look. “The infants will treat us as either a plaything or a walking meal, and the adults will tear us to shreds if we get within ten feet of the nest. We’ll need to outsmart both parent and child if you want your eggs. On the plus side though,” he continued, “the young Rexes are still small enough for us to be able to deal with quickly. The adults, though... They are likely to cause an issue.”
“Maybe they’re out hunting.”
“I doubt very much that both adults would leave the nest at the same time.”
The pair sat in silence, listening to the quiet barking of the juvenile Tyrannosaurs down below.
“How many tranquiliser darts do you have left?”
“...Seven. Seven tranquiliser darts and two clips of ten rounds each.” Tembo paused. “Why, what exactly are you planning?”
“You can see all the infants from here, yes?”
“Yes.”
“We put them to sleep. One dart each, leaves you with four. That’s four darts to deal with mother if we piss her off.”
Tembo drew a breath, raising his eyebrows. “Risky... But not impossible,” he said. “I suppose this is the only chance we might have tonight.”
“Precisely my thinking, Roland. This is it, you see. This is an opportunity, and we can’t afford not to take it. Finally, we might actually make some progress!... Oh – please tell me your rifle is suppressed.”
“She is,” he said, patting the silencer. “They won’t hear a thing.” He raised the rifle once more, slipping a dart into the chamber. Slowly – silently – he cocked the weapon.
“Are you sure you want me to do this?”
“Definitely,” Dodgson replied confidently. “Now, when you’re ready – shoot some turkeys.”
Tembo remained silent as he lined up his first shot. He began to control his breathing, steadying the weapon.
He pulled the trigger.
Some distance below, a juvenile Tyrannosaurus yapped once. Then, silence.
“One down.”
“Work quickly. I don’t want them to get too panicked—”
“I know what I’m doing.” He loaded another dart and within seconds fired off his second shot. He paused for a second to confirm he was on target and as the second juvenile collapsed, he loaded his third dart.
“Here we go,” he uttered. “Last shot.” He raised his rifle and sighted the third chick, which had frustratingly begun to run around much more than before.
“Christ, the little bugger’s excited,” Tembo said. “This might take a few attempts.” Without hesitation, he fired his shot and it flew true, striking the chick first time. Within seconds it was out cold. He looked up and wiped his brow, loading another dart into the chamber. “Three chicks down. Your move, Lewis.”
Dodgson leaned over to his rucksack, untying it from the branch and slinging it over one shoulder. “Still no sign of the parents,” he began. “I’m... I’m actually kinda tempted to make a run for it now.”
“If you have a death wish, then be my guest.”
“Look at it this way. All the babies are out cold. If I’m quick enough, I grab some eggs and haul ass back into the tree line – an adult might be too big to get in between the trees. I’d be safe.”
“I imagine nothing will get between a furious parent and her stolen brood...”
“Just scope the area out again. See if you can spot anything big and full of teeth.”
Shaking his head, Tembo raised his rifle once more and scanned the jungle around the nest. He was quick but thorough, double-checking to make sure he’d not missed anything.
“No sign of an adult,” he reported back. “I suggest that if you want to go for your suicide run, you go now.”
“Keep me covered, man,” Dodgson said as he descended the tree. Loading a dart into the chamber, Tembo cocked his rifle.
Dodgson reached the ground in no time at all and made his way to the edge of the tree line. He stopped, stood stock-still, and listened. He couldn’t hear anything that suggested there was a large carnivore nearby – no grunting, roaring, footsteps...
“Fuck,” he cursed under his breath as his heart rate began to skyrocket.
He took a number of deep breaths, and then he ran.
Covering the distance to the nest in no time he jumped, sliding down the bowl’s edge. He hit the bottom and stumbled, regaining his composure. It was dark, and he couldn’t see particularly well but the nest was easy to spot the closer he got.
Without really paying attention Dodgson thrust his hand into the great mound, feeling for eggs. Nothing. Feeling pressured he became more frenzied but he could find no eggs whatsoever.
It was then that a ridiculous idea hit him but in his adrenaline-fuelled state it seemed like the only alternative.
He reached down and felt the ground – within seconds his hand brushed over the tail of one of the infants.
He picked it up, and ran.
Twenty five feet up in the jungle canopy, Tembo watched the whole scene unfold.
“Christ...”
Quickly, he reached into his jacket, pulling out a discreet radio. “He’s got a Rex baby,” he whispered into it.
“Ensure he keeps it,” a voice replied. “You know what to do when the time is right.”
“Will you be sending your team in?”
“We will.”
“Understood.” Tembo slipped the radio set in his jacket as Dodgson called from below.
“Wakey wakey gentlemen, we need to go, now.”
Tembo called over to King and Baselton. “Come on, wake up. Hurry.” He leant over and shook the two men and as they woke, he quickly headed down the tree, hearing the others close behind.
As the three joined Dodgson on the ground, King and Baselton finally saw what had caused their quick departure.
“You – you didn’t...”
“No time, just go,” Dodgson replied, clutching the small infant. He started to run, the other three trailing.
“Lewis! I mean – why would you grab a baby?”
“Look, there were no eggs,” he panted. “I had to do something. No point leaving with nothing.”
“You’ve lost it,” King said. “I can’t believe you—”
The argument was very suddenly cut off as somewhere from behind came a monstrous prehistoric roar, the likes of which none of the four men were expecting. They were each stunned momentarily, but it was the sound of splintering trees and heavy, heavy footsteps that spurred them into action.
“Mother wants her child back,” Tembo called as the four men ran onwards.
A Tyrannosaur was giving chase.
“Shit shit shit! Come on!”
The four ran as quickly as they could, leaping over fallen trees. The foliage was thick but they did not slow.
“Fucking trees,” Dodgson yelled. “Why aren’t they stopping it?”
“I told you,” Tembo cried in reply. “She’s not going to stop until there is blood.” He followed behind Dodgson’s crew as he swung his rifle from his back. He checked the breach – yes, he did load a dart in earlier.
“Hurry!”
From behind, another roar – the adult Tyrannosaurus was gaining ground, and fast.
“Come on, run!”
Tembo knew they’d never outrun the giant behind them. Something had to be done. In a flash, he’d weighed up the situation and decided what action to take.
It wouldn’t be pleasant, but it was for the best.
More trees crashed as the sounds of the monster grew ever closer.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered to himself. Tembo raised the butt of his rifle and, without a second thought, struck Baselton square in the back. He went down, hard.
Neither King nor Dodgson noticed Tembo’s attack.
As the three men continued to run, they heard a scream from behind and the giant carnivore bellow. Then came another scream, itself cut off with a gurgled yelp as the hellish sounds of a Tyrannosaurus Rex killing its prey echoed through the jungle. No longer did Baselton scream; instead there were only trumpets and growls as the massive animal tore him to shreds.
They could not see it, but they could hear it all too clearly.
King turned his head, stumbling as he froze. “George... George! Shit!” He started back, towards the mortifying sounds in the dark, but Tembo had grabbed him.
“No. Keep running or you’ll be dead too.”
King held for a moment, staring back into the black. Then he turned away, and ran.
The three men did not stop for some time. They powered on, putting as much distance between the dinosaur and themselves as they could.
“There,” Tembo panted after they’d covered some ground. “There’s a shed.”
Dodgson and King could just make out the structure in the dark. They barrelled towards it. King flung his full weight against the door; it easily caved in. The trio barged inside and took immediate shelter.
“Stay here,” Tembo whispered to them. “I’ll be back shortly.” He cocked his rifle, and slipped back outside into the darkness.
Dodgson looked over. “You okay, Howard?”
“N-No. No. No I’m fucking not okay.” He fought for air. “George—”
“I know,” Dodgson cut in. “I know.”
“Christ Lewis, we nearly died. I thought we were getting eggs!”
“We were,” he said, his voice hollow. “I saw an opportunity, and I took it, and now here we are. This’ll make us rich men,” he said as he patted the sleeping baby. “But we paid a grave price for it.”
King didn’t honour Dodgson with a reply. The pair sat in silence, catching their breath.
Then, in the distance, they heard the Tyrannosaurus grunt. Immediately the pair tensed as they felt its roar. Then a crack echoed out and the dinosaur yelped, its footsteps becoming more shuffled. It roared again, leaving Dodgson and King on-edge. They listened in as the creature continued to bark and howl. There were a few more irregular footsteps, and the sound of a tree crashing to the ground. More trees splintered and cracked until finally the Tyrannosaur moaned and then there was a resonant thud.
Then, silence.
Shortly thereafter, from the darkness of the night, Tembo reappeared.
“She’s asleep.”
“Good,” Dodgson panted. “Good.”
“We can’t stay here for long – I’m concerned that all that noise might attract other animals. We should catch our breath, and then press on. The further we get from the Rex nest, the safer we’ll be.”
“Hardly much point in keeping on going,” King seethed. “As long as we have that baby with us we’ll probably all just die anyway.”
“Woah, Howard. Keep it together. We’ll make it—”
“Keep it together?! Really?” King stood. “How can you possibly expect me to keep a handle on everything when George died? And we didn’t even go back to help him! And for what? A baby dinosaur?! We—”
Without warning, Tembo leapt forward, grabbing the scruff of King’s shirt. “Quiet, now,” he hissed. “We will definitely die if you keep ranting.” He released King, and sighed. “Look. I’m sorry that your colleague met his end, but we have to keep going. We can still make it off of this island.” He crouched in the doorway, looking out into the night. “When you’re ready to move, we’ll go.”
Dodgson looked down at the infant Tyrannosaur. It was out cold but he was all too aware that it wouldn’t be forever. “How long have we got ‘til this guy starts to wake up?”
“Maybe an hour,” Tembo replied. “When he starts coming round, we’ll let him wake up fully. Then I’ll put him to sleep again.”
“Fine, but be careful you don’t kill the damn thing.”
“Don’t worry, he’ll live... It might be an idea to restrict his muzzle nonetheless. When he wakes up, he’ll probably try and give us a nasty nip.”
Dodgson placed the sleeping baby on the floor, standing up and looking around. “Far too dark in here,” he cursed.
“Use your belt,” Tembo said.
Too exhausted to think of an alternative or bite back, he removed his belt as he knelt. He lifted the tiny dinosaur’s head and wrapped it around its muzzle, pulling it tight enough to keep the jaws shut. “Feels like it’ll hold,” he said. “Hopefully when it gets lighter we can find something else to use.” Satisfied, he sat down once more.
In the silence, Dodgson shook his head. For the first time since arriving on Isla Sorna, he felt both physically and mentally weak. This in itself shocked him; he was strong of character. That’s how he was able to work his way up to the top of BioSyn. He knew he was a charismatic, driven individual, and very rarely did he exhaust himself to the point where he felt empty. Now, he felt hollow, spent. In some ways, this expedition was becoming too much; it was a wonder that he still had any semblance of a hold over it.
He needed sleep. The hour’s rest earlier had made him realise just how fatigued he was and that was more apparent than ever as he slumped against the wall of the shed, cradling the tiny Tyrannosaurus chick.
“We should go,” King said after some time. “I don’t want to sit around anymore.”
Tembo nodded, loading his weapon. “Right. Let’s go. Keep close.” He left the hut.
King stood and made his way towards the door when Dodgson stopped him. “Look, Howard,” he began. “This... This hasn’t gone to plan. I’ll admit that. But we can still pull through.”
“Sure,” King replied emptily.
“Honestly, Howard. For... For what it’s worth – and right now I understand that’s probably not much – I’m sorry.”
“... I appreciate the humility,” King replied. “But no words can make this better.”
“Yeah,” Dodgson said. “Yeah.” He stood. “Come on, we’d better follow Roland.”
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Dodgson should have watched Jurassic Park 2. Then he would have known capturing a baby T-Rex is suicide.
Twilight and Fluttershy have reached the compound! But they are no longer alone in the complex... they are not going to enjoy their cat and mouse party with the night hunters...
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Appreciate your comments (as ever, Black Hoof!) and thanks for keeping up with the story, guys. Updates still progressing! I've been writing a particularly juicy chapter as of late... can't wait to get these published!
To use a well-worn quote: "You had my interest, but now you have my attention." I'm so sick and tired of crossovers that essentially retell the Same friggin story but with a few additions. I'll confess I've done similar in the past for a different fandom, and at the time it was fun to write, but looking back on it now.....yeah.
8656283
Good thing you didn't. Remember Malcom's leg being hurt after they picked him up after the first Trex attack and fleeing from it later? He died in the first book from an infection. The old man was killed by Compies (the dinosaur equivalent of Sea gulls. They have a full name, but I don't recall what it was. They attack the little girl in the start of the second movie).
8655608
They all did. Some moreso than others.
8758073
Thanks for your comment! I echo your sentiment; so many stories are just "the same plot but with ponies" which, to me, isn't exploring the creative opportunities afforded to the writer by using both fandoms. I've also done it in the past -certainly when I was younger and getting into fanfic writing - but for this I really wanted to create my own story. So far, so good, I feel. ;)
In other news: the dinosaur you're after is Compsognathus Longipes! Crafty little buggers, for sure.
Thanks for keeping up with the story and taking the time to comment; it's all very much appreciated. Hope you're enjoying events so far and with any luck the next update won't be too far into the future!
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Appreciate your comment! Thank you. I've tried to keep it at a fairly "reads-like-a-book" quality of writing, so I'm glad you think so too. It's not always easy I must admit - there are a few passages I want to see play out later in this tale that would very much work on a big screen, but translating that into a way which works when written in prose is another matter altogether. Still. We'll see what occurs.
Thanks again for taking the time to read and comment! Always appreciated. The next chapter shouldn't be too far off; it's complete but I'm editing the hind legs out of it, and I've nearly caught up with myself with regards to what I've got written! There are a few big chunks further down the line that are already written; so I'm in the process of 'connecting the dots' in the story, if you will. :)
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Well, Dr Malcolm is a very presumptuous type...!
Indeed, Ludlow has his reason for wishing to build a dino-park off-planet as it were. Regarding the process of moving precious gems and metals across to Earth; it's a possibility indeed but all will be revealed in due course. ;)
Thanks for reading and commenting as always! Hope you're enjoying. :)
And now I'm all caught up. Darn. Now what will I read on my lunch breaks??
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Thanks for sticking with this! Appreciate you taking the time to enjoy.
Gonna be a little while before the next instalment unfortunately! This month has already been intensely busy and I think moving forward it's gonna be hectic, but I've got a good chunk of the story written as is - as usual, most of it is still pending editing. Watch this space though!
Thanks again.
8796582
Take all the time you need, and thanks for giving news!
Too many authors just stay silent, not giving any clue about even being still active, and leaving their stories "Incomplete" for months (and some for years...)
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Not a problem! I appreciate the updates are sometimes a month or two apart, and I realise it's frustrating from a reader's point of view to be kept out of the loop when this occurs. I do what I can to update but also sometimes myself need a nudge! ;)
I've actually been working on the next chapter today; it's written and now mostly edited so it should make an appearance soon. There are two things to highlight, though: 1) It's going to be VERY long, and 2) the next update after that may also take some time!
Thanks for following The Lost Ponies - I appreciate you and everyone else keeping up with this. More to come soon! :)
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It's alright. I'm eager to see what's going to happen in the upcoming chapter.
Okay, if you're stupid enough to try and raid a T-Rex nest, and then steal an infant from the nest, you deserve to get eaten. Hopefully, before you've reproduced.