Chapter Text
Feathered fiends forced their bodies up the tree, digging into the wooden trunk with hocked claws and using pennaceous wing feathers for balance. Sammy and Yasmina climbed higher and higher, intent on using their lighter weight as an advantage. They could see the chaos unfolding on the ground; Darius was surrounded, Brooklynn lay unconscious, and the Velociraptor matriarch's foot was pressing down into Nick's back. As much as they wanted to do something and help, their problem had to be somehow solved first
"We can't go any higher" Sammy complained
The girlfriends stopped their ascend and held onto each other. The predators had slowed down, understanding that their bulky bodies wouldn't be supported by the thinner upper branches. The leading Achillobator lunged upwards, trying to grab hold of its evasive prey and screeching like a ravenous banshee after each failed attempt. Sammy blocked her ears and Yaz lost her patience
"Why won't you piss off??"
She kicked with her feet, landing a few good blows to the lead Achillobator's face. Her main target was the animal's eyes because she reasoned that would ensure maximum pain and prove herself to be enough of a nuisance for the dinosaurs to turn tail and leave them alone. The Achillobator climbed down a few inches and shook its head to regain its senses. It didn't give up hope just yet, however, and soon launched another attack. Yaz kicked down harder this time, hoping to make her case stronger. But the predator wouldn't be foiled by the same tactic twice; expecting its prey to kick at it, the Achilloator slammed its jaws on Yaz's foot with precise timing. Smelling success, it pulled down with determination.
The pain was indeed unbearable, but Yaz willed herself to ignore it. She held on to the branch as tightly as she could with one hand and to Sammy with the other
"Hold on, Yaz!!"
Sammy wasn't going to let it happen. In the last few days, she had lost her beloved Bessie, she had seen her family farm soil soaked with blood, and she had seen her girlfriend get shot at by a toxin-crazed mercenary; she wasn't going to lose that same girlfriend to some fluffy dinosaur. She focused all her strength on both her arms and pulled Yaz upwards
But try as she might, Sammy was only human. The creature pulling at the other side was almost as large as a brown bear and could smell blood. Despite pouring every last ounce of her strength into her endeavor, Sammy could see that Yaz was being pulled out of her hands. The two looked desperately at each other's eyes, regret obvious in them
--
--
The scarred Velociraptor matriarch snarled in satisfaction; the pesky two-legged pest that had scarred her earlier now lay helplessly beneath her foot. Her eyes stared at Nick's jugular; the vital organ that, if ruptured, would end the human's life quickly and swiftly. But that wasn't enough for her, she had decided. Velociraptor intelligence had a dark side; they were smart enough to feel sympathy but also hatred. They knew how to kill in a fast and clean way, but also how to impose maximum pain and agony. And right now, the matriarch wanted her prey to suffer. She was even enjoying Nick's current anticipation; she knew that the mercenary was dreading the attack he knew would be coming at any moment and that every passing second felt to him like an eternity. She was tasting his fear and loving its flavor
Her enjoyment was cut short by the loud sound of a heavy impact somewhere close by. She could see all the other raptors, Velociraptor and Achillobator alike, raising their heads in curiosity. Seconds later, there was a high pitch call and they all (including the Achillobators that had climbed after the two girls) left her alone and ran towards its source
Khan had summoned the pack
Darius had no idea what was happening but he also didn't care. As soon as the Velociraptors around him vanished, he made his way to Brooklynn and pulled her up as she regained consciousness
"B! Talk to me! Are you okay?"
"I've felt worse," she said trying to downplay the situation to calm Darius' nerves
"What did you do that for??"
"To try and help you, obvi"
"But you nearly got yourself..."
He couldn't bring himself to say the word 'killed'
"We've got each other's back, dino nerd; I couldn't just sit up there and watch, could I? Speaking of which..."
Brooklynn turned to face the scarred matriarch who still had Nick trapped under her foot. The hateful predator returned the look, saw Yaz and Sammy climb down to join their teammates, and realized that she was now surrounded. She weighed her options as to whether or not she should call the Velociraptors back. Despite having answered Khan's summon, they would certainly return if she told them to because they prioritized her orders as the matriarch of the species, but she didn't want her vendetta to get in the way of the pack's greater good. That, and she wanted all the human kills for herself.
The scarred raptor looked at the people surrounding her with her remaining eye and barked at them as a warning. Darius resisted the urge to flinch, knowing that even the smallest sign of fear would be exploited in these tests of nerve. The hand thing had failed him earlier, so he needed something else to scare the matriarch away
Nick's rifle seemed to almost glow
Darius picked it up, never breaking eye contact with the raptor while he did so. He had held a tranquilizing gun once, but a lethal rifle was different and new. Still, if he wanted to join the DFW he would have to get used to it. He would also have to get used to saving people from Velociraptors; Type IIIs in particular since DinoTracker had reported them on the mainland, and these were no Blue.
Darius aimed with the rifle
He didn't want to do it. He had loved dinosaurs for as long as he could remember and the idea of hurting one was painful to him even after everything he had been through. Having to partake in the hunt for those Troodons had been bad enough; heck having to plot the downfall of the two Scorpios rexes all those years ago had been bad enough, but now he had to shoot a raptor directly. He had to do it to save Nick Van Owen; there was no other way. The scarred matriarch roared at him, stretching her arms outwards to make herself look larger
Darius' finger touched the trigger and he swallowed his saliva
In the end, the raptor made it easy for him. She recognized the weapon he was holding and knew she was outmatched. The only thing worse than being scarred by a human was to be killed by one, and she wasn't going to give them the satisfaction. She was going to get them all; end their fragile lives in the most painful way possible, but not this time. After letting out one final bark of anger, the scarred matriarch turned tail and vanished in the jungle overgrowth
Darius breathed a sigh of relief, lowered his weapon, and proceeded to help the veteran back to his feet
"Thanks for the hand," the latter said, wiping the dirt off his clothes "That was much too close for my liking"
"Good to know that dinosaur islands haven't changed at all since last time," Yaz said
"Why did they leave?" Sammy pondered
"That loud noise," Darius explained "It got their attention more than we did"
"Good thing you didn't need to fire on that raptor" Nick said "Our ammo is limited, and we can't waste it willy nilly"
"Is that why you didn't use the rifle when we were up in the trees?" Brooklynn asked
"Yup"
"That impact..." Yaz changed the subject "What was it?"
Nick's features turned serious and everyone tensed
"I have a rather... bleak theory"
--
--
D-Caff's eyes opened to flames all around him, his rifle nowhere to be seen. His vision was blurred by the blood that leaked from a stinging wound on his forehead. He tried to reach out with his right hand and touch it but couldn't. Not because of it being in pain or trapped under rubble from the wreckage, but rather because, to his horror, he no longer had a right arm; it had been torn off in the crash. Even still, his body was pumped full of adrenaline and he tried using his remaining arm to pull himself back onto his feet
But then he caught a glimpse of them; his hunters
The head of an Achillobator rose above the vegetation. It was sniffing the air in search of its prey. It walked proudly and elegantly, like a toothed, flightless hawk the size of a grizzly bear. The creature was joined by a female Velociraptor and a quilled male one. For a split second that seemed to last for an eternity, D-Caff thought that the male's blood-red eyes were staring right at him, but when the hunter averted its gaze it became apparent that he hadn't been spotted quite yet. The two Velociraptors lowered their heads to sniff the flaming piece of rubble next to them. When they found nothing, the Achillobator signaled them to follow its lead. The whole search was so orderly that one could mistake the raptors for a professional recuse party looking for survivors
D-Caff stiffened all his muscles and used his left hand to cover his mouth, lest his breaths give away his location; his heartbeat was loud enough already. He was covered by a decent amount of foliage, but he still didn't dare move out of fear of alerting the raptors. He could see the trio of predators getting closer and closer by the second. Sweat flooded freely from his head
The Achillobator stopped right next to him. His face was inches away from the predator's foot and he had a clear front-row view of the dreaded enlarged toe claw, its tip sharper, thinner, and more curved than he had ever imagined it to be. He could hear the animal's raspy breath, a sound that he would forever remember if he managed to somehow get out of his current predicament alive. The animal's head made quick, sudden, bird-like movements while its avian eyes scanned the area. It suddenly let out a blood-curdling, signaling screech and it took all of D-Caff's determination not to cover his ears. After standing in place for a few more agonizing minutes, the Achillobator picked up its pace and walked away, the tip of its tail fan feathers brushing against D-Caff's body. It was followed by the two Velociraptors, who also missed the human hiding right next to them. They barked at each other and at other unseen raptors as they moved away
For several more minutes, D-Caff remained on edge. He was still afraid of letting his guard down, worried about hidden raptors stalking the greenery. Eventually, however, he allowed himself to relax and began coming to terms with what had happened. If the burning wreck of the helicopter wasn't enough, his blood-blurred vision, and the gap where his right arm had once been, reminded him of the desperate situation. He was broken, beaten, defenseless, and trapped in a land where everything was out to get him. It was simply hopeless, and if it were up to him, he would be content enough to just lie there and die. But it wasn't up to him. There were people out there who were counting on him to get out of that island of death; 5 of them to be exact. Right or wrong, he had agreed to the mission fair and square, and by Jove, he was going to give his all to try and complete it. Letting himself down was one thing, letting others who needed him down was another. Determination replaced the pain that had flooded his nerves, and he used his left arm to lift himself up
Ravenous jaws closed down on his shoulder and pushed him to the dirt once again; the scarred raptor matriarch had finally managed to sink her teeth into human flesh
She felt the sweet release of dopamine as she tasted the blood pour out of her victim's fresh wounds. She was biting down on a non-vital part of the body, knowing that it wouldn't kill but instead cause loads of pain. Torturing the defenseless human was all she wanted; D-Caff's screams were music to her ears. She placed her foot on top of the pilot's back and dug deep into its flesh with her hooked sickle claw. Once more, her victim screamed in agony, and, once more, her one eye sparked with joy. The matriarch slashed at D-Caff's back with her hand claws, birthing rivers of blood. Slashes and scars, just like the one that had claimed her left eye. She didn't even care that it was a different human than the one who had dared to injure her; they would all feel her vengeful wrath when she got her talons on them
There was a high-pitched roar. The matriarch's head rose, and her eyes met Khan's. The Alpha Achillobator made his displeasure as clear as possible; he had been the one to bring down the helicopter, so it would stand to reason that he should get the prize. The intimidation display was apparent; his crown of yellow feathers stood tall, and his wings were outstretched to make himself look larger. The Velociraptor matriarch, however, wasn't going to be denied the pleasure of this kill; she placed her foot firmly on her victim once more and snapped her jaws at Khan, her own intent obvious
The alliance between the two raptor types relied on mutual tolerance and respect, but, at that point, it all looked to be in the air. The two leaders were screaming at each other, none willing to stand down. The other raptors all stopped whatever they were doing and stared at the commotion, curious to know what would become of their alliance. After a few seconds, Khan lost his patience and lept towards the scarred matriarch, teeth and talons at the ready
Making full use of his size advantage, Khan crashed into the matriarch and sank his teeth and claws into her body. The two raptors rolled on the ground, their bodies obscured by dust and their growls deafening. Once the view became clear, Khan was standing over his opponent, his balancing wings again coming to his aid. He was biting down at the pinned Velociraptor, the latter clawing desperately but being unable to get past the feathery cover that protected her opponent. At last, the matriarch resorted to kicks instead, and her sickle claw was able to pierce Khan's skin and wound it. The latter jumped into the air and landed a couple of feet away. The matriarch then pressed her advantage and lunged at the still recovering Achillobator, managing to bite his face. She twisted her head from side to side, allowing her teeth to cut deeper, and when she pulled back, she had torn off part of Khan's lips. It was a heavy blow, but when the larger raptor's claws came down on her, she was forced to retreat
The two leaders were panting and staring at each other, looking to see if the other was going to make another move. The matriarch knew she was unable to defeat her larger, bulkier opponent, and was hoping that her show of aggression would prevent a fatal fight. Khan, for his part, recognized and respected his opponent's skill and found her temper useful; it had been one reason why the two species had opted to cooperate in the first place. It would be unwise to have it all go to waste because of a single kill. On the other hand, however, Khan wasn't used to being denied what he believed to be rightfully his
And then he saw it; the solution to their dilemma where they could have their cake and eat it too
Among the burning wreckage, there lay D-Caff's severed right arm. Khan ran up to it, picked it up with his mouth, and glanced at the matriarch, almost daring her to attack, but could read nothing but understanding in her eyes; the two of them had reached a compromise, and the alliance between the two species was still very much alive. The matriarch stared on as Khan walked away with his trophy. Having protected her self-given right to enjoy the pleasure of this kill, she turned her attention to her victim and...
...it was gone; D-Caff was gone. He had used the fighting to slip away unnoticed.
Khan noticed her distress as he peeled flesh away from his meal's bones but did nothing. The scarred matriarch knew too well this was her fault, and the only thing that kept her relatively sane was the fact that she was able to pick up her victim's scent, meaning that all was not yet lost
--
--
There was an uneasy and awkward silence. Nick didn't have to explain his 'bleak theory' because everyone already knew what it was, and they couldn't find any fault in it even though they wanted to
"So we're stuck here" Sammy concluded
"It would appear so, yes," Nick said
"Of course we are," Yaz complained "Why did we think this instance would be any different"
Darius' natural ability for leadership was still very much intact and manifested itself once again in a tight spot
"Guys, I get that it's bleak," he began "but now that we're here, we might as well fulfill the mission that brought us to it"
Brooklynn backed him up
"He's right. Nothing's changed; we gotta know what's going on this island"
"Plus," Nick added "Once we get to the main facility, we could use its communications to call for transport"
"Exactly," Darius said "Us completing our mission and us getting away are now closely linked"
"Of course," Sammy admitted "I still ought to know who unleashed those terrible creatures on my farm"
"I guess" Yaz exhaled
The two of them locked eyes, looking for the other's approval; they both found it
"We can't go back now," Brooklynn said while she bent over to pick up a wing feather from one of the Achillobators "If anything, now we've got even more questions than before"
The feather caught Nick's interest; he had never seen anything like that on a dinosaur, neither on Site B or the mainland
"What did you say those raptors were?" he asked Darius
"Achillobators; Late Cretaceous Mongolia"
"And here I thought we had our hands full enough with regular old Velociraptors. Have you ever seen one before?"
"Never; Ingen never bred their species, plus they look nothing like Ingen clones"
"How do you know that if they never bred them?" Sammy wondered
Darius took the feather from Brooklynn's hands
"Because of this. Complete coverage of feathers, including advanced pennaceous ones on their wings. Ingen could never replicate them because the reptilian DNA used to fill in the gaps of their genome would override some ancestral traits"
"Like feathers?"
"Exactly"
"Never imagined dinosaurs looking like that" Yaz confessed
"We've known about it for decades now," Darius explained "The likes of Dr. Grant first put forward the idea that dinosaurs had more in common with birds than with reptiles, and later on we found direct fossil evidence of it. Ingen and Masrani, however, the best they got was quilling on male Type III Velociraptors and some light fuzz on certain Dimorphodons, but nothing quite like this"
"So if the Troodons were this company's failed first attempt, we now know they managed to get it right eventually; to the point of going beyond what Ingen was capable of" Brooklynn theorized
"You were right back in Sammy's farm about Malcolm's quote; genetic power truly has been unleashed"
"Great" Yaz said sarcastically "Can't wait to see what else they come up with"
"One thing I don't understand," Sammy added "If those Troodons were a failed first try and they managed to perfect their game in the end, then why keep them around? Why not hide your shame? Even Dr. Wu had the Scorpios rex locked away in some lab, not running around freely"
"Maybe they broke out?" Darius suggested, but he didn't sound exactly convinced. He had to admit he'd never pondered that particular question before
"Maybe there was a deadline involved where they had to deliver a set number of species before a certain point in time and couldn't afford to axe any" Brooklynn weighed
"More and more questions," Nick said, putting an end to the discussion "And there's only one place where we could find any possible answers for them"