"Roxie here."
Roxie, the lead counselor for Camp Cretaceous, answered the radio mounted on the dashboard of their rugged transport vehicle.
"Bring the kids back. Repeat: weather conditions. Bring the kids back now."
Roxie leaned out slightly to glance at the sky. It was indeed heavy with dark clouds, but it hadn't reached the point of canceling activities yet. "No emergencies, right?"
"None!"
The voice on the other end belonged to a worker herding the dinosaurs up ahead, but it was trembling—he sounded anything but "fine." She traded a look with her assistant, Dave, in the passenger seat; both saw the same flicker of worry.
Putting the safety of the kids first, she floored it, pulling ahead to intercept the gyrospheres.
Dave smoothly opened the door, without stepping out, and stood up to lean out of the cabin. He forced a wide, cheery grin for the kids. "Hey, everyone! Change of plans. Storm's rolling in, so we're heading back to camp. Fun, right?"
As he spoke, he kept glancing nervously toward the dinosaur herd, watching for any sign of a sudden outbreak.
"Aww, man!"
"Are you serious?!"
The teenagers stepped out of their gyrospheres, voicing their loud complaints. Dave, struggling to manage the crowd, could only mutter vaguely, "Hey! Don't blame me, blame the storm."
"A little rain isn't going to stop us, is it?" Darius, the resident dinosaur enthusiast, wasn't about to give up his chance for a close encounter. He stepped forward to plead his case. "When are we ever going to get another chance to drive alongside a herd?" His voice was soft, carrying the weight of a dream slipping through his fingers.
"Sorry, not this time," Dave said, uncharacteristically firm.
"But Dave, I believe that under your and Roxie's brilliant leadership—"
"This is not up for negotiation."
Darius tried to push further, but Roxie leaned forward from behind Dave, her face calm but her tone final, killing his hopes instantly. She glanced at the radio, still worried about the ground team. She took a deep breath and addressed the group.
"I want you to drive these gyrospheres back to camp. We can come back out tomorrow. Dave and I have other work to attend to. Stay at camp, stay out of trouble. Understand?"
"Fine," Darius sighed, dejectedly climbing back into his seat.
Roxie exhaled. Being the "bad guy" in the eyes of kids was never easy. Once Dave shut the door, she slammed the car into gear to follow the herd. Picking up the radio, she asked:
"Kids are safe. Tell me what's happening. I'm coming to extract you."
A moment later, the reply crackled through:
"Threat Level 3. Dinosaur asset out of containment."
Roxie visibly stiffened. "Threat Level 3" was a terrifying phrase, especially within the context of the Primeval Ecological Zone.
"Which Level 3? A herbivore?" she asked, desperate for a better answer.
"Asset 3, the Giganotosaurus. He's breached the gate. No casualties yet, but he's heading straight for the herd. Helicopter support has been requested."
The voice on the radio shook. So did Roxie's hand on the steering wheel.
…
Teenagers are naturally rebellious; they often act without considering the consequences.
"Come on, guys. Are we really just going to go back? We could follow from a distance, just a peek. It'll be fine," Darius urged.
"You heard Roxie. Cool it," Brooklynn said, her eyes never leaving her phone screen.
"Ahem... I don't think there's anything in Jurassic World more 'viral' than a close encounter. Your followers might love it," Darius said, expertly hitting her weak spot.
Brooklynn stopped typing. Her eyes lit up as she looked at Darius. Everything was understood without a word.
"You're going to follow them? I don't think that's a good idea," Sammy warned from another gyrosphere. Coming from a ranch, she knew how dangerous spooked animals could be. Roxie's order to retreat meant something was wrong with the livestock.
But Yasmina, her co-pilot and an adrenaline-loving athlete, made the choice for her, following Darius without hesitation.
In the final gyrosphere, Ben, a delicate soul, tried to refuse his thrill-seeking partner, Kenji. "No! Don't even think about it! I am absolutely not—"
"Great, I'm driving."
"AAAAAHHH!"
Kenji didn't wait for him to finish, grabbing the stick and following Darius's lead.
…
"Why have they stopped?" Dave asked, looking at the stalled herd with growing anxiety. The plan was to pivot the dinosaurs away from the incoming threat.
"Because he's here," Roxie said, her face pale.
"ROAAAR—!"
The next moment, a roar pierced the sky, drowning out the thunder.
"Aunnng—!"
The herbivores were paralyzed with fear. They had no way to counter an opponent this massive. Some began to bolt, while others huddled near the slow-moving Brachiosaurus.
Carlo's goal was simple: scatter the herd. However, he was nearly finished with the Diplodocus carcass back home. Taking a Brachiosaurus back as a main course didn't seem like a bad idea, as he hadn't tasted one yet.
"ROAR—!"
He trotted toward the herd, letting out deep, guttural barks. He moved to the left of the Brachiosaurus, roaring to scatter the smaller dinosaurs, then circled around the back to repeat the process on the right.
Quickly, the Brachiosaurus was isolated. Carlo didn't bite yet; this wasn't a good spot for a meal. He needed to drive the long-neck back into the Primeval Ecological Zone.
"Off-road 5! It's too dangerous! Watch your left!" Roxie yelled, trying to steer her vehicle to keep the herbivores from stampeding wildly, while Dave reported positions to the team.
"Gyrosphere 1, watch out... Gyrosphere?!" Roxie's face twisted in fury. "Those damn kids!"
Suddenly, a panicked Sinoceratops failed to dodge Roxie's vehicle, slamming its horns directly into the side. After a dizzying spin, the car crashed into a tree, nearly totaled.
"Oh my god! It's Asset 3! The Giganotosaurus! I've watched him grow up! He's the most popular dinosaur in the Primeval Zone! He broke the record for Giga size limits!" Darius sounded like a fan meeting a superstar, words tumbling out in excitement.
"I know! My feed was flooded with him before I even got here!" Brooklynn added, finally sharing Darius's enthusiasm.
Ahead of them, Carlo was expertly herding the Brachiosaurus toward the zone's perimeter.
"Darius, watch your right!" Sammy screamed from the sphere behind them.
"Whoa!" A Sinoceratops grazed Darius's gyrosphere as it bolted past.
He looked back at Carlo, who still hadn't delivered a killing blow to the Brachiosaurus, and it clicked.
"Roxie! Roxie, are you there?" He pressed his comms.
"You little—" Roxie looked up from the deflated airbag. Beside her, Dave was bleeding slightly from a cut on his forehead.
"Hey, Roxie! I watch the Primeval livestreams all the time. I know Asset 3. He likes to drive prey to a specific spot before the kill. I think he's trying to herd that Brachiosaurus back into the zone!"
Roxie ripped away the airbag, watching the chaos around her. They couldn't keep this up. If the Giga really wanted to go home, that was the best-case scenario.
"You brat... I'm trusting you one last time." She grabbed the fallen radio and switched channels. "This is Camp Cretaceous. Asset 3 is returning to the Primeval Ecological Zone. Open the gate!"
"Are you sure?!"
"Do you want him staying out here?!"
There was a moment of silence, followed by the heavy mechanical groan of the gate opening. "I hope you're right."
…
Carlo had been wondering how he was going to get the Brachiosaurus through the gate, but the humans were surprisingly perceptive. They opened it right up for him.
Very polite.
Whir-whir-whir...
A helicopter finally arrived on the scene, its crew looking down at the wreckage in disbelief. "Good god..."
"Do we dart him?" a burly, muscular man with a sniper rifle asked the pilot.
"No. The Giganotosaurus is already back in his paddock. The rest are just herbivores. We secure the survivors first, then sedate the strays."
———————
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