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“Emergency! Emergency! Everyone, get ready for immediate action!”
Throughout the headquarters of Born Free the members of the team hurried for the hanger bay upon hearing the familiar voice of Isako Chako over the intercom. Within a matter of minutes, the team were aboard the transport aircraft Carry Bird and away on their latest mission to rescue a dinosaur.
The team assembled in the control room. On the monitor screen was an image of Dr Masaki.
“A dinosaur has been spotted in North America” he told them. “We’re identified it as a Tyrannosaurus Rex.”
The screen changed to a size comparison image of a Tyrannosaurus standing against two silhouettes, a human and a St. Bernard. A synthesized voice delivered details of the creature.
“The Tyrannosaurus Rex is a carnivorous species of dinosaur that lived in the Cretaceous Period, approximately seventy million years ago. It is fifteen metres long and weighs about seven tons. Extreme caution must be used.”
“Not again” Gara groaned. “Why do so many of these big dangerous dinosaurs keep turning up?”
“They’re really good predators” Maseo replied, not realizing the effect his words were having on Gara whose face was rapidly losing colour. “If there’s prey in the area, they’ll catch it.”
Gara whimpered and covered his face. The others chuckled.
“Don’t worry Gara-san,” said Reiko. “We’ve captured Tyrannosaurs before.”
“That’s true” he murmured, some colour returning to his face.
“There’s something else” Dr Masaki said as his face reappeared on screen. “We’ve also had reports of another large creature in the area but we’ve been unable to identify it. Be careful.”
Gara whimpered again and muttered something that sounded like “we’re doomed.”
“Hey, if it’s in North America then maybe the other creature is King Kong. I read about how he escaped from New York.”
Gon scoffed. “Kong the Eighth Wonder of the World? That was just a hoax.”
“It was not! Kong is real!” Maseo objected and his dog Don barked in agreement.
“Enough” said Joji, the team’s leader. “Our mission is to capture the dinosaur. If we encounter this unknown creature then we’ll learn what it is. If not, then it is not our concern.” His voice was calm but firm.
“Yes Joji” Maseo replied. Secretly however he hoped they would find Kong. The giant ape needed to be protected from those who would exploit him and Maseo knew that Born Free were the best people for that.
Unknown to the Born Free team, their old enemy King Butler had intercepted the transmission and also learned about the Tyrannosaurus. His own aircraft was already racing ahead at full speed towards North America.
“Check the radar Glen” he ordered. “Is there any sign of Born Free.”
His henchman did as he ordered. Glen grinned as he replied, “no sign at all boss. Looks like this time we’ll get there well before them.”
“Excellent. With both a Tyrannosaurus and another dinosaur I’m sure to get at least one of them as my trophy” Butler gloated.
“What if the unknown creature isn’t a dinosaur?” Glen asked.
“What else could it be you idiot?” Butler snapped. “Besides, there’s still the Tyrannosaurus.”
After a few hours that felt like years to Butler, they touched down. The Battle Tank disembarked and drove off into a dense forest. Butler observed the terrain through the observation screens. He had gone on enough dinosaur hunts to recognize Mesozoic vegetation when he saw it.
“Perfect. If those plants are here then dinosaurs can’t be far away.”
“Boss, we’re picking up something on the scanners” Glen reported. “It’s a life sign and based on the reading it has to be a very large animal.”
“That must be the dinosaur! Get us there immediately!”
“Right away boss.”
The Battle Tank quickly closed in on the life sign. As they proceeded Butler noticed signs a large animal had passed through, mostly broken branches and disturbed foliage. Based on the height of the branches this was no regular beast.
“At last, I’ll have my dinosaur head.”
“We’re right on top of it” Glen reported gleefully. But then he saw something and his jaw dropped. “B, boss, that’s not a dinosaur!”
Butler looked and his eyes bulged. In front of them was an enormous silverback gorilla, nearly twenty-five feet tall, with thick black fur and dark eyes. The bare skin on his face and chest sported multiple scars. Hearing the sound of the vehicle’s engine he looked at it with unmistakable curiosity in his eyes.
Glen brought them to a halt. “It, it’s Kong.”
“Remarkable. I didn’t believe he really existed” Butler admitted.
“W, what do we do?”
Butler glared at him. “Dinosaur or not, his head will make a perfect trophy for my wall! Open fire!”
The sound of the Battle Tank’s weapons firing was drowned out a second later by an enraged roar from Kong as the bullets struck home. He stumbled back in surprise from the force of the shots. Kong was incredibly tough but these weapons were designed to bring down dinosaurs. Even he couldn’t just shrug them off.
But Kong was not so easily beaten. Unleashing another roar that displayed his large canine teeth, he sprang forwards and brought his fist down in a mighty hammer blow. The Battle Tank managed to reverse out of the way just in time as the punch slammed into the ground, leaving a huge crater.
“Keep firing! Kill him! Kill him!” Butler yelled.
Another volley of high-calibre fire caught Kong full in the chest and again he stumbled back. Blood began to ooze from his torso.
“Yes! He’s weakening! Keep firing!”
This time rather than attack directly, Kong ripped up a nearby tree from the ground and used it as an improvised shield to block the bullets as he closed in. With his other hand he picked up the Battle Tank as if it were a toy and hurled it away over the treetops. It sailed through the air and crashed down to the ground heavily. King Butler and Glen were both knocked out cold.
Kong heard the heavy thud of the landing and knew that his enemy was beaten. But his victory had not been without cost. Several bullets had pierced his hide and were now lodged deep in his flesh. His fur was matted with blood. He knew he had to find shelter but before he could move a sudden weariness came over him. His eyes closed as he toppled over and hit the ground with a far louder noise than Butler’s vehicle had made.
Born Free had arrived in North America and were currently proceeding through the forest. Joji had wanted to scout the area with the Beagle but the smaller vehicle’s engine had refused to start. Gon was currently trying to get it working while Gara was performing aerial reconnaissance in the Seagull. Given how dense the foliage was Joji doubted he’d be able to spot anything but it was worth a try. That left him, Reiko and Maseo in the control room to drive the vehicle and monitor the instruments for any sign of the Tyrannosaurus.
“I’ve got something!” Maseo exclaimed. “It’s a heartbeat. From the size of it, this must be a really big animal. It has to be the Tyrannosaurus.”
Reiko stared at the monitor screen in dismay. “The heartbeat is dangerously faint. This animal needs help at once.”
“Full speed ahead” said Joji.
The next few minutes ticked by with agonizing slowness as each member of the team silently hoped they would arrive in time to save the injured creature. Eventually the scanners indicated that it was right in front of them.
[Finally,] Joji thought. He looked through the observation windows and just like Glen before him he froze in disbelief.
Reiko and Maseo looked up as Born Free came to an abrupt halt. They looked to Joji for an explanation and upon seeing his shocked face they turned to look through the windows. Their eyes widened.
Gon came running into the control room. Before he could ask why they had stopped he also saw what was in front of them and also stood slack-jawed.
“See, I knew Kong was real,” Maseo crowed.
“He’s hurt. We have to help him,” said Reiko.
“Yes, you’re right” Joji agreed. “He may not be a dinosaur but we can’t ignore an injured animal. Gon, stay behind in case Gara calls in.”
“Roger” he replied. “Watch yourselves out there.”
Joji, Reiko, Maseo and Don exited Born Free. Reiko hurried over to the prone Kong with her medical kit and quickly but calmly began studying his injuries. While she did so, Don padded over to Kong’s face and began licking it. He paused briefly to bark but when Kong didn’t respond he resumed licking.
“What happened to him?” Maseo asked.
“He was shot by high-calibre firearms” she replied. She looked over at Joji and added, “the kind used to hunt dinosaurs.”
He nodded. “King Butler” he said darkly.
“Can you save him Reiko?” Maseo asked anxiously.
“I can try.”
She climbed up onto Kong’s massive torso, took out various surgical tools and began methodically extracting the bullets from his flesh. Once that was done, she applied antibacterial agents to the wounds, stitched them closed and applied dressings. Fortunately Born Free carried medical supplies to treat injured dinosaurs. They were more than sufficient.
While she was working Gara returned, having been unable to locate the Tyrannosaurus. Even the sound of the Seagull’s rotors wasn’t enough to wake Kong.
“What are we going to do with him anyway?” Gon asked.
“Once Reiko has finished her treatment, we’ll call Carry Donkey and take him to the reserve. He will be safe there” Joji replied.
Gara sniggered and the others looked at him curiously. “Sorry” he said sheepishly. “I just thought Carry Donkey and Kong. You know, Donkey Kong.”
Joji, Maseo and Gon all chuckled. Reiko heard what was said but she was too preoccupied with her work to join in the laughter, although she did smile.
A little later she finished patching Kong up. She wiped her brow and climbed down to the ground. “I think he’ll be all right” she said.
“Well done, Reiko” said Joji. “Now we’ll…”
He was cut off by a loud groan. Surprised, the team all looked over to see that Kong was starting to move. He opened his eyes and got up, settled onto his knuckles and peered at them with a clear look of curiosity in his eyes.
Don barked eagerly. Maseo smiled delightedly. Joji and Reiko had looks of wonder on their faces. Gon and Gara were trembling with fright.
“Don’t worry. Gorillas are very gentle creatures” Reiko reassured them. “They’re not dangerous unless provoked.”
“What if he thinks we’re working with Butler?” Gara asked.
“No way. Kong is smarter than that” said Maseo confidently.
Kong did indeed know that these humans were not the ones that had attacked him earlier. He sniffed the air, sniffed at the dressings on his chest and then looked back at the team. His eyes focused on Reiko as he recognized her scent from the dressings and realized that it was her who had treated his wounds.
He crouched down, trying to make himself look smaller and less threatening, and reached out one hand slowly. Gara yelped but Kong ignored him. He pointed one finger at Reiko and then held his open palm out in front of her.
She pointed at herself. “Me?”
Kong made a low grumbling sound. She nodded. “Okay.”
“Be careful” said Joji.
“It’s okay” she replied. She stepped onto Kong’s palm and he raised his hand to look at her more closely, his eyes filled with fascination.
She smiled. “Hello. My name is Maki Reiko.” Again, she pointed at herself as she said her name. Kong tilted his head and repeated the grumbling sound.
Suddenly he jerked his head to the right. He growled and bared his teeth. Clearly, he had sensed something was wrong. He placed Reiko back on the ground quickly but gently, and then turned to his right.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
With a rustling of leaves something emerged from the foliage. Everyone’s eyes widened as they recognized the dinosaur they had come here in search of, a Tyrannosaurus Rex.
Kong reared up to his full height and roared. The Tyrannosaurus responded by uttering a low, menacing growl. It looked directly at Kong, ignoring the Born Free team.
“Quickly! Everyone inside Born Free!” Joji ordered.
The team hurried up the ramp into the vehicle. Gara breathed a heavy sigh of relief as the door sealed behind them.
“Gon, get to the anesthetic rifle!”
“Okay!”
The Tyrannosaurus opened its jaws and charged at Kong. He reached out with one long arm, pushed its lower jaw up, and then gripped it by the throat. The Tyrannosaurus thrashed its head and broke free of his grip. It circled around and bit deeply into his left upper arm. He roared in pain and punched it with his other arm but the Tyrannosaurus hung on stubbornly, its powerful jaws threatening to crush even Kong’s thick bones.
Gon had made it to the anesthetic rifle mounted atop Born Free. He took aim but the giants were moving around too fast for him to get a clear shot.
“Fire!” Joji ordered.
“I can’t! I may hit Kong!”
The Tyrannosaurus was twisting its head from side to side as if trying to worry off Kong’s arm. He fell back and kicked out with both legs, launching the dinosaur backwards. He roared again as his flesh was torn open by its teeth, fresh blood flowing from the wound.
“Come on Kong!” Maseo cried.
Gon immediately fired. A cloud of white mist briefly formed around the Tyrannosaurus’s head as the anesthetic charge struck. But Gon knew it would take far more than that to down such a mighty dinosaur.
It charged Kong again. This time he sidestepped and put his uninjured arm around its neck in a headlock. The great ape clenched his teeth as he fought to hold the Tyrannosaurus in place.
Observing the battle between the giant creatures, Gon realized that Kong was holding his breath. He fired again and again, hitting the Tyrannosaurus directly both times. But then the dinosaur’s tail whipped around and caught Kong on his wounded arm. He roared and his grip slackened, allowing his foe to pull away. It lunged again for his injured shoulder and Kong barely got his forearm up in time to block. Instead, its teeth sank into his wrist. Kong swung his fist in an uppercut that knocked the Tyrannosaurus onto its back. It hit the ground hard and lay still.
Kong back away, breathing heavily and studied his foe warily. But the dinosaur did not move. It was out cold. Everyone aboard Born Free sighed in relief.
Soon afterwards Carry Donkey arrived while Reiko was patching up Kong’s wounded arm. The cage was lowered down and locked into place around the Tyrannosaurus. As it was raised up into the air Reiko stood in front of Kong and looked up at him.
“Kong, will you please go up on there?” she asked, pointing at Carry Donkey. “It will take you to a safe place where you can live in peace. I promise I’ll come and visit you.”
Kong grumbled softly and pointed one finger at her. She smiled and touched her hand to his fingertip. The others all watched in astonishment.
“I think Kong is in love with Reiko” Gara whispered.
“We’re lucky he didn’t just carry her off” Gon muttered.
The transport cage was lowered again. Kong hesitated but then stepped forwards and allowed it to close around him. He looked down at them as he was lifted up into Carry Donkey.
“Bye Kong. We’ll see you soon” Reiko called as she waved.
“Yeah, I’ll come visit too” Maseo added as he also waved. Don barked in agreement.
Kong raised a hand in a gesture of farewell just before he disappeared into the airship.
A few days later in the dinosaur reserve Kong was laying on the grass and enjoying the warm sunshine. He opened his eyes as he heard the familiar sound of rotor blades. Curious, he stood and ambled over to where a helicopter was landing. He hooted in joy as Reiko, Maseo and Don disembarked.
She waved as she called, “Hello Kong.”
“Hi Kong” Maseo added.
For the next few hours Kong enjoyed the company of his friends. Eventually they had to leave again aboard the strange flying thing, but he was not worried. He knew they would return.