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On a part of the dinosaur-infested island, there was an outpost which was lovingly named 'Ruthless', for its abundance of sheer drops and high wind levels. It was set in the mountains, and featured many waterfalls, and bridges between huge chasms, all topped off by a lovely view of the valley below, showing you just how far you'd fall if you were dumb enough to get too close to the edge.
Above the trees, the whirring of helicopter blades could be heard, before the giant vehicle came into sight and prepared to make a landing on the helipad.
The mercenaries chose this particular outpost because they were getting dangerously low on supplies, and Angus' recovery from a dinosaur attack a few weeks back had hindered them from going out on any lengthy supply missions. They'd nearly used up the medical supplies they had, so once Angus was either fit for travel or could be left behind and guarded without spreading the team too thin, they needed to search for more.
Luckily, his recovery started speeding up after a week, and after two weeks time he was in good enough condition to come with them to Ruthless.
When the helicopter touched down, they would have to make their way down sloping paths and across bridges, their destination a small, sheltered building in a little clearing, surrounded by tall rocks and part of the cliff face on one side. It was set up before the over-breeding, like everything else on the island. It was unclear what its original function was, but after the mercenaries arrived it became another base they checked up on occasionally, to keep an eye on the dinosaur population. This meant that it had what they needed; medical supplies.
Before doing anything, they all stopped on the helipad to debrief. Marcus directed Moira and Jackson to scout the perimeters of the area while he, Joseph, and Angus headed for the shelter to retrieve the supplies. The trapper and the scientist were to make sure there weren't any threats near their route back to the helicopter. Then they would come and escort the team back, who'd hopefully be carrying full bags of medical supplies.
The two mercenaries watched the rest of the team go, before Moira took the lead, with Jackson close behind.
The scientist and the trapper diverged from the rest of the group, cutting off into the more untamed part of the wilds. There was a slope that led up to another small valley, which they figured would be a good place to get a vantage point of the entire area.
On the hike upwards, Jackson kept glancing back the way the other mercs had gone, looking somewhat pensive.
"Do you really think Angus is ready to be going on missions again?"
The way the Scotsman was favoring his left shoulder indicated he was still in some degree of pain, even though he tried not to show it. He'd also never fully bounced back personality-wise; they'd noticed he'd gained some new kind of paranoia and was a lot more jumpy when they were outside. However, despite these concerns, Angus insisted he was fine.
"Well, it's not up to me," the sniper sighed, eyes still facing ahead as she led the way. "We're kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place. We can't put off this supply run any longer. Plus, Angus said he felt good enough to come, so it's better to just let him. That way we don't have to leave someone at base to watch over him."
Jackson didn't say anything more, not seeing any point in arguing. Moira was right: they really didn't have a lot of options. He continued following the scientist as they trekked in silence.
They were passing under an overhanging when suddenly Moira put out her arm to stop Jackson from moving any further, and he stumbled as he ran into it.
"Hey, what gives?" He bristled.
She didn't say anything, just pointed down to the ground in front of them, and his gaze followed the movement.
Just a few feet in front of them, two baby dinosaurs were wrestling in the grass, tumbling about and growling playfully, oblivious to the presence of the two mercenaries. They looked to be dilophosauruses, one of the species known to inhabit the area. One had a dark green color to it, with a pale underbelly and dark spots spanning from the top of its neck down to its tail. There was a hint of orangish-red where its crest was growing in. The other was a more earthy color: brown, with splotches of gold that imitated sun spots on the ground, and just a slight undertone of magenta.
"Awww!" Jackson said, crouching down to get a closer look, while Moira looked around suspiciously, raising her rifle as she surveyed the surrounding foliage.
"A baby dino means a mother, dimwit," she hissed, to which Jackson responded by looking a little more alert.
"Do you see one?" He asked, standing up and bringing his hand to hover over one of the pistols at his hip.
She did a slow pivot, keeping her crosshair trained on the edges of the foliage, and skirted around the dinosaurs to look further up the valley. Finally, she returned, her rifle lowered. "No," she said, her voice reflecting her confusion.
Jackson frowned, crouching down again to look at the dinosaurs, which had finally noticed them, and were standing side by side, heads cocked with curiosity. Moira crouched down beside Jackson, finally allowing her curiosity to take over.
"They are cute," she agreed, watching them hop closer, and holding out a hand which they sniffed at with interest. "Wonder what they're doing all the way out here?"
It wasn't until that moment, as she was talking a closer look, that she noticed something odd. At first glance, both dinosaurs looked like dilophosauruses, but only one of them had the signature double crests, albeit tiny budding ones. The other had a stubbier crest, further back on its head, which curled forward. In addition to that, it's skin was slightly more textured, and it had tiny ridges along its back where its spines were growing in.
"That's two different kinds of dinosaur!" She gasped, reeling back. "That one's a dilo," she said, pointing to the green one, "and that one-"
-"a cryolophosaurus," Jackson finished her sentence, noticing the difference as well. "That's weird," he commented.
"How on earth could two different baby dinosaurs end up in the same place?"
"Symbiosis?" Jackson guessed.
"No," Moira said, shaking her head. "Two different species that both eat meat and live in close proximity would lead to competition for food. Unless there was some way they could benefit from each other's poison.. like maybe the dilos use their venom to hunt for both groups, and the cryos protect them with acid?"
"Seems unlikely," Jackson said, and Moira nodded in agreement.
"I'd love to learn more about them though. How often have you seen a baby dinosaur long enough to get a good look at it before we're being chased off by an angry momma?"
Jackson was half-listening as Moira kept talking, and had reached a hand forward, attempting to pet the cryo. The brown dinosaur stepped closer, ducking its head before pressing it against Jackson's fingers, giving a little 'croo!' as it rubbed its bumpy head against his hand.
"Aww, look at it!" He cooed, indulging in scratching the baby dino's head while Moira looked on.
"Well look at you, mister tough guy," she teased.
"Hey," he protested, a wounded look on his face, "don't act like your heart isn't melting too."
"I thought you were a poacher," Moira responded, dismissing his jab. "What's with the puppy love?"
"We don't kill the babies, obviously."
He moved his hand to scratch under the cryo's chin, and its eyes followed the movement of his thumb, fixating on the moving appendage before it turned its head and grabbed his finger in its jaws, sinking in tiny, needle sharp teeth.
"Ow! Sonofa-!" He sputtered, drawing his hand back and cradling his thumb in his other hand, while Moira burst into laughter.
Jackson shook his hand to try and rid it of the pain, before clenching his fist and holding it up to the dinosaur, which was now staring at him innocently.
"What are you gonna do?" Moira said between wheezes. "Punch the baby dinosaur?"
"I should," he retorted, lowering his hand and letting out his frustration with a huge exhale.
"You're lucky it wasn't the dilo," Moira quipped.
"Knock it off," he grumbled defensively.
"We don't even know the capabilities of juvenile dilo venom."
"Okay, I get it!" He exclaimed, fixing her with a glare, and she finally backed off, though that didn't stop her from snickering to herself.
The baby dilo was now starting to crawl up Jackson's knee, who had switched from crouching to kneeling. "What are you- Hey-!"
He lifted up his arms to avoid crowding the dino, who seemed hellbent on getting to his pocket. It was sniffing, obviously searching for something he had. Jackson reached into his pocket and retrieved a small packet of something, and the dinosaur's eyes followed it.
He held the packet above the dinosaur's head, and the dilo chirped, jumping to try and reach it.
"Give me that," Moira said, snatching it from the trapper and ignoring him when he protested.
He watched with an expression of disdain as she tore open the packet and took out a piece of what appeared to be jerky. She waved it in front of the dinosaur's eyes to ensure its attention was on her, before tossing it in an arc above its head, and, amazingly, the dinosaur jumped up and caught it in midair.
"Wow," they said in unison, and shared a glance. Moira went on to keep feeding them, because both dinosaurs seemed to be hungry. Meanwhile, Jackson was looking around.
"Where do you think the parents are?"
"I don't know," Moira said, glancing around as if looking a second time would magically solve the mystery. "It's strangely quiet around here. If there's any dinosaurs, they must not want to be seen."
"What do you think will happen to them?" Jackson inquired, both of their gazes resting on the baby dinosaurs again.
They both kind of knew. If they never found their parents, they'd likely starve or be eaten by some other predator. And if they lived, they'd grow up to become killers, just like the rest of the dinosaurs the mercenaries were hired to destroy.
"What if—"
"Don't say it."
"—we took them on and trained them to work for us?"
"Goddamnit." Moira sighed.
"Think about it!" Jackson pleaded. "They're young! If we leave them, they'll either die, or we'll have to kill them when they're grown. But if we could imprint on them-"
"What you're suggesting is insane." She interrupted. Despite her stance, Moira was having doubts. She was reminded of her time working as a game warden, where although her own profession didn't include caring for baby animals, she had friends who worked in wildlife rehabilitation, and therefore got several chances to spend some time up close and personal with baby animals like lions. She knew they could be tamed.
"But I'm insane too, and I see your point." Jackson's face lit up, and she kept talking before he could say anything. "BUT, we still have a mission to finish. If we scout the entire area and they're still here when we get back, then we'll take them with us."
Jackson nodded eagerly, and the scientist motioned for him to follow with a nod of her head.
They set off, skirting the edges of the valley and following every pathway, all senses on high alert. The sound of locusts filled the air, and the wind rustled through the trees above their heads. All seemed peaceful as they continued on, the midday sun beating down on their backs.
They reached the highest point of the valley, and didn't see a single dinosaur the entire time.
Ruthless had been the last place they visited before Angus was injured at the airbase, so they decided the lack of activity was due to the recent extermination. At ease with their assessment of the area, they returned to the place where they'd found the baby dinosaurs.
They were still there, curled up together under a patch of fronds. They raised their heads when the two mercenaries arrived, awakened by the sound of footsteps.
Moira walked up to them and crouched, and as if on cue, both dinosaurs stood up, pausing to stretch out their little legs, before bounding over to her.
"How are we going to convince the others?" Moira pondered.
"What if we don't?" Moira cocked an eyebrow at this, and Jackson went on. "What if we carry them in the duffle bag, we get back to the base and find a place for them to settle in, and then we'll figure out a good time to bring it up?"
"So your idea is to make sure we're far enough away from here that they can't just say 'put those things back where you found them'?"
Jackson nodded, and Moira looked skeptical. "I don't think it's a great plan, but it's probably the only one we've got." She turned back to the baby dinos, producing an empty duffle bag, and setting it on the ground.
She spread it open so the baby dinosaurs could look inside, which they did with extreme curiosity. Then she removed her lab coat, shrugging it off her shoulders with a relieved sigh. "Thank God, I was getting hot."
This was the part that would require some finesse. She had to make sure the dinosaurs weren't panicked, otherwise there'd be no hiding them, period.
Carefully, she stretched out the garment behind them, scooping them up under it, then moving her hands under to support them. They squirmed about as they adjusted to being moved, but when she held them closer to her, they settled down, curious eyes locked with hers. She set them on her lap for a moment to free one of her hands, and gently massaged each of their heads. They leaned into her touch, relaxing, and when she thought they were finally calm enough, she carefully lifted the wrapped dinos and lowered them into the bag. They seemed to be out of energy for the time being, and gradually settled into resting positions as Moira tucked the warm fabric around them.
"Well. That was easy," Moira commented, very slowly zipping up the bag. "How do you suggest we carry them without waking them up?"
"We can put them in the helicopter, then go back to meet the rest of the team," Jackson offered. "That way we only have to carry them for a little bit, and they won't get too shaken up."
"That's- …actually not a bad idea," Moira said, blinking.
"Well, don't sound so surprised," Jackson grinned, before reaching down to grab one side of the bag. "Come on."
They hoisted it up, walking carefully, and slowly but surely they made it back to the helicopter.
When they stepped into the helicopter just to set the bag on the seat, the pilot glanced back. He knew it couldn't be time to leave if only the two of them were here, so he watched them leave again, one eyebrow quirked with curiosity. Then he glanced back at the duffle bag, confused, but not bothered enough to investigate. He turned back and leaned into his seat again with a quiet sigh.
Moira and Jackson began the journey down to the shelter where the rest of the team was located, weapons drawn in search of potential threat. Again, there was nothing to give them cause for concern. Not even a pterosaur in sight as they made their way down steep slopes and across daunting bridges over chasms.
They reached the shelter, and Marcus came forward to hear the report from Moira.
"All clear?"
"Yessir. No sight of any dinosaurs in the area. There's a clear path back to the chopper."
Marcus nodded, signaling for everyone else to get up. Angus had been resting, and Joseph appeared at the doorway to the shelter, where he'd been examining some files left on the tables inside. Once everyone was gathered and ready to go, they set off. Marcus was carrying a duffle bag over his shoulder, filled with the supplies they came for. The mission had been a success.
They traveled in formation, Moira and Jackson in the forefront, with Angus sheltered between Marcus and Joseph. The Scotsman had brought his flamesaw, but was still mostly being protected by the rest of the team as a precaution.
"Seems like we did well clearing the population last time we were here," Joseph commented cautiously, breaking the silence, and the rest nodded in agreement. It still seemed hard for them to believe.
Everyone had their weapons at the ready, but the area remained silent. It was slightly unnerving that they couldn't locate a threat. The absence of danger felt like a threat in itself. It was simply… too quiet.
They made their way up another incline that looped around, and with the helicopter in sight, all of them could feel some degree of tension leave them.
Moira lowered her rifle, continuing on a bit ahead of the group, when a projectile flew in front of her face. Something liquid, in jetstream form, barely missed the tip of her nose. She stopped walking, but she didn't come to a halt until after it had already flown past. The only reason it didn't touch her was because it was off-target.
She turned just in time to see a dilo glaring from the bushes, it's tail lashing and lips drawn back in a snarl. Just as it leapt at her, Joseph reached her side and shot it point blank in the chest. They jumped out of the way as momentum carried its body forward and it landed on the grass beside them, limp. The pathfinder looked down at it with his nose wrinkled, closing his eyes briefly as if attempting to wipe the image from his memory.
When he looked back at Moira, she already knew what he was going to ask. "I'm fine," she reassured, standing up straighter and readjusting her grip on her rifle.
He looked her up and down, and frowned. "What happened to your lab coat?"
"Uhhhhhhh.."
She was saved from any further explanation as a cacophony of hissing and growls filled the air, seemingly coming from all around them.
Heads were popping up from the bushes, and ripples traveled through the grass, parting to reveal multitudes of dinosaurs, dilos and cryos alike. They all had earthy colors, ranging from verdant greens to deep mahogany, and sometimes a mix between the two.
As the team went side by side to face the threat, Moira and Jackson shared a look across their teammate's shoulders. It couldn't be a coincidence that after they find and kidnap a baby dilo and cryo, a horde of dinosaurs of the same species start attacking them.
"Start heading for the helipad!" Marcus ordered, stepping in front of the others to cover them, but another spitter leapt out of the bushes to his right, and he'd only begun to turn when Jackson stepped in, drawing his knife just in time to stab it up through the underside of its throat, and the dinosaur fell limp against him, jaws still agape. He winced as a splatter of blood landed on his face and shirt, and he thought he might actually be sick. He pulled out the knife and the dinosaur crumpled to the ground as gravity took over.
All he could think about when looking down at the dinosaur in front of him was how similar it looked to the baby cryolophosaurus that was currently sleeping in a bag in the helicopter.
Everyone backed closer to each other as the dinosaurs continued towards them, seemingly enraged further by the first two dinosaurs being killed.
"Can't these dinosaurs take a hint?!" Marcus exclaimed, eyes wide with disbelief as he held his gun up at the ready.
"Why are they so angry?" Joseph added with bewilderment in his voice.
Marcus noticed one of the crouching cryos baring its fangs, and side stepped just in time for a boiling projectile to fly between his and Jackson's heads.
"You asked for it," he said darkly, aiming his rifle and firing multiple rounds, letting the high powered weapon do all the work. The first dino dropped dead, and Marcus directed his aim to the other dinosaurs, which were now starting to try and get out of the way, frightened by the deafening noise. He managed to shoot three dinosaurs down, and they fell lifeless on the grass. The remaining dinosaurs had retreated further away by the time his clip ran out, still hissing in rage.
Moira and Joseph stepped forward as Marcus fell back to reload, but the dinosaurs seemed more wary of them now, remaining at a distance.
"Do you have a flare?" Moira asked Joseph, who nodded, removing one from his sash and handing it to her. She opened it and threw it out into the field, and the dinosaurs paused in their advances to shake their heads, turning away from the source of light. It would buy them some time at the very least. "Go, go go!" She urged, and they all turned, sprinting the rest of the way up to the helipad.
The rest of the dinosaurs only hung around for a few moments before hissing their final reproaches and disappearing into the wilds from which they came.
Everyone piled into the helicopter, its blades already beginning to whir. The second the pilot heard gunfire he'd started getting it ready for takeoff.
Moira and Jackson took their seats first, eagerly placing themselves on either side of the duffle bag, while the rest of the team took the remaining seats. Marcus and Angus sat behind the pilot, facing Jackson, Joseph and Moira. Everyone looked to the pilot, who was already prepared for their query.
"We'll be ready for takeoff in just a minute here," he said, not taking his eyes off the control panel, as he flipped on all the switches in the proper takeoff procedure.
Marcus held onto the grip above the door frame and leaned out, trying to keep an eye on the area, but the shelter above the steps obstructed his vision. He didn't really believe the dinosaurs would come back, but he was still compelled to keep a lookout.
"That was really strange," Joseph concluded now that everyone was starting to relax, and the rest of the team let out agreeing murmurs.
"It's like they were mad at us for some reason." Marcus looked to Moira and Jackson. "You guys really didn't see anything odd? Nothing that might explain the entirety of Pangaea attacking us?"
"No," they both said awkwardly, while Moira adjusted so the duffle bag was resting on her lap.
When she set it down, a small chirp sounded from inside it. Everyone's gaze turned to settle on the duffle bag.
"What's in there?" Marcus said hesitantly, leaning back in his seat warily, while everyone stared at them with apprehension.
Moira looked at Jackson, who looked just about as nervous as she felt. He gave a slight nod, and the scientist looked down, unzipping the bag as slowly as possible.
Two baby dinosaur heads peeked out immediately, and the rest of the team recoiled.
"What the bloody hell are ye doing with those little monsters!?" Angus shrieked, his eyes huge.
"Just hold on-" Moira started, but then Marcus spoke up.
"Those dinosaurs were attacking us and you knew why??!"
"Yes, but-" the scientist looked at Jackson as he interrupted with a wave of his hand, and he took over.
"We didn't know the other dinosaurs were here until they attacked. We found the babies while we were scouting, and there were no others in sight. Just them."
"So you decided it was a good idea to take them?" Marcus interjected condescendingly.
"Well, yeah!" Jackson felt the need to match Marcus's tone, as if it would better get his point across. "This is what I told Moira: they're young! They can be trained! Just imagine- two dinosaurs on our side, one with a venomous bite and another with acid spit!"
"No! Those are wild animals! You never know if they'll turn on you!"
At this point, the babies were trying to get out of the bag, and Moira pressed down one flap to make it easily accessible to the small dinosaurs. The dilo climbed out first, chirping at the scientist, then began attempting to climb her. She tried to squash a smile, but failed, giving in and reaching one hand up to support the rambunctious reptile as it grappled with her shirt.
"They can be tamed," Moira insisted, looking up at her superior with defiance. "Just look at them," she said, trying to see below her chin as the dilo curled up under it, purring. "Do they look like killers?"
He looked at it skeptically, then down at the cryo, who met his gaze and gave a curious peep. It stood up on the edge of the bag, tottering on its legs, and looking down at the gap between itself and the mercenary as if weighing the risks of jumping across.
"No. Nuh-uh," he said, shaking his head and twisting his legs further away from it, but it jumped anyway, causing the man to yelp as it landed on his lap.
Moira and Jackson watched with far less concern than the other two mercenaries as Marcus stared at the baby dinosaur, staying as still as possible.
It gave a content chirp and settled down in his lap.
Marcus blinked, loosening up just slightly as the dinosaur remained where it was, looking up at him innocently. He couldn't tell exactly, but it almost looked like it was smiling at him. He felt a pang in his heart when he looked into its eyes.
"No," he said firmly, and it merely blinked.
He stared for several long moments, and it stared right back. He could feel his resolve breaking.
".... Don't do this to me," he said, voice wavering.
The pilot broke the silence by looking over the seat, clearing his throat. "We're ready to go whenever." He took no account of the argument that had been going on in the back seats.
Marcus cleared his throat, snapping out of his trance. "Do NOT move this helicopter," he ordered, before looking down at the dinosaur in his lap. After some hesitation, he picked it up by sticking his hands under its ribs on each side, and the cryo gave a pitiful whimper of protest as it was lifted away from his lap, and placed back in the duffle bag.
He stared at Moira, expectantly. "Well?" He prompted after she didn't respond. "Put them back!"
"Did you not see the slaughter out there?" Jackson interjected, wiping the dried dino blood off his cheek pointedly. "Their parents are probably dead. And even if they weren't, they'll never accept the babies back now that they smell like us. They'll die if we let them go."
"Isn't that the point?" Marcus said, and that caused both Jackson and Moira to recoil this time. "In case you forgot, it's our job to kill them. They may be cute now, but they'll grow into killers."
At this point, Joseph intervened. "Actually, I think they're on to something." Everyone stopped arguing, sitting in surprised silence as they allowed the pathfinder to continue.
"I agree with Moira. Take any beast; say, a monitor lizard, or a tiger. They may be wild, but if you start interacting with them when they're young, they'll see you as one of their own, and even as they grow they'll never show any unprovoked aggression. Training is a bit of a far fetch, but dinosaurs are very intelligent. And if anyone can train these things, it's Moira."
Marcus looked thoughtful, as he stared at the baby dinosaur in the bag, who was looking at him with pleading eyes. Not because it knew its life was in his hands, it likely just wanted to be in his lap again.
It took him several long moments before he finally spoke. "Alright... fine." He said reluctantly.
"What?!" Angus looked at Marcus in bewilderment. "You're going along with them???" No one answered, and the man crossed his arms. "Well, I'm not having it." He leaned in close to Moira and Jackson. "You can have your fun, but if one of those monsters takes even a step out of line, I'll burn them to a crisp."
"You don't have to take part in it if you don't want to," Joseph said.
"Oh, I won't ." Angus assured, his voice bitter.
With the argument seemingly settled, everyone cautiously relaxed. "We'll do this, but like Angus said. Keep them in line, or they're out," Marcus warned, and the two mercenaries nodded in acknowledgment.
"We're good to go," Marcus said, turning back to face the pilot.
Finally, the helicopter lifted into the air, and as the cliffs faded away into the distance, they were back on their way to home base, this time with two new additions to their team.
As Moira was petting the dilo, who was stretching out against her chest with a small yawn, Jackson leaned over.
"So, what do we name them?"
this adorable piece was made by srebrnyx on insta!