Gyrosphere Valley, Border of the Primeval Ecological Zone.
"Hey, Bob, you done yet?"
"Hold on, Jason. There's a Triceratops here with a suspected case of avian pox. Dammit, I could've sworn she was vaccinated last time."
Aboard a Jurassic World patrol vehicle in the classic blue-and-white livery, two men, one fat, one thin, were making their rounds through the Gyrosphere Valley dinosaurs.
Their names, however, felt a bit mismatched.
In most people's minds, a "Bob" should be a portly fellow, while a "Jason" should be leaner and more rugged. But in this case, Jason was the heavy-set one behind the wheel, while Bob was the thin man standing in the back.
"Are you sure, Bob?"
"Yeah, positive. Notify the Prehistoric Medical Center; they're going to need to do another medical scan."
"Copy that."
Inside the cab, Jason keyed the radio. "Dispatch, this is Patrol 14. We have a Triceratops in Gyrosphere West with a suspected case of avian pox. Over."
Static crackled on the other end. "Copy, 14. Medical team has been dispatched."
Hearing the confirmation, Jason relaxed visibly. "Alright, mission accomplished. Hold on tight, Bob, we're heading back!"
Jason released the handbrake and floored the accelerator, whipping the truck into a 360-degree drift to head home.
"Whoa! Slow down, you maniac! Arghhhhh—!" Bob's miserable shouting was lost to the wind as he clung to the roll bar.
Just as Bob was starting to adjust to the gale-force wind whipping his face, the truck braked so hard his stomach nearly slammed into the roof. If he weren't such a mild-tempered guy, he would've been cursing Jason's entire ancestry.
"You absolute moron, Jason. It is a testament to my infinite grace that I haven't ripped your dick off and shoved them up your ass!"
Bob calmly pointed out the severe negligence Jason had shown toward his partner's safety. Jason, fully realizing how irresponsible his actions were, acknowledged his mistake and promised to do better... next time.
"Forget that for a second. Look over there, does that gate look right to you?"
Bob was relieved his partner had seen the error of his ways, but he turned his gaze to where Jason was pointing.
"I don't give a fuck about a gate—"
Despite the grumbling, he looked. It was a gate embedded in the high-tension perimeter fence separating the Primeval Ecological Zone from Gyrosphere Valley. It wasn't tall, but it was wide, just large enough for a gyrosphere to pass through.
"Are they serious? A gate into the Primeval Zone?" Jason asked, incredulous.
"You're new, so you don't know the history. Our 'dog of a boss' originally wanted to expand the Gyrosphere Valley. No one knows what kind of fit he threw to change it to the Primeval Zone instead."
Bob answered Jason's query and continued: "By all rights, this gate should have been dismantled. I bet the architects got lazy."
Jason offered a tentative suggestion: "Since we're already here... go check it?"
"Let's go."
…
Carlo had visited the vicinity of Miss Diplodocus's remains today, hoping to find the Ceratosaurus duo. They were nowhere to be seen.
Failing that, he headed toward the Great Lake, intending to harass the herbivores there. But suddenly, he caught a scent, a strange, unfamiliar smell. It felt like... humans?!
What are humans doing in here?
Carlo's sense of smell was like a biological radar; if you hadn't showered, he could sniff out exactly when you took a dump yesterday. He sensed something near the edge of his territory.
Something fun! Let's go see!
…
"You son of a bitch, I'll fucking—@#*143*!"
Bob was standing in front of the iron gate, swearing up a storm. The confusing part was that Bob was inside the gate, and Jason was outside.
Jason looked frantic, his fat jiggling with every step as he scrambled back to the truck to report the situation on the radio.
As it turned out, while inspecting the gate, they found it was electrified but unlocked. Jason had found a sturdy branch and given the gate a shove. It swung open easily.
He didn't know what the designers were thinking, but the emergency manual override was on the inside. To close and lock the gate, someone had to go through. So Bob went in. Then... the gate's auto-correct kicked in, and it slammed shut, locking him in.
"Aunnng…"
A low, vibrating moan echoed from the bushes behind him.
Bob swallowed hard and gently parted the grass. It was a group of Ankylosaurs. He recognized them; the company's "Perfect Attendance" reward was a plushie of one of those.
"Phew..."
He let out a sigh of relief, but then a thought occurred: why were the Ankylosaurs moving so fast? What were they running away from?
Before he could process the thought, a blast of hot air hit the back of his neck. Strange. The wind was hot, so why did he feel a bone-deep chill?
He stiffly turned his head.
Carlo: Hello there.
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHH—!"
"Bob! Bob! The emergency override is for people who accidentally wander into the zone! You just have to—wait, where'd he go?!"
Jason jumped out of the truck, shouting anxiously as he ran to the gate, only to find Bob had vanished.
At that moment, Bob felt his feet leave the ground. He felt like he was flying. He opened his eyes a crack and saw the scenery blurring past.
Carlo didn't plan on killing him. After all, the human hadn't offended him or invaded his nest. He just wanted to get "close" to this person, or rather, force the person to play with him. As for where to play? The Great Lake, of course. It was the safest spot.
After what felt like an eternity, Bob felt the wind stop. Or rather, he stopped.
The moment he opened his eyes again, his butt hit the ground. It felt like he'd jumped off a second-story balcony. He looked back at his "kidnapper."
Good news: He recognized the dinosaur. It was the prototype for the plushie given to high-performance employees.
Bad news: He recognized the dinosaur. It was the one with a documented history of attacking people.
Carlo observed the man curiously. The other two times he'd seen humans in the wild had been at night; even with night vision, the details had been fuzzy. Okay, I see what you look like now.
But why isn't he moving? Is he 'ded'?
Carlo's arms were longer than a T. rex's, but they weren't exactly as dexterous as an Indominus. So, Carlo lifted his right foot and gave the human a gentle nudge.
Lord... Please just let me go, Lord...
Bob wanted to die. Dr. Grant had said to "keep still," but why wasn't it working?!
Seeing no reaction, Carlo felt a bit bored. He started using his massive head to nudge the man, nudging him toward the lake. Bob steeled his heart; he decided to just stay in the water. Maybe there was a sliver of hope there.
Over a minute later, Bob bobbed to the surface.
Carlo had been happy to see him reappear, but then he realized something was wrong. He quickly fished the man out. Bob coughed up several mouthfuls of water and collapsed on the grass, his chest rising and falling weakly.
Still alive!
Carlo sat on his haunches beside the human, his tail slightly curled to shield him.
Suddenly, he saw two familiar figures approaching.
Bob opened his eyes.
I just had a dream that I was carried off by a dinosaur. Haha.
As his vision cleared, he saw three dinosaur heads peering down at him.
Wait, why are there more of them now??
Haha... haha... ha...
He really wanted to die now.
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