My name is Nina Velge.
I shouldn't be alive.
And if I am alive, I shouldn't be free.
I had one of the most dangerous jobs on the planet, and then my employers went head to head in a knock-down, drag-out turf war with the biggest pack of vigilantes the world has ever known. Red shirts don't survive that shit. The folks on the ground are the first to go. The front lines, the mooks, the meat for the grinder. Most of my fellow grunts are long gone now. Some died then. Some got arrested. Some ended up in another organization later, under some chump you might have heard of named Heidegger. Yeah, THAT Heidegger. Orchestrator of the One-Day War, who tried to touch the sun and had his wings melt. More deaths there, more arrests. So many people I used to work with are now either in prison, were in prison, or are dead as a doornail.
And yet, here I am. One of the lucky ones.
Hell, I guess it makes sense. All my life I've been slipping through cracks. What's one more?
I came to Olympia in January of 2019. High school dropout. Couldn't cut it. Hated retail. And I wanted nothing to do with the military. I was young, angry at the world, and wanted to punch something. So I did what a lot of people with no direction and an itch to do some damage were doing in those days. I moved to Olympia with what I could scrape together and joined The Curse. A lot of people make a lot of assumptions about The Curse, and I'm here to tell you that it... was complicated. I'm not gonna mince words or try to defend it, it wasn't a good organization. But not everyone in The Curse was a piece of shit, though. Far from it. Take a sample of a dozen grunts and you'd get a dozen reasons for why they joined up. There were people who thought it was the easy way to riches and success. Others didn't see any other way at all. There were folks who felt they had to join for their own safety, and folks who enlisted specifically because it could be dangerous. Some wanted the thrills of operating outside the law. Some thought Plague and his friends at the top were visionaries. Some drank the Kool-Aid and thought Olympia would legitimately be better with The Curse in charge.
Some just wanted to watch the world burn.
I was kind of in the middle. I wanted to make an impact in a way that the establishment didn't like. I've never been great at toeing the line. Got in trouble at school a lot, especially once I hit my teens. One day I got sick of it and walked out and that was the end of it. So I wound up in The Curse, as a Shrapnel. The recruiter, a bitch with hair that writhed like a snake and skin as pale as a fish's underbelly, asked me which division I thought I'd be most useful in. I looked at 'em. Asked a couple questions.
And, because I was really damn stupid, I picked InGen.
Welp. Can't say I wasn't warned. Still, though, I hadn't expected my first day on the job proper to be like this.
Training had been... weird. Ever tried to shoot glass bottles out of the air with a tranquilizer gun before? I missed more than a couple, but by the end of the day I daresay I was getting decent at it. And apparently "decent" was good enough, because The Curse was aggressively expanding at the time and wanted as many boots on the ground as possible.
So here I was, on my first day, right there in the Underdome. If you've never heard of it, it was Plague's personal battle arena, an underground facility where all sorts of bloodsports were arranged, including combat between sentients, mindless machines, and even animals. Even extinct animals. A match was planned between two dinosaurs, who would be battling one another to amuse the blood-hungry crowd. I was there as security, ready to tranq any dinosaurs who stepped out of line and threatened the crowd's safety.
The whole place was lit up like a twisted Las Vegas. This was the first time dinosaurs would be competing in the Underdome, so the place was packed with curious onlookers. I had a feeling most of them were Curse. There was a stand set up in one area where people could place bets. A huge man with a fancy suit and cane was slapping down an ungodly sum on one of the contenders. "They always underestimate the herbivores." I heard him chuckling, clearly confident in his pick. I kept walking, passing by him on my way to my designated post. I was to stand guard at the front, tranq gun at the ready. I didn't get a chair, but I did get a great view of the arena, so I could see some folks being jealous.
I was nervous. It was my first day, and the big crowd, and I was in a spot where everyone could see me if I fucked things up. What if these dinosaurs really did go on a rampage? If I couldn't do my part to keep them away from the audience, folks could get hurt because of me. Even though I was wearing the mask all Shrapnel wore when on the clock and not undercover, my anxiety must've been obvious to see, because someone came up to me. I felt a hand on my shoulder and jumped a foot in the air, but then turned and saw it was just some girl my age, which calmed me down. Then I saw the InGen badge on her chest and got nervous again. Another girl who looked just like her but in different clothes was nearby, looking at me with concern.
"Hey," said the first one, the one who'd touched my shoulder. "It'll be okay. The dinos aren't that bad once you get to know them."
"They're just animals." said the other one.
"Y-yeah, I guess..." I mumbled in reply. "Animals can be scary, though."
"That's true! And they're big and strong... B-but it'll be fiiiine." the first girl insisted. "Trust me. You're not alone out there! We all want this show to go well."
"Lydie, the lights are dimming!" the second girl exclaimed.
"Oh, sorry Suelle! Okay, new Shrapnel, good luck! Byyyye!"
They scurried off to their seats, and I swallowed hard and turned my attention to the arena as spotlights hit the entry doors and Plague's voice boomed out loud and proud over the PA system.
"Ladies! Gentlemen! Sports fans of all stripes! Welcome to the first-ever DINOSAUR DEATHMATCH!"
Behind me, I heard someone mumbling. I stole a glance and double-took when I saw Dr. Henry Wu himself, the founder of InGen, sitting in the front row, eyes narrowed. "Deathmatch? Plague told me he wouldn't let the assets die."
"A figure of speech, I'm sure." said an old man in a labcoat sitting next to Wu. "Besides, if they do die, I'll bring them back!"
"And with extra limbs and heads, no doubt, Geo." Wu groaned.
I sighed and looked back at the arena. Plague had been saying something about how combat has existed since time immemorial, and now one of the arena doors was opening. "For tonight, we are going back. All the way back! Back to the very beginning... when dinosaurs were first discovered! Making his way to the ring, accompanied by Jenny the Dino Whisperer... my friends, put your hands together for the one, the only, the VERY FIRST dinosaur ever named... MEGALOOOOOOOOOOSAURUUUUUUUUUUS!!!"
I had to laugh when I realized what Plague was going for here. I knew some dinosaur stuff - being a bit of a nerd about them was why I took this job in the first place, after all - and seeing a Victorian-era Megalosaurus come shuffling out into the arena was truly surreal. The true animal didn't look anything like this - it was an agile bipedal creature, as meat-eating dinosaurs usually are. But when the animal was first discovered, due to reptile stereotypes and partial remains, people thought it looked more like some kind of sluggish and gruesome long-legged crocodile. This one was wearing a blindfold, and it was being led around by a brown-haired woman - apparently the "Jenny" Plague had mentioned - who seemed fully at ease in her job, unlike myself. She was guiding the prehistoric monster with surprising care, using voice commands and a clicker to keep it in line. An electric rifle was holstered on her back, unused.
"Annnnnnd its' opponent! A mighty beast who proves you can still be badass even if you're vegetarian! Accompanied by the illustrious Dr. Twilight, give it up for the iconic... IIIIIIIIIGUANODONNNNNNNNNN!!!"
And there it was. The similarly out-of-date Iguanodon, with its' spike on its' nose instead of its' hand and its' body looking literally like a big iguana. A Biguana. The ungainly-looking creature waddled into the arena, also with a blinder on to keep it from seeing its' opponent. Both dinosaurs tensed up, though, able to smell each other even in all this chaos. The 'manager' for the Iguanodon (this must be Dr. Twilight?) was clearly more suited for a job in a lab than in an arena. Her hair and her labcoat were disheveled and I could sense her nervousness.
The atmosphere in the arena was electric, but there was a gnawing feeling in the back of my head that maybe we shouldn't be doing this. Were these creatures sapient enough to consent to fighting in an arena deathmatch? I felt a little bad for them. But then I remembered the Kobbers and their Zoofights, and I shrugged. Not like I could stop it anyway. The blinders were removed, a bell sounded, and the battle began.
Jenny and Dr. Twilight quickly moved to the edge of the arena. Megalosaurus and Iguanodon stared down one another in surprise for a moment before making their initial attacks. To my surprise, Iguanodon acted first, charging at Megalosaurus with its' head lowered, trying to gore it with its' horn. It swung its' head, but the small horn failed to find a good purchase, and Megalosaurus endured the headbutt and began grappling with Iguanodon using its' front legs to grip at the herbivore's head and neck. The Megalosaurus tried for a fast kill, snapping at the Iguanaodon's neck, but the thick, fleshy, scaly neck was more than it expected. I could dimly hear Plague excitedly commentating on the action, but the wall of noise around me and the spectacle in front of me kept me from paying attention. The crowd roared as the Megalosaurus drew first blood, finally managing a decent bite that got past the Iguanodon's scales. The herbivore bellowed and thrashed, tearing free from the carnivore's jaws and pivoting its' hips to bring that tail into play. Huge and heavy-looking - the weight of two husky adults, at least - the big scaly tail slammed into the side of the Megalosaurus with a meaty thwack, knocking it off balance. It stumbled, and Iguanodon took the chance to press its' advantage, swinging its' head and catching Megalosaurus' chin with its' horn, drawing some blood of its' own.
The crowd somehow got louder. Someone threw a beer can that nearly clocked me on the head. I snuck a glance at Dr. Wu, who looked irritated, though the guy next to him apparently named 'Geo' seemed pleased. A roar drew my attention back to the arena, as the Megalosaurus bit down on one of the Iguanadon's hands. The beasts pushed against each other, roaring and biting. I was so absorbed in the spectacle that I missed the forest for the trees, and when the Megalosaurus came in low and slammed the Iguanadon into the arena wall, I missed the Iguanodon's nose horn puncturing the protective plastic. It wasn't until the Megalosaurus repeated the attack and the Iguanodon's entire head went through the barrier that I realized things were going tits up. And judging from the screaming in the audience, I wasn't the only one putting things together.
The so-called protective barrier shattered even more as Megalosaurus shoved Iguanodon all the way through it, bellowing in triumph. The herbivore got up and grappled with its' foe, though, biting down and yanking it through the hole as well. The two began fighting mere feet from the seats, I watched it all, transfixed, until I heard Lydie (or maybe it was Suelle) yelling at me to do something. On autopilot, I pointed my tranquilizer gun at the Megalosaurus and began unloading into it. Around me I saw other guards also opening fire, and our shots pounded into the giants. As the Iguanadon began to overpower its' opponent due to the Megalosaurus taking more tranqs, I swapped targets and shot it as well. The two dinosaurs weakly pushed at each other a bit longer before both collapsed.
"Jeez."
Plague himself. The big boss. I step back in alarm as he approaches. Did I do something wrong? Use too much tranquilizer? But before I can stammer out something that sounds like an apology, he just gives me a thumbs up.
"Nice work, kid! Boy, we gotta get a better barrier."
I stood there, dumbfounded, as he casually walked off towards another Shrapnel, who he struck up a conversation with like he knew the guy. How did he know I was the newbie? That day somehow managed to both raise and lower my respect for The Curse. Lower it because the incident showed they didn't really know what they were doing with these dinosaurs, but raise it because Plague clearly gave a damn about his underlings. I didn't know what to think.
I still don't. Plague's one weird bastard.
-ISLA SORNA-
-PRESENT DAY-
"You know, you're lucky we're friends. And that I had a favor I could cash in. This isn't some kind of amusement park or zoo, this is an animal sanctuary. We're here to care for these creatures, not exploit them."
"Yeah, I know, I know. You want me to thank you again? Buy you a nice meal? Take you to a movie? What?"
Zia Rodriguez laughed at me. "I just want you to appreciate this."
"Believe me, I'm appreciating it. I wouldn't have taken that InGen job if I wasn't at least a little interested in dinosaurs, and this one... this one's special. I really wanted to see her one more time, and you told me that if we didn't try to arrange this now, later might be too late."
Zia's smile faded, and she nodded as we walked together. "It's true. I've seen the signs. I've examined her, and I've done everything I can do. We just need to care for her and ease her pain as she..." Zia swallowed hard. "...as she heads out."
Together we reached the enclosure where the dinosaur I'd come to see was currently sleeping quietly, spending her final days in solitude and comfort. A dinosaur that had been on more adventures than any of the others here. Once, long ago, she had been the Queen of Isla Nublar. Then she had been a rogue element running around Olympia, causing chaos and stopping it in equal measure. She'd even gotten involved with the Kobbers and had managed to take second place in one of their Fite Yer Mates matches.
Rexy, the Tyrannosaurus Rex, was dying.
It wasn't any specific affliction, none that Zia could find anyway, and if there was something wrong with Rexy I would trust no one more than Zia to find the cause. But it seemed the problem here was nothing more than the terrible, inevitable march of time. Rexy was one of Dr. Wu's first success stories, among the very first dinosaurs he'd ever resurrected, somewhere around 1989 or so... which meant she was well over thirty years old. Elderly, by tyrannosaurus standards. Their species was considered lucky to reach three decades, and while Rexy had spent some time in captivity being cared for, she also had spent time roaming around on her own and getting in fights. Faded scars raced up and down the body of the slumbering giant, medals of honor for the proud theropod.
"It was a sudden decline." Zia said quietly, the two of us watching Rexy's chest puff in and out with each breath. "For a time after her arrival here in late 2020, she was as spry as ever. But one day, about ten months ago, something just seemed to shift. She began acting tired all the time. She moved sluggishly, listlessly. Lately she hasn't even had much appetite. And let me tell you, when an animal loses the will to eat, something's seriously wrong. It usually means the end is near.
I let out a long breath, hands on my hips, shaking my head slowly. "God damn. Last time I saw her, she was so vibrant and full of life."
"She's a tough old girl, but tyrannosaurs lived fast and hard lives. They aren't made for old age."
"And you've really tried everything?"
"It's not a specific condition we can treat. Believe me, I've tried. I don't give up on patients if there's avenues to pursue. But..." Zia bit her lower lip. "I did have a theory... but it's not something I can execute on in good conscience."
"What is it?"
"I think... I think Rexy wants to fight. She wants to risk her life in battle again. It's safe here, too safe. She remembers roaming free, hunting for prey, and attacking things sometimes as big as herself in no-holds-barred deathmatches. Obviously, that's not something we can condone at an animal sanctuary. There was an exceptional circumstance in late 2022..."
"The One-Day War."
"Yeah. The word was put out that any Kobber, anywhere, current or former, needed to get to Agama, and that it was really important. Like, fate-of-the-world important. And that included myself... and Rexy. And I think getting to do that helped her a lot, as she'd seemed a bit bored until then. But that was a special situation. We tried offering more live prey, and that helped for a little while, but she's still declining. We can't loan Rexy out as an attack dog, and we can't just turn her loose somewhere and let her do as she pleases, either. Even if we could, her age is catching up to her, and I suspect she wouldn't be much of a fighter even if motivated. And so..."
I looked at Rexy. Her leg twitched, like a dog having a dream. An old dog, remembering running free in the great outdoors, before age and injuries took their toll and they spend their final years just lying around quietly, fading away.
"...I understand." I said.
This was no place for Rexy, that I knew. But the worst part was, there wasn't any other place for her anywhere else, either. Her place was 65 million years gone. And, to me, it felt like on some level, Rexy knew that.
The walk to get to Rexy's enclosure took ten minutes but felt like five. The walk back felt like eighty. Her body slowly expanding and contracting as she took deep, long breaths in her sleep was still fresh in my memory when we reached the research center building and Zia's phone went off. Her already sober expression got even worse as she heard the voice on the other end, and when the call was over, she turned and saw my concerned face.
"That was Beatrice Sepira."
I raised an eyebrow. "Of Biosyn? THAT Beatrice? Fuck is she doing, calling the sanctuary? A lotta nerve."
"Yeah. And normally I wouldn't trust the Golden Queen any further than I could throw her, but she did claim she had proof... and if her warning is right, we're in big trouble."
"What sort of trouble?"
Zia's free hand clenched into a fist.
"Poachers."
It had been a whaling ship, once. Then whaling was outlawed. And then it became a whaling ship again anyway.
Through the mist of the morning, the ship advanced. It carried behind it a large holding tank, connected to the ship by rusty chains. Three figures skulked about on the ship, one staying behind the wheel and two others keeping watch, peering out into the fog.
"See anythin' out there, Skinner?" asked the one wearing a hat.
His bald companion snorted with weak amusement. "Cut the crap, Snare. Can't see shit if it was three feet in front of my face with all this damn fog. You can well freakin' see that."
"And yet we're still keepin' watch."
"Tch. Better than sitting around with our thumbs up our asses."
Dr. Snare and Skinner. Two men with rough reputations, known for skulking around the borders of InGen back in the day and snatching up their leftovers. Hatchlings. Eggs. Dinosaur corpses. They liked to call it 'recycling'. They sold off the scraps they found to the highest bidder, which was often Biosyn. But men like these know little of that thing called loyalty, and Biosyn was now the top company for prehistoric genetic research, meaning they were now a prime target. They'd just come from Biosyn, having successfully pulled off a heist much bigger than they'd ever done before. They didn't even really know what was in the holding tank they were dragging. Some creature that was scheduled to be shipped out to another facility somewhere, their contact for the job had said. Something experimental.
It was all so simple. Their contact had walked them through it, and they'd effortlessly pulled off the heist. Everything was exactly as she had said it would be - the gaps in surveillance, the escape route, the means of containment... it had gone perfectly. Perfectly enough that Dr. Snare suspected that whoever had wanted them to pull this off had connections on the inside to know such details about Biosyn. But this was only one half of the job - she'd promised them a truly massive payday if they could swing by Isla Sorna and run one more errand for her. She needed a specimen from Isla Sorna, the dinosaur sanctuary. A large prehistoric turtle called an Archelon. Grab it, tranq it, bring it to the rendezvous point.
Normally they'd say no. They'd want to drop off the Biosyn payload first, at least. But she'd been very convincing, especially for the partner they'd picked up to help pull off such a large-scale job. They'd needed someone good with aquatic animals. Someone skilled, someone experienced, someone able to get the job done.
They'd needed Scaly Pete.
This was his boat. Pete had been patrolling the oceans for years, always on the hunt for something. Usually one specific something. And their contact, upon learning that Pete was involved, was all too happy to throw him a bone and indicate that she'd heard reports that his white whale had been sighted near Isla Sorna. And so that was that. They were going to Isla Sorna before dropping off the creatures they'd snatched from Biosyn. He would brook no argument with Snare and Skinner, the small-time landlubbin' poachers.
"Finally." he rumbled quietly to himself as he charted a course for Isla Sorna through the fog. "That shark... that Maneater... I'll have it mounted and stuffed right here in the cabin."
His phone rang. He answered immediately. "Yeah."
"Where are you?" came the smooth female voice, wafting out of his phone. The client, of course. She was using a burner phone and a voice changer. Sensible, when working in this business.
"Hard to say exactly, with all this fog. Makin' good time, pretty sure, though. Should be at Sorna in another 24 hours or less, I'd wager."
"Good. Once you've had your fun and disposed of that shark for me, you can pull up to Isla Muerta. I'll be on hand for pickup of the specimens. You can do whatever you wish with the shark's remains."
Scaly Pete smirked. "Perfect."
After the call ended, Pete piloted the ship in silence for a while longer until he heard the door open and saw Skinner step into the room out of the corner of his eye.
"Yeah?" Pete asked.
"Gonna catch some shut-eye while Snare keeps watch." Skinner said. "But before I do... you ever gonna tell us what the deal is with you and that shark?
Pete was quiet. He had been quiet every time Skinner or Snare had asked about the shark. The most they'd ever get was a "Fuck off." But this time, for whatever reason, Scaly Pete didn't lash out. He grumbled. He was silent for long enough for Skinner to suspect he wasn't getting an answer. But then he spoke again.
"My father was a shark hunter. And his father was a shark hunter. That was after they banned whalin'. Before that, this was a whalin' family. It's in the blood. We still do some whales on the side, when we can get away with it." Pete took a deep breath. "We make our livin' off the ocean. Humans are special, man. We want somethin', we get it. No dumbass animal can say no if they know what's good for 'em. You know what I'm saying."
"Heh... Sure do." Skinner nodded.
"Good. Too many people don't understand folks like us. Buncha bleedin' hearts, wantin' to save the whales, save the dolphins, save the freakin' mosquitoes. Bullshit. Humans rose to the top because we killed everything else that wanted the throne. Lions, endangered. Elephants, endangered. Ain't no woolly mammoths around no more. Why? Because we killed 'em all. Heh."
Quiet, for a time. Skinner had just realized that Pete hadn't actually answered his question when Pete opened his mouth again.
"I saw my father die. He went down to a shark. Not unexpected in our line of work, I admit. But I know which one took him. Saw it with my own two eyes. It was the Maneater. I know that shark. I know its' scars, its' size, its' color. And I know it's still out there somewhere. That damn fish thinks it can get away with upsettin' the natural order of things."
Pete gripped the wheel so tightly that it creaked.
"'Bout time someone reminded it who's in charge."
-THE NEXT DAY-
It was hard to assemble a Kobber-style battle party during the offseason, particularly on such short notice. I don't know what kind of cosmic bullshit decrees that the forces of evil make all their biggest moves between May and October, and I think at least part of it's just perspective, but we didn't have an army of Kobber minutemen to come running the second there was trouble afoot. I think we managed alright, though.
Zia had some contacts in Whalestrand. Apparently she'd been working alongside some local fisherman girl to help preserve an animal that was rediscovered after supposedly going extinct. Sea cows, they called 'em. They'd rushed over here by plane to beat the poachers in time, and not just any plane - one of Biosyn's private aircraft, generously provided by Beatrice Sepira. Six people stepped out of the plane, one by one.
Ann Glerr was first. The aforementioned fisher. She didn't look like much of a fighter. I suspected she was here more for her knowledge than anything else. Her companions looked more battle-ready - a girl in a white sailor uniform with an anchor in tow, and a big round bulky creature that reminded me of a cartoon bomb wearing pirate garb. We were introduced. Captain Murasa. Pa-Patch. Seemed capable.
The fourth addition to the group was even more capable-looking. I had to tip my head back to take in the full height of the brick house of a woman who came stepping out next. She was tall, broad, and solid, dressed in furs and wearing sturdy boots, a crossbow on her back and an axe on her belt, and with a goddamn snow leopard trotting along behind her like a dog. I was told that this behemoth's name was H'aanit, and she was a hunter famed for her tracking and animal-capturing skills back in Glasetera, working together with the leopard who was called 'Linde'. She introduced herself like someone who doesn't know what Shakespeare is was trying to quote it. Weird, but I can't shrug off those muscles of hers. The way she gripped my hand in greeting told me everything.
The plane and the warning weren't all Beatrice had offered to the cause. Bringing up the rear were two folks from Biosyn she'd sent along to help us. Reinforcements, she'd apparently called them. I looked down at the two of them with skepticism. Not exactly the most intimidating of allies, considering they looked about five feet high and maybe half H'aanit's weight at best.
They offered their names. The one with the weird hat was Gwynn. The other one was named Shrenne. I saw the telltale green-and-black balls on Gwynn's belt and quickly realized, no, she was probably very capable, actually. One of those Pokemon trainers. I didn't see any Pokeballs on Shrenne's person, but she did have a sack with her she said she'd use should we need to fight.
"The poachers are getting close to Isla Sorna." Shrenne said. "We need to mobilize and be ready to strike as soon as they make an aggressive move towards us."
"We should go on the offensive!" Pa-Patch declared, and I liked him already. "Track 'em down and take 'em out!"
"Bad idea." Gwynn said, instantly branding her as a wet blanket in my eyes. "We need to ensure we're legally protected so that the poachers do not drag us down with them. We defend ourselves, we do not strike first. Let them commit to their folly." Fair enough, I guess. It's a miracle I've never been to prison.
We piled into an InGen cruiser. We would station ourselves between the harbor and the poachers, forcing a confrontation if they wanted to visit. They'd get one warning. If they made a wrong move after that, we would do what needed to be done to protect our 'property'.
As we waited for the poachers to arrive, our little team talked shop amongst one another. Zia and Ann were chatting about the aquatic life that lived around Isla Sorna. Pa-Patch and Murasa were laughing and joking with each other, while Shrenne seemed to be the only one properly keeping watch. H'aanit had pulled a Pokeball off her belt - good lord, she had Pokemon too on top of everything else? - and was talking about monster pocketing with Gwynn, who was sending out her own team of Pokemon to have ready to fight. H'aanit's Pokemon was some kind of robot moth. Gwynn had a purple ghost with two disembodied hands, a weird little tumbleweed, and a floating chandelier thing that looked too much like her hat for it to be a coincidence.
"What of your fourth Pokemon?" H'aanit asked, pointing at one last ball on Gwynn's belt. It was a traditional red-and-white ball, not one of the green-and-black ones all her other Pokemon had.
Gwynn sighed a bit at the question, hesitating but then nodding as she grabbed the last ball and sent out its' occupant. It was a doofy pink-and-white thing shaped like a hunk of coral. "This is a Corsola." Gwynn explained. "I caught it in hopes of trading with someone who has a Galarian Corsola. I don't really consider it part of the team... don't want to get too attached since it's inevitably going to be traded to someone else soon." The Corsola seemed happy enough to see Gwynn, though, looking at her and chirping a greeting.
"We needen all the help we can get." H'aanit said, her face serious. "Letten it hunten with us."
"Fine, whatever."
Such enthusiasm. I'm glad we have this pillar of courage on our side. Her and her goofy-ass pink coral.
Zia and I double-checked our weapons. We'd helped ourselves to Isla Sorna's 'armory'. Grappling hooks, spears, hunting knives, stun batons, tranquilizers, and flares. Equipment better suited to dealing with rogue animals than armed poachers. But Beatrice's intel had made clear to us that the poachers likely had trained dinosaurs with them, and might sic the creatures they'd lifted from Biosyn on us if they felt threatened. And besides, if a stun baton was potent enough to cow a Triceratops, it was certainly going to do something to a human. Maybe a little more than would be normally advised. As if I give a damn.
Shrenne sounded the alarm, and everyone shut up real quick. Everybody got in position. Gwynn recalled all of her Pokemon, and she and Shrenne ducked below deck. So did H'aanit, leaving me and Zia alone with Ann Glerr and her sailor buddies. The sound of the water parting as the poachers' ship cut through it filled our ears, and we all waited in silence for the inevitable confrontation.
"Afternoon, girls."
One of the poachers doffed his hat at us, like he was some kind of gentleman. There was also a bald one and the ship was piloted by a third guy.
Zia bristled. "What do you want? These are protected waters, and you're trespassing if you come any closer."
The poacher with the hat held up his hands in front of him, chuckling. "Ahaha, hey now, calm down, little lady. I'm Dr. Snare and this is Skinner. We're just passing through. All we need to do is make a quick little pickup. Can you spare an Archibald?"
"Archelon." Skinner said.
"Right, that's what I said! Good ol' Archie. We just need one of them Arch turtles and we'll be on our way."
"Absolutely not." Zia growled, her arms crossed. "The Archelon is a protected species here. It is not for sale or trade. Now leave."
"Awww, don't be like that, miss. It's better for everyone if you just comply." Dr. Snare said, his tone still sickeningly sweet but laced with a sharper edge now.
"It wouldn't be better for the Archelon!" Ann Glerr blurted out. "Poachers like you should all be in jail!"
"Ahahahahahahaha... Real rich, coming from a fisherlady." Dr. Snare's eyes were locked on Ann's fishing rod. Ann trembled with anger. "We're just making our living from what's in the water, same as you. We don't even wanna hurt the turtle. How many fish have you killed, you hypocritical little bleeding-heart piece of trash?"
"That's enough." Murasa growled with a fury I didn't expect, Ann's eyes widening as her captain put herself between Ann and the poachers. "Get out. NOW."
"...No, I don't think we will." Dr. Snare chuckled, coolly drawing a gun and training it on Murasa's chest. Murasa flinched, and I understood why immediately - she'd mentioned in conversation before the poachers rolled up that she was a ghost, but she was standing right in front of Ann. She either had to stay solid and take the bullet, or go all ghostly and let Ann get hit instead. Skinner pulled a gun as well, taking aim at Zia. And then out came the third man, and I froze when I recognized his face. Scaly Pete.
"Well, well, well... Lookee here. Didn't think I'd run into you. Still tryin' to make somethin' of yourself, eh, Nina?"
I glared at him. "Piss off, Pete."
"I knew I was right, keepin' my boy away from you. Look at yourself. Short hair, tattoos, playin' at bein' all macho. You must think you're somethin' special. Well, you ain't. Just the same ol never-was you've always been, like the rest of the Velges."
"I said PISS OFF."
"And I heard you, and I don't give a damn. You've got a hell of a mouth for someone with two guns pointed at yer little pals." Scaly Pete drew a gun of his own, shaking his head in an ain't-that-a-shame gesture like he was about to dispose of a horse with a broken leg. He glanced over at Skinner and Snare. "Enough talkin'. Shoot 'em and let's get what we came for."
But before any of those asswipes could open fire,
someone else struck first, as a whistling bottle rocket soared across the water and popped a few feet away from Skinner, making him nearly jump out of his skin. Snare and Pete recoiled in surprise as more bottle rockets screamed towards them, and the folks on our side were running and hitting the deck in confusion, only to see Biosyn's backup triumphantly stroll onto the deck. Gwynn already had her two biggest hitters ready, the chandelier and the purple ghost (I found out later these things were called Chandelure and Haunter). Next to her was Shrenne with that sack, which I saw now was a sack full of explosives. Fireworks, to be precise.
"Where the fuck did you get those?!" I yelled over the din of bottle rockets flying in all directions.
"Some lady in Argo hooked me up!" Shrenne yelled back, giving a thumbs up before a rocket flew towards her face and she yelped, somehow limbo-ing under it as it flew away and struck nothing but the open ocean.
I could barely hear the poachers yelling over all the fireworks going off, but I was pretty sure they were cursing. I was probably cursing too. So was Pa-Patch. But I did make out Skinner yelling at Snare to 'release 'em' and saw Snare booking it towards the back of the poacher's ship while Pete rushed back behind the wall and sent his ship further forward until it was practically touching ours.
"Prepare to be boarded!" Murasa called out as she grinned and headed for the enemy deck, only for a pair of dinosaurs to come around the corner and snap at her with their jaws. A black-and-red Carnotaurus and a blue Baryonyx rushed at Murasa. They were stunted compared to usual specimens of their species, only a little larger than a human, and both wore spiked collars and had bodies criss-crossed with old scars. They had steel name tags that glinted in the sun - 'DEMON' for the Carnotaurus, and 'SNAPPER' for the Baryonyx. Snapper grabbed Murasa's anchor, starting a tug-of-war before Demon lowered its' head and rammed into her gut. She stumbled back, assuming ghost form to protect herself and letting Demon charge through her like vapor. Then I noticed Snapper was looking at me.
Damn.
Snapper dropped the anchor and leapt, soaring from one boat to the other. It crashed down onto the wooden surface, leaving claw marks as it scrambled for a foothold. I brought up the tranquilizer gun, but Snapper reacted violently, lashing out and smacking it out of my hand. Damn thing probably had training to deal with people pointing guns at it. Quickly I backed up, readying my backup weapon - a stun baton. I turned it on and smashed it against the shoulder of Snapper. I think all it did was piss it off, the dinosaur roaring and biting down on my overalls, shaking me violently before throwing me to the ground and pinning me there with one foot. I felt something bleeding.
I could dimly hear a large explosion. Ann Glerr was cheering. Pa-Patch was yelling. Then came heavy footsteps as H'aanit launched an ambush, her arrows jabbing into Snapper's side before Linde leapt and crashed into the beast, both animals tumbling across the deck. Linde bit down on the side of the dinosaur, drawing blood. A burst of ghostly purple fire streaked across the sky - the work of Chandelure. Snapper got back up, Linde still clinging to its' side. H'aanit jumped onto the Baryonyx's back, making use of her strength and bulk to join Linde in wrestling the dinosaur back down.
I got up. I saw Shrenne pinned against a wall, cornered by Demon. Demon snapped its' jaws but only got a mouthful of her oversized lab coat, Shrenne squirming around and somehow avoiding seemingly certain death as Demon attacked a few more times. Every time its' jaws just missed her, snapping shut on clothing or air. Shrenne yelled and thrust a roll of something that looked like firecrackers at Demon, and they went off with a deafening series of snaps, both human and dinosaur falling back. I rushed in and shoved my stun baton at Demon. Shrenne screamed for me to duck. Bullets pinged off of the deck - one of the poachers was opening fire. Another one was yelling at him to not hit Demon. I saw Murasa in ghost form floating towards where her anchor had fallen, then caught sight of Gwynn's Chandelure floating over to help me and Shrenne deal with Demon. The dinosaur was a quick thinker. It grabbed Shrenne in its' jaws, getting only a mouthful of her increasingly-shredded lab coat, and spun around. Shrenne's feet slammed into Chandelure's face, and the ghost Pokemon's eyes rolled back in its' head and its' flames sputtered as it drifted down to the ground, stunned. I saw Gwynn hurrying over, digging out a ball to recall her injured ace and sending out another Pokemon - the Corsola. Corsola looked bewildered by everything that was happening. Gwynn pointed at Demon and Corsola started shooting spikes at it, letting go of Shrenne, who seemed rattled but somehow unharmed.
The scene was pure pandemonium. I had no idea who was winning or if anyone was dead. I scanned the area to see if I could spot anyone who needed help. There was Zia, fighting with Dr. Snare to try and wrest his gun out of his hands. Skinner was trading shots with H'aanit's robot moth. Snapper was getting hog-tied by H'aanit. Gwynn's Haunter and Bramblin were trying to deal with Scaly Pete, but he was storming away from the fight with a dangerous stride, phone at his head. Did he ask his contact for help at a time like this?
Then I saw him go behind the controls of his boat and pull a lever.
The holding crate carrying whatever they'd smuggled from Biosyn was unlatched and pulled open.
"What in all hell is that?!"
The words came out of my mouth without me thinking about it. What was that thing? That was no dinosaur. I didn't know what it was at all. Everything about it felt wrong, like it shouldn't exist. It unfurled as it squirmed out of the crate, much larger than I had expected something inside the crate to be. The damn thing had to be close to fifty feet long, even if a lot of that was neck and tail. We later found out this wretched nightmare was named 'The Grebnedu', so that's what I'm gonna call it now. Even Skinner and Snare looked alarmed. Did they not know what they were smuggling? Scaly Pete's eyes widened for a moment, but then a dark, pleased look settled on his features. He didn't know what this freak was either, but he was happy to have it.
The Grebnedu invaded the battle. Poachers and Isla Sorna defenders alike scattered in all directions as the abomination lunged into the crowd, snapping its' malformed jaws and thrashing its' muscular tail. Ann Glerr and Gwynn ran for cover. Zia gave up trying to get Snare's gun and he turned and ran instead of shooting her. H'aanit and Linde, though, simply got off of Snapper and sized up their new opponent, apparently used to this sort of escalation. Arrows and fireworks began to fly, aimed at the Grebnedu. It swung its' tail, missing Shrenne by inches. Linde took a glancing blow and tumbled across the deck. H'aanit rushed in alongside Murasa and Pa-Patch to attack the monster, but her arrows and axe, as well as Murasa's anchor, had little effect on the monster as it crawled further onto our boat, making it tip dangerously under the creature's weight. The Grebnedu bellowed. I picked up my tranquilizer gun and opened fire, some of the shots bouncing off its' rubbery skin but a few finding purchase. Not enough. Not nearly enough.
The boat's cabin was smashed as the Grebnedu swung its' tail again, battering the top of the boat. I could hear Ann and Gwynn crying out. Taking advantage of the chaos, Demon rushed into the damaged cabin, forcing the two girls back out onto the deck. Demon charged at them, mouth agape. I stepped in the way, raised my stun baton and rammed it down the dinosaur's throat. Demon seized up and collapsed, twitching its' legs and with its' eyes rolled back in its' head. Then I felt a white-hot explosion of pain in my shoulder and toppled to my knees. A gunshot. The damn poachers. Scaly Pete chuckled, low and easy. I whipped my head around to look at him. Haunter and Bramblin weren't near him any more - the other poachers must have driven them back. I looked for assistance, but everyone else was too busy dealing with the Grebnedu.
"Nighty-night, sweetheart." Scaly Pete smirked, taking aim again.
Then the poacher's boat rocked, something having slammed into it from the side. Pete stumbled and dropped his gun, looking around in surprise. He ran to the side and looked into the water.
He froze. He mumbled something. I couldn't hear him.
The roar of the Grebnedu turned my attention back to it. It had cornered Gwynn. She was lying on the deck, propped up on one arm, looking up at her demise. Drool dripped from the Grebnedu's misshapen mouth as it gaped its' jaws wide to devour her. But then a beam of energy so cold I could feel it from where I was kneeling struck the side of the monster's face, and it turned to see Corsola. Determination was etched on the little pink thing's face as it launched attacks with everything it could muster. Blasts of water, bursts of ice, magically conjured stones, Corsola let the Grebnedu have it, pouring all of itself into its' attacks to protect Gwynn. For the first time, the Grebnedu appeared to be taking legitimate damage, wounds appearing on its' body and its' movements becoming more defensive as it struggled to work up a response to the frenzied onslaught. But the Corsola couldn't keep up the attacks forever, and its' barrage faltered, the small Pokemon panting as it struggled to catch its' breath.
The Grebnedu took advantage. Its' massive tail rose high into the air, and it brought the full weight of the appendage down onto the Corsola with all the strength it could muster, practically sitting on the Corsola as it aimed with the lower, thicker part of its' tail for a weightier blow.
There was a squeal of terror, immediately followed by a sickening, awful cracking noise.
Slowly, the Grebnedu's tail dragged away from the impact site. It turned to resume battle with the others like nothing had happened. H'aanit and Pa-Patch re-engaged, Shrenne supporting from afar with more explosives.
Gwynn moved. She crawled on her hands and knees to where Corsola had been. Her eyes were wide, her pupils pinpricks. She looked down at the shattered mess of shards that had once been a Pokemon. A Pokemon she hadn't even wanted, a Pokemon that had saved her life.
Corsola had died for her.
Gwynn's limbs shook. I forced myself back up and stumbled over to her, hauling her onto her feet.
"It... Why did..." Gwynn stuttered, shaking like a leaf.
"Come on, we need to get to safety." I said, pulling her with me using my good arm.
As Gwynn and I hurried across the deck, we heard more shouting from the poachers. Indistinct. Skinner and Snare sounded like they were freaking out, but Scaly Pete was louder, firmer, more commanding.
Impossible... But I looked at the water, and it was true. The Maneater was here, too.
The shark swam in circles around the poachers' ship, experimentally ramming it and testing the integrity of the construction. The poachers had completely abandoned the battle at hand, Scaly Pete forcing them to focus on the shark while the Grebnedu fought on alone. Not that it needed help - the monstrosity swiped with its' head and slammed into Pa-Patch before he could blow himself up again, sending him tumbling into the water. H'aanit raised a hand, the limb crackling with electric power. She could do lightning magic too?! Jeez Louise. As she zapped the Grebnedu, her robot moth came flying in to assist, launching energy projectiles at the Grebnedu's head while Murasa rose into the air and dropped down hard to add more oomph to her anchor's swings. The monster thrashed, knocking them all away, then lunged for Shrenne. She tossed up a smoke bomb and vanished in the grey cloud it created, the Grebnedu just missing her. Shrenne awkwardly bumbled along the deck in a fighting retreat, dropping a trail of fireworks behind her. They were all shaped like chickens. They screamed and shot fireballs out of their butts. Very mature.
The poachers yelled in triumph as one of them successfully shot the Maneater with a harpoon. Scaly Pete threw another, roaring in delight as the barbed tip sank into the shark. It turned in the water, dipping down briefly before breaching the surface. Skinner stumbled out of the way, but Dr. Snare wasn't so fortunate. The shark landed on him, pinning him to the deck, and he squirmed as the Maneater bellowed at Scaly Pete and began crawling across the deck towards him.
"OH, YOU MADE A BIG MISTAKE NOW, LITTLE FISHY!" Pete grinned and readied another harpoon, aiming for the shark's mouth. "YOU THINK YOU'RE SOMETHING SPECIAL OUT OF THE WATER?"
And then, as if I hadn't seen enough nonsense today, the shark transformed into a lady.
Scaly Pete looked like he'd seen a ghost. I didn't blame him. She would later introduce herself to us as Leviathan, the true form of the legendary Maneater. Apparently she'd been a Kobber for a little while when they were in Whalestrand. No surprise there.
"What the fuckin' hell?" he babbled.
"I hear you've been looking for me. Well, here I am." Leviathan spread her arms and sneered down at him, Dr. Snare left coughing and forgotten as he sprawled out on the deck behind her. She was nine feet tall, towering over Pete, who was a bear of a man himself but suddenly looked puny. "Your cargo is an abomination... I followed its' foul taint here. I shall dispose of it, and you. Your crimes against the sea end now."
All of a sudden, Scaly Pete realized he was way out of his league. Leviathan drew her trident and pointed at him, and he dropped his harpoon and ran. He made a clumsy leap, tumbling onto the deck of our boat, and ran near the Grebnedu, apparently hoping it would keep him safe. The monster roared, technically granting his wish as it ignored him in favor of Leviathan. She approached without fear and huffed dismissively despite being massively outsized, her tail thrashing as she began her assault with a geyser of water sprayed from her trident, knocking the Grebnedu's head to one side before she walked up with quick, long strides and jammed her trident deep into the side of the beast. It bellowed in pain, a wound left in its' side that worsened as others began converging on the damaged area. Zia ran up and jammed a hunting knife into the wound, then Gwynn's Bramblin was thrown at the wound by Haunter, the tumbleweed-like creature rotating as it tried to dig further into the damage. Murasa ran in to attack again with her anchor, but the Grebnedu's tail swatted her away. The Grebnedu thrashed, knocking people away as its' long body battered them and tossed them around, Scaly Pete among them. He got up, but H'aanit's was charging for him with her axe held high. He drew his gun and shot her in the midsection, but it didn't stop her. H'aanit plowed into Scaly Pete like an enraged bison, pummeling him with the shaft of her axe before grabbing his arm and twisting it. With a yell, Pete dropped his gun, but then he brought up one knee and rammed it into H'aanit's wounded gut. She gasped and loosened her grip, letting him pull free and draw a knife. Before he could stab her, Linde leapt onto him from behind, yowling and snarling. Pete screamed as H'aanit, head low, readied her axe and swung, carving a line diagonally down Pete's front. He ducked, throwing off Linde and sending her crashing into H'aanit.
Leviathan pressed the attack on the Grebnedu. Columns of water slammed into the beast, keeping it off-balance. It lunged out and bit down on H'aanit's robot moth, shaking it and throwing it down into the water. It roared again, but Haunter rushed at it, crackling with electricity. A burst of electricity struck home, more powerful than the spell H'aanit had been using. The sea monster bellowed and reeled, and Leviathan pressed the attack by summoning a tidal wave, rushing forward and transforming back into a shark as she rode the wave. The twenty-foot shark tackled the fifty-foot abomination, and both of them plummeted into the water.
I took stock of the situation. Ann was trying to fish Pa-Patch out of the water. Dr. Snare was taken care of, it seemed - Zia had wrapped him up with a grappling hook's cable. Skinner and Pete were still active, though. H'aanit was still trying to wrestle with Pete, while Skinner was running through a hail of bottle rockets to corner Shrenne. His big meaty hands reached for her tiny neck and I sprang into action, readying my tranquilizer gun and shooting. He took a dart to the shoulder and whirled to face me. I heard Gwynn call out behind me, and her Bramblin rushed over and rammed into one of Skinner's legs. The sharp thorns drew blood, Skinner yelping. He was starting to slow down from the tranquilizer. I aimed another shot, but the gun clicked empty. I threw it at him, then drew a hunting knife and hung back. Skinner lunged, a sloppy tackle followed by a sloppier uppercut. "Stay still, you goddamn tree-hugger!" he snarled. Bramblin pounced from behind, colliding with Skinner's back and thrashing him with its' thorns some more. He groaned, stumbling, and I brought up one leg and pistoned it out, kicking him in the chest. Bramblin rolled away as Skinner fell like a rotted old tree, smacking onto the deck.
Out in the water, the Grebnedu and Maneater were going at it, Murasa flying above the fray and trying to attack with her anchor whenever the Grebnedu dared to surface. Blood was filling the water, though whose blood it was wasn't clear to me. Probably both of them. I heard the sound of revving, turning in alarm to see Scaly Pete had managed to floor H'aanit and had retreated back to his boat. He was starting the boat back up. "I saved these for a special occasion!" he yelled, as hatches on the sides of the boat fell away to reveal makeshift cannons made out of old guns. He laughed, a dark, crazed laugh, as he unleashed a broadside on our ship, bullets pinging off the hull and making our team scatter. Gwynn screamed as she took a shot in the leg and went down, Bramblin and Haunter rushing to her side to get her to relative safety below deck. Linde ran off, spooked by the gunfire and running with a limp. Shrenne squeaked in a panic but when she dropped to the deck, lying on her back, she flashed me a thumbs-up. I joined H'aanit and Zia as we backed up together, staring down Pete's makeshift battleship.
"I'm killing that shark. I'm taking the goddamn turtle. And then I'm getting out of here!" Pete snarled, turning his ship's cannons on the water. The Grebnedu rose, the Maneater stubbornly latched onto it jaws-first, and Pete took advantage. The shark was hit with a hailstorm of bullets, the Maneater thrashing in pain and reluctantly letting go of the Grebnedu to fall back into the water. The Grebnedu gaped its' malformed mouth wide and dove down after its' foe.
H'aanit was already on the move, Zia shortly behind. I sighed and ran after them. The three of us boarded Pete's ship. He turned to shoot H'aanit too slowly, her fist cracking against his face. He let out a strangled yell and groped at the wall of the cabin, grabbing a fire axe and swinging. H'aanit met his axe with her own, the two of them clashing blades. Murasa landed on the deck nearby, hurrying over to try and help. Zia aimed her tranquilizer gun and fired, but Scaly Pete turned and the dart struck H'aanit instead. Zia gasped in dismay, H'aanit stumbling back woozily as Pete pushed her aside. Murasa came in next, her anchor slamming down on Pete's shoulder and earning a loud holler. I rushed in with my hunting knife, slashing at Pete and cutting off one of his overalls' straps, leaving a shallow cut behind. He growled and returned the favor with his axe, chopping into my own overalls. Some muddled, distant part of my brain shouted 'twinsies!'. Zia yelled, getting behind Pete with a length of rope and looping it around his neck, trying to choke him out. The boat rocked as one of the two behemoths in the water slammed into it. I couldn't tell which one. Then the other one rammed into the first, and the whole boat went dangerously sideways. Murasa, H'aanit, Zia, and myself all lost our footing and fell out of the cabin, across the deck, and into the water. Pete managed to hang on, the boat soon regaining its' balance. He growled dangerously, looking into the sea.
The Grebnedu was badly hurt. Ugly bite marks seeped red, running along its' neck, body, and tail. It was trying to swim away, but it was struggling to use its' tail to propel itself due to injury. The Maneater resurfaced, armored in bone now, and spun like a drill as it rammed into the Grebnedu, sharp bones slicing away ribbons of mutated flesh. The Grebnedu shrieked and tried harder to get away. The Maneater dove down out of sight, and for a moment it looked like the Grebnedu would escape.
I knew better.
Rocketing up from below, the Maneater launched itself directly into the Grebnedu's chest. I could hear the impact, see the body of the creature cave in as the shark rammed it. The Grebnedu almost left the water entirely from the force of the impact. It wailed and landed on the water belly-up, its' struggles weakening.
It was then that Scaly Pete realized he'd just let the cargo die. The cargo he was supposed to be smuggling.
In a panic, he revved up the boat's engine once more, hurriedly piloting the ship away and not giving a damn about his fellow poachers or the Archelon or even the Maneater. In the end, he had to look out for number one.
Zia shouted angry curses. The Maneater tried to give chase, but in its' death throes, as if sensing it was doomed regardless, the Grebnedu shifted from cowardly to spiteful. It reached out and bit down on the Maneater to drag it back. The two monsters struggled once more, the Grebnedu sinking beneath the waves and taking the shark with it. By the time the Maneater resurfaced, Scaly Pete was gone. The shark changed back into Leviathan, pouting as she looked out at the horizon.
"Dammit."
I wrung out my clothes and looked around. Most of the defense force was injured, some heavily so. Gwynn was kneeling in front of the mess of broken coral shards that had once been a Pokemon. H'aanit was resolutely bandaging herself while Linde took 'licking your wounds' literally. Shrenne looked rattled and needed a new labcoat, but was somehow unscathed otherwise.
I echoed Leviathan's thoughts. Dammit indeed. But we'd stopped the poachers. We'd taken out a dangerous creature whose existence implied Biosyn was up to no good. We'd successfully captured two poachers, as well as their two trained dinosaurs. Scaly Pete had escaped, but ultimately, we'd come out ahead.
I staggered over to Zia and plopped down next to her. She was using her phone. Good thing it was waterproof. "What are you doing?" I asked.
"Just checking things out, making sure the rest of the island is okay. Need to make sure Pete didn't-"
Zia's words died in her throat as she stared at her phone.
"...Uh, Zia?"
"It... it... it's Rexy."
Instantly, a horrible nauseating feeling gripped me. No. While we were over here fighting for our lives, we'd completely missed Rexy's final moments? Say it wasn't so.
The good news was, Zia saw my expression and shook her head. It WASN'T so. "She's not dead."
The bad news was when she turned the phone to me, showing the security camera feed of an empty pen.
"What... how the hell?" I ran a hand through my hair, disbelieving. "How can she just vanish like that?!"
"The damned poachers." Zia growled. "This was all a distraction. They didn't want the Archelon. Rexy was their real target all along!"
"Go through the footage! We need clues! Surely it'll show Rexy getting kidnapped, right?!"
Zia nodded and started going through the footage of the last couple hours. As she rewound, we waited with anticipation for the picture to shift. Inevitably, once she went far enough back, we saw Rexy in the pen as she should have been, still napping. We watched the footage in silence, Zia carefully noting the time. Then, all it once, it happened. Something rushed by. A human-sized grey figure with huge, broad spines protruding from its' head and back. It was moving too fast to properly get a good look, but it seemed to jerk away from the camera as it rushed by, as if it noticed it was there. Then for a while, nothing seemed to happen, before suddenly Rexy simply popped out of existence. Once moment she was there, the next she wasn't.
"Impossible." I murmured.
"Not so." Zia sighed. "Teleportation technology, maybe."
"Ugh. More Kobber shit, huh? The old girl can't get away from it, I guess. But..."
"But?"
"Something's bugging me. Play the footage again."
Zia obeyed. I squinted at the screen, trying to figure out what twigged my uneasy feeling that we weren't getting the full picture. And then it happened, the pieces clicking into place. I pointed at the screen. "There. Look. The grass was moving a little, because of the wind. But after the grey thing passes through, the screen locks up. Then when Rexy vanishes, the grass starts moving again. Something glitched the camera."
"Meaning there's something we didn't see."
"Right. We didn't see Rexy's kidnapping. Maybe because it would have given us a better look at that thing that ran by. I mean, obviously that whatever-the-hell-it-was is the culprit, right?"
"Might as well assume so, yeah. Not like we have any other leads. But... but what would they want with Rexy? Everyone knows Rexy is supposed to be here, so it's not like they can put her on display. Same goes for any sick collectors hoping to mount her and stuff her..."
I hate that Zia put that thought into my head. She seems to hate it too considering how apologetically she's looking at me.
One problem solved, another takes its' place. I'm exhausted already. You guys live like this?
-ISLA MUERTA-
They'd had Kobbers with them. A buncha damn Kobbers. That had not been part of the plan, not at all. Scaly Pete had been told very explicitly that there was no way the Isla Sorna folks would be able to contact Kobbers in time to stop the heist. Now, thanks to them, he had lost the cargo, lost his (temporary) partners, and he'd even missed a chance to take down the Maneater. At least he'd learned something new about it today. Damn thing could turn into a lady. Duly noted.
He may have screwed up on his end, but his contact had screwed up on hers as well, and he aimed to chew her out.
He stepped off the boat, onto the Isla Muerta dock. He was the only boat here, but he saw a helicopter in the distance, resting on a landing pad. He snorted and started walking down the dock, ready to find that woman and give her a piece of his mind.
And then someone walked out of hiding, and Scaly Pete froze.
"Hello, Pete." said Beatrice Sepira. "Well, that was certainly sloppy, but you got the job done in the end, I suppose!"
"Wha... You... What the hell are you doing here?!"
"I could ask the same of you, Sir Scaly. I suppose it's good news, bad news time. The good news is, you did just what I needed you to do. You kept them busy."
"W-wait, but..." Pete was bewildered, gasping like a fish. "You're my contact?! You hired me to poach from your own company?! WHY?!"
"You were actually speaking to an associate of mine, but she's occupied elsewhere right now. As for your other question, I already told you! Open those grody old ears, will you?" Beatrice laughed and took a deep drag from her churchwarden pipe, blowing a plume of smoke into the air. "You were a distraction, and a fun one at that. Quite the battle! You gave the Kobbers more of a hassle than I expected. Sadly, therein lies the bad news, Sir Scaly. You did a little too well. You weren't supposed to get away. You're showing a little too much competency, somehow."
The realization hit Pete like a bucket of ice water. "W-weren't... supposed to..."
"I have no further need of your services. I got what I wanted. And I'm afraid I can't have you sailing off again to talk about what you've seen today."
Beatrice snapped her fingers.
Three knives embedded themselves in Scaly Pete's back before he could even turn around, but he turned anyway, staggering as he felt his legs buckling underneath him. Where had that other girl come from? She was dressed in black, brown hair flowing to her shoulders, standing on one leg in a combat-ready stance as if he could somehow muster up a response. How had she... when did she...
Her disapproving frown was the last thing Scaly Pete saw before it all went black.
"Job's done, mother." his killer said quietly.
"Very good, Sonia." Beatrice purred.
-A QUIET CORNER OF ARGO-
"Hello. I've come with good news."
The well-dressed woman with a polite, smooth voice bowed politely to her conversation partner.
"The ingredients you provided us worked perfectly for our purposes."
The partner asked a question.
"I'm sorry. I cannot divulge that information. But please be assured that your materials were perfect for the job and did just as we had hoped. As promised, here is the second half of our payment to you."
The woman handed her partner an envelope filled with cash.
"There may be an extra tip in there as well. Consider it our way of saying thanks. We couldn't have succeeded without you. So, thank you."
The woman nodded, pausing for a moment.
"This will be our last contact concerning this matter. Our business is concluded. If we require further materials, we will contact you again with a new offer, but for now consider our arrangement complete. Please, have a good day."
She bowed once more, then turned and left. The other person counted the money in the envelope - a generous payment indeed. It would have been nice to know why, exactly, they had wanted a lock of her hair and a sample of her blood, but for this much money she was fine not knowing the answer. Imagine all the cool stuff she could get with this money. Maybe even get some cool new gear for her next match in the Crucible!
Her eyes went wide with excitement.
"Sunflower!"
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