Tsh-tsh-tsh-tsh-tsh-tsh—
Inside the armored vehicle, Franklin ran the repellent spray down his sleeve to his arm, rubbing it in thoroughly to ensure every inch of skin was covered.
Tsh-tsh-tsh-tsh-tsh-tsh—
He repeated the process on his other hand.
The air in the vehicle was heavy with silence; no one seemed inclined to talk. Consequently, the rhythmic hissing of his spray bottle was becoming increasingly conspicuous, making him feel a bit self-conscious.
"Want some bug spray?" he asked the armed mercenary to his right. He was met with a wall of silence.
"How about you?"
Franklin didn't seem surprised. He turned to the man on his left, who simply waved him off with a dismissive gesture.
These people really don't care about their physical well-being...
Left with no other choice, he stowed his spray and sat back, looking slightly stiff in his seat.
"The T. rex is dead... right?"
Ever since they had set foot on the island, he had been visibly on edge. Unable to stand the oppressive atmosphere, he tried to strike up a conversation.
"Not necessarily," Zia replied, not looking up. "If the environment changes completely, we can't accurately predict the lifespan of these prehistoric animals. For example, a caveman might only live twenty years in the wild, but if you give him a healthy diet and keep him away from disease, his lifespan can quintuple."
Zia didn't give him a direct answer, but the subtext was clear: the Rex might still be out there. Maintaining vigilance was non-negotiable.
"So... she's probably dead... right?"
Franklin was still fishing for a crumb of reassurance, but his illusions were promptly shattered by Ken, who was busy checking the communication equipment.
"Regrettably, we haven't seen any sign of the Tyrannosaurus in the old park area. However," he looked at Franklin with a playful, mocking glint in his eye, "we did find another one in the Primeval Ecological Zone."
He set down the radio and leaned forward. "Why don't you ask about the Giganotosaurus?"
Franklin sat primly in his seat, tilting his head toward Ken. He gave an answer that was unexpected, yet made perfect sense:
"Is there actually anything capable of killing him?"
Ken's movements stiffened momentarily. Finding the response dull, he gave a dry chuckle and went back to tinkering with his gear. But the mere thought of the Giganotosaurus's sheer terror had Franklin fidgeting again.
"He can't bite through an armored vehicle... can he?"
No one answered.
The armored vehicle and the truck rolled into the old park one after the other. Ivy had long since reclaimed the buildings. The scars left by the Indominus rex were still vivid, the only constant being the gap in the lagoon fence where Carlo used to feed the Mosasaurus.
Owen gazed through the small glass window at Main Street. The day they fled felt like it was only yesterday.
Take care of yourself... take care of them...
The image of Blue looking back at him was etched into his mind. Even after all these years, he couldn't let go of those four raptors.
"Bad memories?"
Ken, noticing the shift in Owen's expression, asked casually. They had already captured two different members of the Carcharodontosauridae family in this sector; given the surrounding wreckage, he was curious about what had gone down here.
"Some good ones, too," Owen said, his voice sounding uncharacteristically distant.
Screech—
The vehicle came to a sudden halt, its tires skidding across the mud.
"What is it?" Franklin sat bolt upright, like a startled bird.
Dull thuds and the snapping of branches echoed from outside, a rhythmic pounding that seemed to vibrate in everyone's chests.
"Is it the T. rex?" Franklin asked, still obsessed with the thought. Again, he was ignored.
"I have to see..."
Zia caught a glimpse of a majestic silhouette through the window. Unable to resist the impulse, she threw open the rear door of the armored vehicle and hopped out.
"Hey! Miss! Miss!! This area isn't secure!"
Ken cursed and scrambled after her to prevent her from causing any unnecessary trouble. The rest of the team followed, stepping out to set up a perimeter against any hidden threats.
Zia stopped at the front of the vehicle and tilted her head back. Ken, who had been about to reprimand her, followed her gaze and instinctively froze.
"Aunnng—"
An ethereal, haunting low-frequency call rang out. A sub-adult Brachiosaurus lumbered past with slow, deliberate strides, moving steadily away from the volcano.
"Look at that..."
This was Zia's first time seeing a living dinosaur. Her voice cracked, and her eyes shimmered with the threat of tears. "I never thought I'd actually see one in person."
Claire stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder, comforting the emotional paleo-veterinarian.
"She's beautiful."
"No matter how many times I see it," Owen added softly, "this view always makes me stop."
"Can we go now?"
The dissonant voice cut through the moment of awe. It was Ken, reminding them that they had a critical mission to complete.
This time, the vehicles reached their destination without further interruption, driving straight to the main control center.
Whirrr…
The junction box powering the main gates was pried open. Franklin, armed with his tools, began manipulating the wiring. Compared to his previous cowardice, he now seemed like a different person, exuding an air of quiet, professional confidence.
"Let's see... find the master system, find..." he muttered to himself while calibrating his laptop. "Booting up the facility... this should work..."
"C'mon, 'tough guy,' can you speed it up? Do you even know—"
Beep-beep—
The sound of the heavy doors cycling open cut Ken off mid-sentence, drawing everyone's attention.
"After you... 'tough guy,'" Franklin said, the timid version of himself replaced by a smirk.
The interior of the building was thick with dust. Tables remained cluttered and in disarray, frozen in time since the last humans fled.
"Will the tracking implants still have a signal?"
"If they were standard batteries, they'd be dead by now," Zia explained. "But the dinosaurs themselves are the power source. Their body heat recharges the chips."
"Fair enough."
As Claire and Zia talked, Claire pressed her hand onto the biometric scanner as Franklin instructed. Moments later, the large screens flickered to life. Most of the dinosaurs appeared as unique yellow-green circular icons.
"Back then, to prevent the dinosaurs in the Primeval Ecological Zone from accidentally ingesting the chips, we didn't track them," Claire explained.
The paddocks, which had been closed, appeared to have been opened manually at some point, leading to the current state of biodiversity on Nublar.
"Bio-code?"
"D-9."
In short order, the screen locked onto a signal. Beside it were three other 'D' series signals. There was no doubt, it was Blue.
"She's there."
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