"Don't bite me! You beasts! Don't— AHH!"
In the Control Room, the feeds from the ACU body cameras went dark one by one. Once lethal force was authorized, the systems were designed to simulate a power failure to avoid recording potential liability.
The staff could only track the situation through the comms channel and the employees' vitals monitors.
Beeeeeeeeeeeep—
As the last transmission cut out, the final trooper's EKG flatlined into a steady red streak.
"Oh, God..." Lowery's colleague, Vivian, whispered, her voice trembling.
Masrani pressed his palms together and closed his eyes, appearing to offer a silent prayer for the dead.
"Team 4, are you there?"
The Primeval Ecological Zone monitors were the first to snap back to reality. They had no time for prayers; every second spent mourning was a second that invited more casualties.
"...We're here."
The Captain of Team 4 stood at the threshold of the shattered Northeast Gate of the Primeval Ecological Zone. This was the very spot where the Indominus rex had first breached containment to enter the valley.
"She's heading your way. Other teams are converging on your position for support."
"Copy."
The Captain was a man of few words, his speech clipped and rapid with tension. He took a deep breath and turned to his squad. "We're on our own."
A heavy silence fell over his team. That message meant the scout units had failed, likely wiped out to a man. As for "support"? The monitors could pinpoint which gate the Indominus was running toward; if she was that close, no one was getting there in time to help.
"Glad to have worked with you guys. Hope I don't run into a boss this braindead in the next life. Let him spend eternity with that beast," one trooper said, hopping off the transport and checking his specialized weapon.
"Your comms are still open," someone whispered.
"I know."
He looked back and flashed a grin at the man who warned him, a smile of someone who had already made peace with the end.
"Lethal rounds are authorized from this point forward," a new voice crackled over the radio. The Captain of Team 4 recognized it: the CEO.
He instinctively looked toward the trooper who had just insulted Masrani, only to find the man had vanished.
"Wooo-hoo! Long live the boss! Boss is the best!"
The trooper had somehow teleported back into the truck and jumped out again, this time clutching a flamethrower. The pilot light at the nozzle flickered eagerly.
Suddenly, the ground began to vibrate violently, as if they were standing in the middle of a stampede.
"Wait... this isn't right."
A herd of Triceratops burst through the foliage, flattening the brush as they thundered toward the gate.
"Fallback! Get back!"
Moments later, a vehicle was side-swiped and tossed aside. The Triceratops surged out of the Primeval Ecological Zone, and the Indominus rex used them as living shields, trailing behind the herd as if she were merely stalking them.
"Containment failed. Repeat, containment failed."
The Captain of Team 4 had been struck by a flying vehicle; his consciousness was fading, but he forced himself to report.
"Where did a herd of Triceratops come from?! Did you not monitor them?!" the flamethrower trooper screamed into his radio. He never expected to lose because of a lack of intelligence.
The monitors were, after all, just temporary conscripts. Detecting the Indominus and mapping her path was already a feat; they hadn't had the bandwidth to track every other dinosaur in the valley.
"Is everyone okay?"
Seeing no response from Control, the trooper stopped his futile rage and began checking his teammates.
"Captain is out, but he's stable."
"Jack has a head injury! We need a medic!"
"Where's the medic?! Where did he go?!"
In the distance, the Indominus snatched up a straggler who had been too slow to hide. She treated him like a Snickers bar, snapping him up mid-stride.
I can't stay in this zone for now. There are three high-threat organisms here, she thought.
Maybe I should check the south side of the island? There's plenty of thermal signatures there.
Cough, cough...
The burning sensation in her throat hadn't fully subsided. She couldn't help but let out a dry rasp.
I need to find a way to kill that guy first.
…
The sound of chaotic movement through the forest startled Zach and Gray.
"Do you think it's here?" Zach asked, looking uneasily into the jungle. He saw the growing terror in his younger brother's eyes and immediately corrected himself. "I mean, it's definitely not here, right? We're safe."
He pulled the battery box from a rusted, abandoned vehicle and handed it to Gray, using the distraction to stave off the boy's panic. "Here, take this. You're much stronger than me."
A short while later, they hauled the battery back to the old park garage and swapped it into a derelict Jeep. Zach tightened a bolt and checked the connections before looking at his brother in the driver's seat.
"Okay. Give it a try."
Gray leaned down and turned the key.
Vroom… vroom…
The engine roared to life. After years of abandonment in the ruins of the old park, the Jeep Wrangler breathed once more.
"Whoa!" The brothers cheered in unison.
Suddenly, the bushes at the edge of the clearing rustled.
Both boys froze. Gray smartly killed the engine and scrambled out to hide behind the vehicle. Zach grabbed a crowbar and joined him.
"Zach? Gray? Is that you?"
"Aunt Claire!"
Gray relaxed instantly and sprinted toward her.
"Oh, thank heaven! What happened? Are you hurt? Where did you go? Why didn't you come back?" Claire knelt to hug Gray, firing off a barrage of questions while checking him for injuries.
Owen slowly approached, lowering his rifle and slinging it behind his back.
"I was so worried about you."
Claire finished inspecting Gray and moved to Zach, but the older boy beat her to the punch.
"Who's that?"
Claire glanced back at Owen, hesitated for a second, and said, "A colleague."
She noticed that both boys were fixated on Owen. Perhaps it was his rugged build or the security provided by the rifle on his back, but the boys' respect for him seemed to spike instantly.
Like most social animals, humans either seek protection from the strong or strive to become strong themselves when faced with danger.
Owen gave the boys a short, silent nod, maintaining a stern expression. He figured these two were the "handful" type; a bit of adult authority might make them more compliant during the extraction.
"We fixed this Wrangler. We can use it to get out of here."
Owen's "tough guy" facade nearly cracked. These kids fixed this antique?! He'd heard an engine, but he never dreamed it was their handiwork. He took it back—he respected capable "problem children." He'd been one himself.
"You guys are amazing," Claire praised, ushering the boys into the car. She only felt truly at ease once she saw them buckle their seatbelts.
She hopped into the passenger seat and turned to Owen, who was already at the wheel. "Where are we going?"
Owen checked the gauges and studied the old map attached to the dashboard. "The fuel is low. We have to bypass the Primeval Ecological Zone and the Gyrosphere area to get back to our vehicle. Then, we head for the Main Hub."
In case the boys didn't realize the gravity of the situation in the valley, he added one thing:
"It isn't safe back there."
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