"Hey, hey, hey! Why is this shipment still sitting here?! Dennis?! What the hell are you doing?!"
At a major American shipping port, a foreman-type worker was aggressively pressuring an employee who was slacking off on the job to move cargo containers. The latter, however, seemed to have his own unique perspective on the situation.
"Jim? Oh, come on! Just let the damn job go to hell! It's the end of the world! A single dinosaur just flattened five cities in a row! Five!"
The dinosaur he was referring to was, naturally, Carlo. But Carlo hadn't actually destroyed any cities; he had merely happened to pass through them. At most, there was just a tiny bit of unavoidable collateral damage along the way. Yeah, let's go with that.
The foreman didn't believe a single dinosaur could possibly be capable of that much damage anyway, assuming it was just another case of unscrupulous media outlets fabricating fake news to farm clicks. He roared furiously:
"Oh, my God! Look at you, you lazy, good-for-nothing bum! Today, I don't care if it's the end of the world or if Satan himself shows up, you are getting to work!!!"
The foreman transformed into a literal demon of middle management, completely failing to notice the sudden panic rippling through the rest of the dockworkers.
"Jack? You're supposed to be up in the gantry crane right now! Leaving your post without permission means a dock in your—"
"I quit!"
The worker named Jack dashed past him toward the safety of the indoor offices. Finally sensing that something was terribly wrong, the foreman began scanning his surroundings.
"Oh, shit!"
Heavy thudding footsteps...
Aside from the heavy, crushing impacts against the concrete, Carlo made almost no sound at all. He was unnaturally quiet for a dinosaur.
He moved steadily along the edge of the docks, his eyes sweeping across the vessels moored at the berths.
Too small... too small... too small... still too small.
With his attention entirely fixed on the ships, Carlo accidentally clipped the cables of a gantry crane. Acting on pure reflex, he snapped his jaws shut to retaliate! The entire massive crane structure began to buckle and collapse!
Uh... my bad?
Carlo chuffed a soft rumble to himself, stepping clean over the crumpled wreckage of the crane and continuing on his way.
Ahead of him, a large semi-truck was speeding away, its driver letting out a faint, utterly broken wail.
"Don't come over here! Why me?! Out of everybody, why is it always me?!"
So you're just going to flee in a perfectly straight line without turning at all, huh?
Carlo didn't pay the truck any mind, continuing along his chosen path. But even when he reached the absolute end of the pier, he still hadn't found a single suitable vessel.
This was merely a private corporate port; none of the ships here possessed the displacement required to bear his immense weight. If he wanted to cross the Atlantic Ocean alive, he would need a vessel at least on par with the ones used by the Lockwood rescue operation.
The sky gradually deepened into shades of crimson as the evening glow set the clouds ablaze. Carlo slowed his pace, stopping at the water's edge to watch the sun dip below the horizon, taking a gentle sniff of the air.
Exhalation...
With a soft snort, Carlo calmed his frayed nerves.
The scent of Giga Dad and the others had vanished entirely from the local air currents. Judging by the final trajectory of the scent trail he had gathered, they were somewhere far across the open ocean.
But that was fine. He would find them.
Carlo lowered his posture and resumed his sprint along the coastline, searching for the next major harbor.
Insects chirping...
The nocturnal forest held a bizarre, eerie stillness. Due to the time zone difference, it was already midnight here at the BioSyn headquarters nestled within the Dolomites.
The Giga family had chosen to temporarily settle down in the valley stream meadow. Katyusha crouched on the grassy bank beside the flowing water, her pupils reflecting the crescent moon as she listened intently to the subtle shifts in her environment.
How is our oldest doing right now?
Heavy, rhythmic breathing...
Kafka's steady respirations shifted slightly. She blinked her eyes open and pushed herself up, carefully stepping around the slumbering forms of Dad and Karl to take her place right next to Katyusha.
Having finished her daytime rest, she was ready to take over the night watch. After all, the darkness was her true domain.
The two apex predators didn't make a sound, but Katyusha instantly understood her sister's intent. Without standing on ceremony, she lowered herself to the ground to rest.
She was exhausted, and they had an entirely unfamiliar territory to hunt in come morning.
A bitter wind howled through the treetops, the heavy accumulation of snow bending the branches low. Two dark silhouettes, one large, one small, slipped through the winter forest. Aside from a few light sprays of white powder, they moved with absolute stealth.
Owen's cabin stood solitary amid the snow-covered woodlands. There were still a few hours left before dusk, but the interior of the house was completely empty.
Well, that wasn't entirely accurate. Maisie was just outside, gathering a fresh stack of firewood and preparing ingredients for dinner.
Owen was currently collaborating with the Department of Fish and Wildlife, dedicating his time to maintaining the ecological balance of wild dinosaurs. The herd of Parasaurolophus that usually frequented the area near his home had suddenly vanished, and he had gone to assist in the investigation, meaning he would be home late.
Claire was currently operating much like a private investigator; she had locked onto an illegal dinosaur breeding facility and was executing a covert infiltration operation tonight. She likely wouldn't return until midnight, or perhaps even tomorrow.
For most teenagers, having their parents out of the house would be a cause for celebration, but Maisie found it incredibly difficult to muster up any joy.
People were actively hunting her... but why? Just because she was a clone? If she was a clone, what truly made her any different from anyone else?
She had far too many questions that demanded answers, a heavy burden that was bound to make a fourteen-year-old girl feel deeply frustrated.
"Aok—"
Not far from the wooden cabin, Delta poked her head out from the thick brush, letting out a soft, low rumble to signal her companion.
Wait... companion? What companion could she possibly have?
Looking down, a miniature version of a Velociraptor, looking exactly like Blue, emerged from the bushes, her tiny body completely concealed beneath the deep green foliage.
"Aok!"
The infant responded with a distinct note of excitement.
Maisie caught the rustling in the undergrowth and turned sharply toward the source of the noise, but she couldn't spot anything out of the ordinary.
The calculating Delta instantly dropped flat against the snowy earth, directing a soft hiss toward the hatchling.
Purr...
You go distract the human. I'm going to go find the good stuff.
The little raptor nodded obediently. She had no idea what her Aunt Delta was planning; she only knew that the little square box in their nesting grounds that used to make human noises was broken.
Though, she hadn't exactly reported to her mother before slipping out. It should be fine, right?
With a gentle nudge from Delta, the small Velociraptor stepped out of the tree line, appearing directly in Maisie's line of sight.
"Oh, my God..."
Perhaps because the little creature had appeared so suddenly, Maisie gasped in pure shock.
"Are you... Blue's baby? No, that can't be right. All three of the original raptors were female."
Maisie checked her surroundings with high vigilance. Once she was absolutely certain there wasn't a fully grown raptor lurking nearby, she grabbed a sausage meant for Owen's dinner and slowly coaxed herself closer.
"You look so much like her... Beta?"
Maisie instinctively used the second letter of the Greek alphabet to name the little raptor, essentially intending it to mean "Blue Two."
Beta was visibly hesitant at first, but the irresistible allure of the sausage won out. She hopped forward, snatched her grandpa's dinner right out of Maisie's hand, and swiftly darted back.
"Aok!"
Blue's commanding call suddenly echoed through the forest. Beta swallowed the sausage in one gulp, tilted her head to listen, and immediately turned to sprint back toward their territory.
Maisie watched Beta's retreating figure, entirely dazed.
"Aok!"
Huh?
Delta, who was currently trotting back with a brand-new radio clamped firmly in her jaws, felt a sudden prickle of unease. Why did the alpha's call sound so unsettlingly pleasant all of a sudden?
And that shout seemed explicitly directed at her... she was incredibly unaccustomed to this level of politeness.
Reaching the clearing by the abandoned school bus, Delta found Beta seemingly recounting her adventure to Blue. The next second, Blue turned a terrifying, predatory glare directly onto her.
Delta instantly realized why her alpha had sounded so pleasant... and Beta, you absolute traitor!!! Echo, save me!!!
"Aunnng-roar—"
Thud!
Before Delta could even drop the radio, Blue tackled her squarely to the ground, eliciting a series of miserable, high-pitched shrieks.
Beta watched the scuffle with innocent curiosity, wondering what game they were playing, but Aunt Echo gently stepped into her line of sight, nudging her safely into the interior of the school bus.
Be good, sweetie. Children shouldn't watch this.
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